GPAT-2016 Tips and Tricks

GRADUATE PHARMACY APTITUDE TEST (GPAT) is a national level entrance exam conducted by All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) every year as per the directions of Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), Government of India. This test facilitates institutions to select suitable Pharmacy graduates for admission into the Master’s (M.Pharm) program. The GPAT is a three hour computer based online test which is conducted in a single session. The GPAT score is accepted by all AICTE-Approved Institutions/University Departments/Constituent Colleges/Affiliated Colleges. A few scholarships and other financial assistance in the field of Pharmacy are also given on the basis of the GPAT score. The GPAT 2016 will be conducted on 17th January 2016.

GPAT 2016 – Online examination tips and practice for success:

GPAT 2016 is an online examination. This is computer based online test which is conducted in a single session and hence you might feel anxious about the exam. Here are some tips to help you succeed in the online GPAT exam.

Practise, Practise and Practise for GPAT 2016

You cannot have a clear understanding of the level of your preparation, unless and until you test yourself. By giving as many tests as possible, more so in the last one month before the exam will definitely help you in improving your final score.

The actual GPAT exam (Dated: 17/01/2016)

You need to be smart when you are actually attempting the exam. All the hard work you have put in will go in vain, if you fail to finish the exam on a positive note. You cannot afford to lose at the last moment. The pain and agony associated with failure after thorough preparation is unbearable. Therefore, you must bear the following points in your mind while you are taking the exam.

1.       You have 180 minutes to complete the test. Use each and every second of this time.

2.      Do not waste your time on questions which confuse you. You have the option of marking the questions for REVIEW which you can visit later.

3.       Keep navigating through the questions and answer those questions first, which are easy and have direct answers.

4.       Follow the deletion method wherever possible. If you are fortunate enough, you may come across at least 10-15 questions where you can find the correct answer by omitting the wrong answers if you are sure of them.

5.       Try to solve questions which have mathematical calculations in the first two hours. This will give you enough time to avoid calculation mistakes.

6.       Remember that there is NEGATIVE MARKING. You must avoid answering questions which are too difficult or from the topics you have not covered. It does not matter how many questions you attempt. All that matters is how many questions you have answered CORRECTLY. So try to avoid the tendency to answer all questions and rely on luck!

7.       Lastly, allot at least 10 min time to review all the unanswered questions and mathematical questions. This will ensure that you check these questions twice and reduce the scope of mistakes.

 We would be glad to help you if you have any queries. Keep watching this space for more updates about GPAT 2016 preparation.

PLANNING FOR SUCCESS – GPAT 2016 SUCCESS MANTRA

With the date of GPAT 2016 (Jan 17 ^th) fast approaching, there is a feeling of anxiety among the final year students about clearing the exam. Since last year, GPAT has gone online and the level of difficulty has also been increased considerably. It is astonishing as well as disappointing to know that there are a number of students who do not even know the importance of GPAT. Those who understand the importance are plagued by the tension of clearing the exam in the first attempt. The burden of project work in final semester, lack of time to prepare and no proper guidance provided in colleges adds to the agony of many GPAT aspirants. This discussion throws some light on how one can plan their approach to clear GPAT in the first attempt with a good score. This in fact, applies to all other competitive exams like MANIPAL-ENAT, NIPER-JEE, and BITSAT.

So the important ingredients for success in GPAT 2016 and your subsequent admission to NIPER or University Colleges is planning and smart work.

STUDY PLAN FOR GPAT 2016:

Organizing your study time and planning what to study when is a very important aspect for GPAT preparation. Most of the students find it difficult to manage their time and end up feeling tensed and worried at the last moment. It is to be remembered that proper planning and allocation of time for studies is very crucial in deciding your performance in the main exam.

Let us look at some important points which should be addressed while preparing a plan of action for GPAT preparation.

SYLLABUS SORTING: 

Finishing the entire syllabus of four years in 2-4 months is foolish and impossible to accomplish. Instead of wasting your time on topics and subjects which are least likely to be asked in the exam, you must try to complete as many topics as you can, from subjects which are given more importance and weightage in the main exam. Even in these subjects, you need not go through the entire syllabus that is prescribed as in case of Pharmacology, Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutical Analysis. These subjects are very vast and it is practically impossible to cover all the topics that are mentioned in the GPAT syllabus in such a short time of 2 months. Therefore, you must try to sort the topics that are more important and cover them first. To do this, you can do the following:

Compare the syllabus of your university with the official GPAT syllabus and underline the common topics. These are the topics which will require more concentration while you study.

Refer books which have papers from previous exams and try to get the idea about the general tendency of questioning from a particular subject/topic. This will help you not only to identify important topics but also acquaint you with different types of questions that can be asked from the same topic.

Once you have prepared a list of topics for a given subject, start studying your favorite subject first to get into the groove. Start making your own notes, preferably point-wise so that you can easily refer it in the last week before the exam.

TIME ALLOCATION FOR GPAT PREPARATION

It is really a tough task to squeeze out time to prepare for a competitive exam, especially when you have to attend college regularly. However, it is not that difficult, provided you are ready to forego some luxuries and are determined to follow a schedule.

Assuming that you attend college every day for 8 hours (9 to 5) and it takes 2 hours for your journey to college and back home. You are still left with 14 hours every day! Make the most of this time. Make it a habit to wake up early in the morning instead of staying up late night. The ideal time to study for such important exams is from 5-8 a.m in the morning. After you are back from college, take a break for an hour and get back to studies. You can wrap up your day by 11 p.m which means that you study at least 7 hrs (3 hrs morning + 4 hours evening) a day initially. As the exam date nears, you can increase your study time by a couple of which is more than sufficient in the last 15 days.

For those interested in admission to post-graduate Pharmacy courses such as M Pharm, it’s time to study for the Graduate Pharmacy Aptitude Test (GPAT) 2014, conducted by All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE).

When competing for admissions at national-level, studying may become more stressful, here are some tips and tricks to help you prepare!
PAPER PATTERN:
The computer based GPAT 2016 exam consists of 125 multiple choice questions to be completed in 3 hours. Correct answers are worth 4 marks each and negative marking of -1 mark for each incorrect answer is applicable.
The exam is broadly based on 4 topics:
1. PHARMACEUTICS
Important topics include: Introduction to Physical pharmacy, Importance of microbiology in pharmacy, Introduction to pharmaceutical jurisprudence & ethics, Introduction to dispensing and community pharmacy, Importance of unit operations in manufacturing, Dosages Forms, designing & evaluation, Biopharmaceutics & Pharmacokinetics.
2. PHARMACEUTICAL CHEMISTRY
Important topics include: Inorganic pharmaceutical & medicinal chemistry, Physical Chemistry and its importance in pharmacy, Organic Chemistry and its importance in pharmacy, Biochemistry, Medicinal Chemistry, Pharmaceutical Analysis.
3. PHARMACOLOGY
Important topics include: Immunopathophysiology, Pathophysiology of Common Diseases, Fundamentals of general pharmacology, Pharmacology of Peripheral Nervous System, Drugs Acting on the Hemopoietic System, Autacoids, Drugs Acting on the Respiratory System, Gastrointestinal Tract, Pharmacology of Endocrine System, Chemotherapy, Principles of Toxicology, Basic Concepts of Pharmacotherapy.
4. PHARMACOGNOSY
Important topics include: Sources of Drugs, Crude Drugs, Systematic Pharmacognostical study, Steroidal, Purines, Studies of Traditional Drugs, morphology, chemical nature of chief constituents, pharmacology, categories and common uses and marketed formulations of indigenous drugs, General Techniques of Biosynthetic Studies and Basic Metabolic Pathways/Biogenesis, Glycosides, Role of plant-based drugs on National economy.

Tips:

1.     Clear your basic concepts from your B Pharm text books before you use additional study material.

2.      Study ALL topics given in detailed syllabus apart from important topics.

3.     Use topic-area charts for quick revision.

4.      Pay attention to details as most often questions are based on specific points.

5.     Remember names of drugs, ingredients etc by using mnemonics.

6.     Practice sketching molecular structures, it will help you remember them easily.

7.      Group study is helpful for GPAT preparation; you can quiz each other with Multiple Choice Questions.

8.     Although the GPAT examination is based on Multiple Choice Questions practice writing answers in your own words. This will help you check your understanding of the topic.

9.     Practice numerical, although there are not many numerical problems in exam paper, regular practice will score you easy marks on the 3-4 numerical questions that do come in the question paper.

10.  The most effective way to prepare is by practicing sample papers/previous year papers.

11.  Attempt all the questions when you practice sample papers/previous year papers and correct them after you complete the entire paper. This will help you identify your weak areas and you can study those areas thoroughly.

12. During the exam skip any question you are not sure of to avoid negative marking.

We hope that this discussion will help you in making a proper plan to prepare for GPAT.

Detailed syllabus is available at:  http://www.aicte-gpat.in

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