MCAT is actually medical college admission test, which you have to pass to get admitted to any medical college. But in Pakistan it’s something that will make you hate life and question your entire existence.

Let’s picture this. ‘You’ve just given your intermediate exams, you had been working like a maniac for almost two years and on the last day of your paper you are so happy that finally you could live like a free human even if it will be for few days.’ Well no my friend if you are planning to go into medicine, or more likely your parents are planning for you to become a doctor, your MCAT preparation classes will start from the very next day.

I was a delusional teen who made a bucket list of all the things I’ll do after giving my intermediate papers and the only thing I was able to check off was ‘travelling alone’ because I had to go to preparation center every day in public buses ‘alone’.

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT?

Class timings will be long. You will have huge number of students in single class and you will have to fight for a seat where you can listen the lecture and see the board, almost every single day. You will have to go through all your intermediate course again but if you think that will be all well all i can do is pity you and laugh at your Innocence. There will be so much extra stuff that you will realize you haven’t covered in your intermediate course so you will have to learn that too. The class timings will be odd and you will feel like you have no life. MCAT preparation can bring you really really close to the point of emotional breakdown.

When you are really down just try and cheer up by reminding yourself that you are not alone in this. It’s not the end of the world and it’s just phase that will pass. Teachers in most of the preparation centers are really nice and helpful. They will guide you a lot and never hesitate to ask for help.

Want to ace your MCAT? Here are some tips:

After your finals, give yourself a break of at least ten days. Spend some ME time. Do things you like to do and sleep a lot.

But after those ten days start studying from the very next day. I know you must be thinking easy for me to say but I’m so not asking you to study whole day. Just set your android smartphones aside for one hour only and study in that hour with full concentration. But when your test date will come nearer try and study for longer periods. Take short breaks while studying. 

DON’T MISS YOUR LECTURES. I can not emphasize on this enough. Listen to your teachers carefully and try to jot down lectures.

Solve past questions. I’m not saying the same questions will be repeated in your test but the past papers will give you an idea about the type of questions that are usually asked. You will have limited time in your hand so try and solve questions as quickly as you can.

Don’t panic. I know it’s hard because I have been through all this myself but I’m telling you from experience this will not last forever.

Few things to keep in mind:

Just keep in mind that even if you don’t get admission in medical university it is not the end of the world. There are number of other fields you can opt for. I know it will be hard. All your relatives (who never bother calling you on birthdays) will be the first in line to make you feel like a complete loser but always remember that Allah has blessed everyone with different and unique capabilities. He knows what is best for us so just be patient.

The most important thing is if you don’t want to become a doctor please don’t. Right now you will get emotionally blackmailed by your parents and relatives and you may start thinking that lets do this to shut them up but keep in mind medical study is really hard and you can cope with all this pressure only if you really like your courses and you are passionate about your field.

All my relatives wanted me to become a doctor so bad. They forced me to choose pre-medical. Everyone started expecting from me so much that I lead myself to believe that doctor is the profession I want to choose. Later I learned about pharmacy and fell in love with it. I realized that I’ll be the one suffering if I choose to study something I don’t like. All these people who are forcing me to choose MBBS won’t be studying for me. I’ll have to do all the hard work alone on my own. So, I did myself a huge favor and chose pharmacy. Everyone was disappointed but I was satisfied with my decision and still am. During my exams the only thing that keeps me motivated is the fact that I love what I am studying.

I know its hard time and you all are confused and afraid. It’s okay to feel this way. Just choose something that you know you will enjoy learning. Most importantly choose the profession that makes you happy so that in future when you will get jobs you won’t regret waking up every morning and going to work. You choose and decide how you will be spending your lifestyle life.