My PLAB 1 Experience

Passed, scoring 149/180 (PLAB 1 November 2018)

Mentioning the score to let you know that I passed comfortably with this preparation.

Background:

I graduated in 2017 and haven’t done an internship. Most people advise to give around 3 months to prepare but I could not. I had around 2 months and in these 2 months, I took a lot of days off and did not study for very long hours each day. So, you can pass even in less time. I was a good student in my medical school but not one of those extraordinary ones.

Study Material:

1. 1700 question bank with Dr Khalid’s explanation

2. Plabable question bank

3. Samson mocks

4. Oxford Handbooks of Clinical Medicine and Clinical Specialities

5. Websites for reference:   i. patient.info    ii. gpnotebook      iii. NICE CKS

What I did:

I started reading 1700 questions and noted the number of questions from each topic to have a rough idea about the importance of topics. Then, I very quickly went through the topics that I found to constitute the majority of 1700 questions from Oxford handbooks.  Let me tell you that I had no idea about  Plabable till this point and I had spent 15 precious days in doing this, which is not recommended.

After all this hassle, a fellow plabber suggested me to get Plabable subscription and I cannot thank them enough for this. It is the best resource one could have for PLAB 1, highly recommended. Why? Because it has all the questions arranged topic wise. So, you save the time that you would have spent noting down how many questions from which topic, it’s all there. In addition, it has detailed explanation for every answer, again saving time. If you need more information about a topic, there are links provided for further read. An additional benefit is the comments section. If you have any doubt, post it in the comments and someone will definitely reply. Plabable subscription also includes timed mocks, which will help you get used to the exam conditions.

While solving questions on plabable, I made my own notes for revision, very briefly noting down everything that was new to me or that I thought I might forget. I suggest you make your own notes instead of studying from someone else’s notes, it really makes a difference.

After completing all the questions on Plabable once,  I went back to 1700 to complete what was left only to find out that the questions are almost the same as in Plabable but incomplete and the answers less well explained, as those are just recalled questions by ex plabbers. I would recommend doing the 1700 questions in mock style as a revision of plabable.

Then, I went through my notes, adding more information where I felt the need, from the references mentioned above. Along with that, I did Samson mocks, which were really helpful (the questions) but I found a lot keys to be wrong. I did just a couple of them and then finally revised my notes and stopped studying a few days before the exam.

During these 2 months, I actively participated in discussions on Facebook and WhatsApp PLAB 1 groups, which was a great help.

On the Exam Day:

I travelled to Manchester on the exam day. The environment was very relaxed and everyone was very friendly and co-operative.  If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask them, they will answer you. I remember one of the candidates asking what will happen if they use their own eraser and not the one provided :D

The exam was very similar to what I had been studying for 2 months. The questions were very similar to the ones in Plabable, the length, the words. Some of them were similar to Samsom mocks. However, most of them were slightly changed leading to completely different answers. So, do not memorise the answers, learn the hows and whys. I don’t have a very good memory so that was a blessing in disguise for me :D

There were some questions from new topics but not many. There were some questions that I had read but failed to find the final, correct answer. So, I just marked what I thought was correct based on my research and my scores show that it was not much of an issue. Also, because scores don’t matter, all that matters is if you pass or fail, it’s advisable not to worry about the controversial keys much.

A lot of candidates struggle with time. I would suggest to print out the answer sheet and practise on it and to time your mocks. Although I finished about half an hour early and was able to review some of my answers, I did the questions very, very quickly. You don’t get much time to keep thinking about an answer. If you are unsure of an answer, just mark what you think is best and move on. Then, if you get some time in the end, revisit it.

What I suggest to do:

Get Plabable subscription and start answering the questions, reading explanations and making notes. Then, go through your notes and see if you need any further reading of some topics. After that, do Samson mocks and keep on adding important points in your notes to revise at the end. Next, depending on how much time do you have, do 1700 questions and then Plabable mocks or just the mocks. Meanwhile, keep on posting your queries on PLAB groups and engage in discussions. Another important advice is to be ready to accept that you could be wrong and learn from others. Be polite and help each other as much as possible.

IELTS Writing 7.5

So, after getting the required IELTS score for PLAB in my first attempt, I got to know that I needed an even higher score to apply for Foundation Programme in the UK, 7.5 in each module. I tried to apply for a recheck as I just needed a 0.5 increase in writing but turned out I was late! So, luck had me attempting the test again and voila I got 7.5 😊

How I got 7.5 while scoring a 7 is a nightmare for many, is a question that is being asked by almost everyone who gets to know my score. Hence, I thought of writing about it as well. Even though it is a difficult task to summarise it, I will try my best.

Initially, I got confused by so many sources available. I consulted many, both free and paid but was never fully satisfied. It really all added to my confusion, believe me! So, I sat down one day and devised my own strategy. I picked up what I thought was suitable from a lot of suggestions that I received and after consulting some well reputed English language and IELTS coaches, made my own plan, which I think is the best solution as everything doesn’t work for everyone. I strongly believe that writing is highly subjective, there is no right or wrong, and that customised plans work wonders!

Firstly, good knowledge of the basics is a must.  You cannot score a 7 if your writing has a lot of grammar/spelling mistakes. IELTS is a TEST of the level you are at and not a language course that will teach you English. In addition, like every test, there are some strategies and techniques that you have to learn for IELTS. I highly recommend that those who are struggling to get a high band, consult someone who is familiar with the IELTS test, to get their writing reviewed and find out the exact area where they lack. The only way to improve is to know your mistakes. I also advise you to give proper time and attention to your preparation, and not just keep booking tests one after the other.

As I already got a 7 on my first attempt, I was quite confident to score 7.5 this time. However, I didn’t take it easy and put in all my effort to make sure that I don’t fall short. The conclusion I reached was that there actually is no such thing as “different types of task 2”, every task needs you to discuss an issue and reach a conclusion, that essentially is your opinion. So, all that fuss of whether to give your opinion or not, whether to discuss one view or both is pointless! A good essay, with strong arguments that prove your stance, is all that is required.

Since last year, I have been guiding many IELTS aspirants and with everyone, I use a different strategy. As we are all different, at different levels of the language, having different preferences and writing style, we need to have a customised plan. Some general tips definitely work for everyone but not all can benefit from just these tips. Forcing a certain style of writing onto someone never works!

I definitely think that one can achieve the required score without opting for professional services, depending on how much time they have and at what level of the language they are. Even then they would need someone to pinpoint their mistakes, then if they have enough time and knowledge, they can surely work on it by themselves. Otherwise, if someone is doubtful of their language skills and is unable to get the target score despite working hard on their own, there is no harm in consulting an experienced person. The time and money spent on repeated attempts are better invested in learning and actually preparing for the test

IELTS Reading: Band 9

Reading is one skill in which many people find it difficult to score high despite a lot of practice. I, myself was initially stuck at band 7/7.5  during practice until I found out a few techniques that finally helped me boost my score to a 9. So, here are some of my tips that might help you. There won't be any typical terms of skimming and scanning and what not :D

The test has 3 sections with a total of 40 question and 60 minutes to attempt. There would be no extra time to transfer the answers to the answer sheet after these 60 minutes. So, make sure that you either write your answers directly on the answer sheet or transfer after completing each section. You have to be quick here as time management is the key to score high in Reading.

To prepare for this skill, start reading. Read anything you like, be it a newspaper, blog or a book in English. Try to read quickly while understanding the text. If you come across a new word, look for its meaning and synonyms. The passages in the test can be from any newspaper, magazine or book, about any topic like archaeology, history, medicine, geography etc.  So make sure you are familiar with the basic vocabulary. Practice the tests from the Cambridge IELTS books as I mentioned for the Listening part, making sure to set the timer and try to finish the test in 50 to 55 minutes to spare some time for a quick recheck. I used to finish mine withing 40 minutes during practice but on the exam day, I struggled to finish it in time and hardly had 2 or 3 minutes for a recheck.

There are different types of questions in the exam, for example, Mutiple Choice Questions (MCQs), Match the Headings, Sentence/ Summary Completion, Short Answer Questions and a few more, which you can find out on IELTS website and your practice tests. For some questions like MCQs, short answers and summary completion, the answers would be in the same order as the information in the paragraph while for some of the others like matching headings and matching information, they would not be.

I would advise to quickly go through all of the questions of a section first, underlining the key words and then find the answers one by one. While reading if you come across a word that you think is a potential answer to a question, underline it. Underline any dates, names etc. These might be the answers to some of the questions or might help you locate the answers quickly.

If a section has Match the Headings questions, attempt it after attempting all the other questions of that section, because by that time you must have read the paragraphs a couple of times and might have an idea about what each paragraph is about. Also, for this question type, read all  the headings first then start matching. Not all headings match with the paragraphs so don't worry about it as there will be more headings than paragraphs. Carefully read the letters designated to the paragraph (A,B,C) to make sure you are matching the right one.

TRUE/FALSE/NOT GIVEN and YES/NO/NOT GIVEN type of questions are a nightmare for many. Firstly, make sure you answer them correctly and not write TRUE/FALSE to answer a question that asks YES/NO and vice versa. Secondly, don't get confused between NO/FALSE and NOT GIVEN.  If you can find the statement/information in the text, it is TRUE. If the text contradicts that statement or gives an opposite information, it is FALSE/NO and if the writer does not mention that specific statement or gives no information about it, the answer would be NOT GIVEN. For example, the statement is  THE SKY WAS BLUE. If in the passage, it is written that Mark was looking at the blue sky,  TRUE. If, Mark was looking at the grey sky, FALSE. If, Mark was looking at the sky, NOT GIVEN.

Make sure to paraphrase the question and look for synonyms of the key words as you might not find the exact word or statement in the passage. Pay attention to the instructions for each question. If you are asked to write NO MORE THAN ONE WORD or NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND A NUMBER, don't. You can write fewer words but not more. In MCQs, check if you have to write the word or just number/letter of the correct option (most probably).  Spell the words correctly, I would suggest to write in block letters, it makes the writing clear and easy to read. Don't forget to practice as practice makes a man perfect!

Scoring Band 9 in IELTS Listening

The easiest skill to get Band 9 in, out of the four, is probably Listening. The test comprises of 4 sections with 40 questions in total. You will have 30 minutes to answer all the questions then 10 minutes in addition to transfer your answers to the answer sheet. I would suggest you to visit the IELTS official website and have a look at the pattern of exam before starting your preparation to know what you are preparing for.

The study material I recommend is the Cambridge English IELTS book series (the academic version of course). There are 12 of them available, I would suggest to practice at least books 8 to 12. In addition, start watching English movies/ TV shows or even You Tube videos to familiarize yourself with different accents and pronunciations of words. 

I believe practice is the key to success here. As you practice more and more tests, you would certainly improve your score. Before you start practicing, check with your exam centre if they provide headphones or not and practice accordingly. I've met a lot of people who practiced with headphones and ended up getting low scores just because they could not focus on the exam day without headphones. 

Coming to the actual test, as the audio begins, you would hear some instructions and then a sample answer just like the practice tests, then you will have some time to read the questions (say 1 to 5). I would advise you to utilize this time in reading as many questions as possible of that section. After every set of questions, you would be given some time to recheck the answers and read the next  set of questions, which you should take full advantage of and try to read ahead.You are free to turn the pages once the test begins. So, if you have time, you can read the questions on the next page.

While reading the questions, I suggest you to underline the key words to focus on them later in the audio. Don't just hear for those specific words, you might hear there synonyms, so be prepared! Pay attention to the instructions written on the question paper, for example, NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS, NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND A NUMBER etc and follow them. You can write fewer words but not more. I would suggest to write in block letters to make your writing clear to read and not worry about capital letters at the beginning of proper nouns.

What if you miss an answer? This is something very common while listening to something you are not interested in for 30 long minutes, particularly in the last section when you generally lose attention. Try to be attentive till the end but if you do miss an answer, simply move on to the next question. If you keep on recalling and guessing at that time, you are likely to miss answers to the next questions as well. So move on and come back to that question at the end, read a couple of questions before and after that one, try to recall the audio and make a logical guess, it might work, it worked for me.

In the last 10 minutes, recheck all your answers and after transferring them to the answer sheet, recheck one more time. Make sure the spellings are correct (can be either American or British) and the answers are clearly written.  Believe me, double checking makes a lot of difference because sometimes we make very silly mistakes and end up regretting. I myself misspelled a couple of words that I corrected while rechecking for the 2nd time.

That was all I could suggest you from my experience. I hope it would be of help to someone, somewhere. All the best :)

How I Achieved 8.5 in IELTS

This is for all the IELTS (Academic) aspirants who are asking for tips to score 7+ band in each section. First of all, relax! This is not as tough as it seems to be. You have been through much harder exams in your life. So, here is what worked for me to achieve the target score (L:9, R:9, W:7, S:8 overall 8.5) I hope it would benefit you all.

To begin with, familiarize yourself with the test pattern. Go through the introduction of any Cambridge IELTS book and you’ll get to know the exam pattern. You need to have the basic knowledge of the language i.e grammar, spellings, punctuation. If you don't, you have work on it before proceeding further.

Now, I’ll address each section i.e. Listening. Reading, Writing and Speaking one by one.

LISTENING:

                    This would be the first skill in which you will be tested on the exam day.  The key to success here is practice before the test and stay focussed while you attempt the paper.

Familiarize yourself with various accents such as Australian, British, American etc. This can be done by practicing the tests from Cambridge CDs. Start watching YouTube videos, it honestly helps a lot. You’ll get used to listening and understanding English and learn some new words.

Practice as many tests as possible and don’t stop until you consistently get a band higher than your target.

During the exam, stay focussed. Pay close attention to what you are listening because you might miss an answer if you lose attention for just a couple of seconds. You might not hear the exact words as in the test paper, hear for synonyms. Don’t leave any question unanswered. If you miss a question just mark it and move ahead to come back to it later at the end. Try to logically guess the answer, you might be right.

READING:

                  Time management is the key here. I would suggest you to read all the questions of one section first, underlining all important words then look for those or their synonyms in the passage. Don’t try to read and understand the entire passage, you’ll waste your time.

For Match the Heading type of question, attempt it after answering all the other questions of that section. You are most likely to get the main idea of the paragraph by reading the first and last sentences of the paragraph. Learn to differentiate between the main and supporting ideas.

Practice using the Cambridge books and stay within the time limit, ideally try to solve it in 50 or 55 minutes.

WRITING:

                 Now comes the most dreaded part of the exam! It has 2 tasks, which you have to complete within 60 minutes. Again, manage your time. I would suggest to attempt Task 1 first as it is shorter (150 words). Complete it as fast as you can to have enough time for the longer and more important Task 2. Practice these tasks from the Cambridge books. Use academic formal language. Avoid informal words

For Task 1, I would recommend Liz’s pattern.  Paraphrasing is very important, pay attention to it. A good overview is the key here, in which you highlight all the important information. Don’t write each and every detail that you see. Just mention the most significant points and compare and contrast whenever possible. Make sure you reach or cross the word limit but don’t try to write a lot as you would waste your time. Keep the report short and simple.

For Task2, planning is the key. Read the question very carefully and plan what you are going to write step by step to address all parts of the task. It’s fine to give 3 to 5 minutes to planning. Believe me you will not regret it because you will have a framework in your mind. Use the question paper to make a plan.

Pay attention to your grammar. If you have a lot grammatical errors, you will not be able to score high. It’s good to use complex sentences and words but only if you are sure that what you are writing is correct. Otherwise, stick to the basics. Make sure you fully understand the question and address all its parts such as give your opinion and give examples where required. You can use your imagination to create examples if you don’t know of any. You will be judged on your language not your truthfulness, just make sure those are logical.

Remember to write at least 250 words.

How to count words? Count the lines on the answer sheet and calculate how many words in each line and how many lines would make 250 words. Do this as soon as you get the answer sheet and count the lines after finishing the task for a rough idea.

SPEAKING:

                  This part is tough for many people who don’t speak English in their day to day life. Watch English TV shows and movies, You Tube videos etc. Try talking to your friends or family in English. If you don’t have anyone to talk to, talk to yourself. You just have to practice and get used to speaking in the language. Make sure your grammar is correct. Don’t try to use fancy words if they don’t come naturally. Stay calm. Smile. Breathe. Talk to the examiner as if you are chatting with your friend. Don’t use slang. For part 2, use the 1 minute to fully understand the topic and plan your answer. Write points on the paper that you would explain later on. Don’t stop until you are asked to. Improvise if you run out of ideas. Remember you’re not being judged on your opinions but on your language. The key here is to be fluent and natural. Pronounce the words correctly.

I hope this would help you reach your target. I'll be writing soon in detail about each of the four skills. So, stay tuned. All the best 😊