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A Levels people in mbbs

23K views 47 replies 18 participants last post by  ramo91 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
hi people, well i did a levels, did well, got 3 As nd after that i was like i could get into any good college, but then the entry test thing, the equivalence formula, and studying the whole fsc syllabus in 2 months u know completely different style of studying,i cudnt make it into ne govt college,
i was very disheartened nd at one time i starterd doubting my abilities#sad , but then gathered myself a little nd applied to private institutes, got selected in lmdc nd on waiting in cmh. what i want to ask now is how r things going to b for a levels people in mbbs, how different or similar are things going to b in mbbs from an a levels perspective, what shud v expect in mbbs#confused, if ne body cud help plz? i"ll b really thankfull

by the way from gud college i mean govt college, not that private colleges r not gud, i think they r better than govt in many ways
 
#2 ·
i am in the same boat as you in some ways expect that i am going to punjab medical college faisalabad.

i have also done A levels ( from uk). the coarse provies a strong base for studying at degree level.i am sure you are going to be fine.

dont doubt ur abilities. ibcc does not seem to like western model of education so they seem to penalize a level students.and this entry test thing is a way to exclude foreigners and a level background students.

our politicians and policy makers are living in stone age.i think they should be posted to tora bora mountains and allow USA to carpet bomb them so their bodies combust and convert into CO2 and H20, not to be seen again.our politicians r all incompitant piglets.
 
#4 ·
i am also an A Level student has applied in SMDC and uol ....but on the waiting lists in uol........we cramp our life studying A Levels and this is what we get a 10% reduction and moreover an entry test on Fsc thus reduces our chancesfor the 2nd time..i had a 20% overall reduction after entry test.....gee i feel shame to even say my equivalence to people .......i think we are much smarter than Fsc students and we are now are well trained to face the burden in colleges so i think we will outsmart these Fsc students insahallah..............................
 
#5 ·
I agree with you chickoo - we do so much hard work to get our best grades buh in the end we get to face 10% reductions. which is pathetic , i guess i'd be looking forward to that when i come in a year's time to Pakistan if God forbid i dunt get accepted in Weil Cornall medical college here in Qatar. *uhh*
 
#7 ·
Guys stop being optimistic. You are not smarter than a fsc student.. i did a levels too. But no one forced us to do a levels OK... We all knew that this will happen after a levels. Needless to say its our fault basically. And fsc aint no walk in the park. You guys have given MCAT so you know. I do believe that MCAT was easier for them cause they have studied the syllabus very thoroughly but thats it.

And yeah OK we have a more conceptual way of studying as compared with Fsc. But who gives a rats a**. We are not better than them. In your mbbs/ bds class you will be studying with fsc students so therez no hard n fast rule that a levels ppl do better or fsc people. The person who studies more gets the best grades.
 
#8 ·
why u a level people think we fsc ones are duffer ? come here and compete with us with our whole burden of sylabus and then tell us you study 4 subjects and we 7 still we get number i agree t is a ratta system but there are students who have really good concepts? why u think all same and keep saying tose fsc students etc?
 
#12 ·
We do compete with you guys after being handicapped by an unfair deduction policy of 10 % & 20 %. After these deductions, we come from a 95% to an 85%-75 %, which leaves us cripplied in the whole MCAT quagmire. I appeared for the UHS test and I'm telling you what I saw, I saw local F.Sc students cheating. Now you tell me, lets be objective over here, first these people get away with being F.Sc students, they don't suffer a single deduction, and to add to the drama, they start cheating in the test. So where the hell do we go? As for choosing A-levels and American system of education, diversifying your medium isn't a sin. But it's a pity that our own Pakistani Education System ostracizes us for being different. The so-called UHS-administered test that was held to keep our mouths shut was nothing more than a sham, since it failed to recognize the four classes of candidates appearing in test. The four categories are as follows:

a) Overseas Pakistanis, who studied the Pakistani system abroad and appeared in federal board exams. Not a single mark was deducted.

b) Overseas Pakistanis, who did O/A levels, they got a 10 % deduction.

c) Overseas Pakistanis, who did the American syllabus, they got a 20 % deduction.

d) Local Pakistanis, who were from provinces other than Punjab.

Now lets analyze this. Do you think it's fair to bring such different categories under one roof to appear for a test, which is only "overseas" for namesake and also caters to local pakistanis? In my humble opinion, it's absolutely not. Those people who call the American/British education easy or a piece of cake are so under-estimating it. I believe everyone works hard in their respective systems, each system has its pros and cons, but that absolutely doesn't mean that you ostracize the foreign curricula in such a harsh manner. We [American/British system people] work hard, we too aspire to become good doctors, we too undergo a lot of stress and pressure, only to suffer at the hands of the IBCC, which uses a pen's stroke to cut us down to a size of their liking. We don't fear evaluation, we demand "proper" evaluation. I did my SATs, I had a good GPA, but colleges in Lahore didn't even want to look at me because I didn't hold a foreign passport. So the selection criteria was based more on one's "passport" than "qualification". I can go on and on, but whatever it is.

I'm not trying to target anyone or offend anyone. I'm just stating my opinion about things, the way I experienced or look at them.

cheers.
 
#9 · (Edited by Moderator)
look i never said any thing about fsc system or students, i was just dissapointed by the mcat result and the equivalence formula, and rightly so, the purpose of this thread was to ask how should we go about things in the future. nothing to offend anybody

by the our 4 subjects are'nt easy either come and have a look at our applications portion and you'll know
 
#13 · (Edited)
Well, i dont really understand that why A-level people are crying now? Its not easy to score good in punjab boards even. Especially the bwp board through which i gave my exams. The Punjab board gives preference to the students of upper punjab as they consider the lower punjab as illiterate. I got my papers rechecked, didnt have any mistakes still they ticked my 12 short questionz as correct but gave me zero marks. Thats why i got 24 marks deducted in just chemistry 1st year exam. Same happened in my 12th grade exams. Was it my mistake that i got only 899? I might have crossed 950 as i really worked hard for both yearz. Anyways, coming to A-levelz. You people study four subjects only, even if they are hard but just 4 ? Then most of you get straight A's. Now what do you expect that you should be having 1100 or above 1000 marks? It would be totally biased. We fsc people do have concepts and we do find our subjects hard just like you. In the end , if you have to become a doctor then go for fsc. Adding more salt to it, every A-level student argued that uhs test was word to word from fsc syllabus. What you want to say about Aga khan's , Nust etc ? Should we cry that we didnt study the topic to that much depth while A-level people did. No. Then why you? I took Aku's test. My friend who is a nerd and now got in K.E , got only 40% in Aga khan's test. She doesnt do ratta. She's very intelligent and has got very good IQ. Then why? Is Aga Khan and others only meant to be for A-level students? Dont we deserve to study there? Afterall we do have dreams and we our also its fanatics. If IBCC doesn't deduct marks of foreign students then surely they will easily get in somewhere, and we fsc-people will suffer. Why? Most of the parents here dont really allow their kids to do A-levels even if the had done O-levels. Its not our mistake that we did fsc and we deserve to be punished. So in my point of view, its totally pointless to say such things. Just an opinion. No offence!
 
#14 · (Edited)
I'm not an A-level student and I studied 7 subjects, in the American system, like other F.Sc student. I'm not calling the F.Sc system bad or unworthy. I'm just stating the stuff we go through just because we didn't do F.Sc. As I said before, everyone goes through stress and pain to gain good marks in their respective systems, there's no question about that. I suggest that instead of deducting our grades, just put us in a separate test, evaluate us against ourselves, not against F.Sc people. This way none of the groups are discriminated against. I beg to differ when you say that you can only become doctors if you do the F.Sc system. Institutes like AKU and NUST do accept each kind of curriculum, they have separate rules for A-level, American System and F.Sc students. This way, they end up with a diverse student body and they make sure that nobody encroaches upon each other during the admission process. This is the reason why these universities are so reputed and renowned.

I'm not saying that the F.Sc students should suffer. I'm trying to say that each category should be evaluated separately, but equally. That's all. :)
 
#15 · (Edited)
umm i did o levels nd then fsc so i kno a taste of both systems...i came second in my school in o level and was awarded a medal for the outstanding achievment by edexcel international(uk) but here umm...m like nobody here the system.urgh i hate it all i managed to get with hours of pure torture of rattafying facts...i managed to get 78% its not tht fsc ppl r dumb its just tht they hav a different way of studying in o levels i got n equilance of 85% after deducting 10% so u kno where i was and where i m now.. nyways abt the topic..its not tht if u ve done a levels or fsc it will affect ure performance...but to be honest a level nd o level students have a little more knowledge than thier fsc counterparts. just because u've done a levels doesnt mean u will not be able to cope in a pakistani university the change does occur automatically but it does take time so even if u cant cope in the beginnin dont lose hope just try to change nd dont be stubborn because its u who will lose in the end
 
#17 ·
i thinkso you Fsc guys dont know about our A Level toughness.......your qualification is based on only 1 concept 'rattafication is the only qualification'...this is what we call Fsc.......you guys get marks for sentences which you have mugged...but we get marks purely from our knowledge.......savage i thinkso you didnt do A Levels because if you did you would have never sais this comments.........fareeha you should get hold to our books and try doing some questions you'll get to know yourself........our 4 subjects is way too difficult than your 7 subjects..........
how come most Fsc students are scoring 900+....this clearly indicates hoW easy is fSC....YOU GUYS ONLY COMPETE WITH students in pakistan and we people have a competition with the world.......so we win hands down......
 
#18 · (Edited by Moderator)
Look guys this discussion will go on and on we are ending up no where with this. I did A-levels but i have some friends in fsc who have really good concepts of what they study. I think it varies from person to person, whatever we did fsc or aleves we are all again going to start from the scratch. I hope most of you have made it into a college so lets talk about it. some of you might have started going (classes in cmh have already started) so how is it, the studies, the workload, how many hours you have to study a day
:happy:
 
#19 · (Edited)
people , people - lets not argue on this. In my Case both fcs and A levels are equally tough and i believe no one as any type of right to directly pinpoint at the hardness of FCS or A level - As long as they have an EXPERIANCE OF BOTH! . Pakistani education board has come up with this equivalence rule, which we can't deny. It has to happen if a candidate does A levels from International boards !
END OF STORY.

ur luck if u get in, and if you don't then hard luck.

furthermore, there's one thing i have noticed, and in fact witnessed myself.
the rules for examinations in Pakistan are not so strict, I mean correct me if i am wrong, but candidates in Pakistan are actually allowed to take there cellphones into the examination hall? If so then, I guess this is another big advantage to local Pakistani's as in one way it gives chance to those who want to cheat.
* No offense to anyone here*
But us, already we'r so under pressure becuase of the exam that we are going to be giving, and we get even more Pressurized just by even thinking of the nailbiting frowns we'r going to be getting while sitting the exam.
 
#21 · (Edited)
furthermore, there's one thing i have noticed, and in fact witnessed myself.
the rules for examinations in Pakistan are not so strict, I mean correct me if i am wrong, but candidates in Pakistan are actually allowed to take there cellphones into the examination hall? If so then, I guess this is another big advantage to local Pakistani's as in one way it gives chance to those who want to cheat.
well I do find the need to correct you here;#happy all i can say is that you are sadly mistaken,i gave the FSc board exams and i did not see a single person who had his/her mobile on them during the exam.True, we did take them into the examination hall but we had to either switch them off or silent them and hand them in to the invigilators until the end of the exam.This is the same procedure as what we had to do in our O Level exams.However there is one difference between the two systems which is that if you are found trying to cheat or cheating the invigilator gives you three warnings and then cancels your paper if you do not listen; however if you are found cheating or even trying to cheat while giving the O/A Level exams the invigilator just comes and cancels your paper no questions asked,end of story...


P.S. personally i didn't see anyone cheating or even trying to cheat in government medical college test while everybody seems to be complaining that it wasn't fair...just my experience though.
 
#20 ·
I studied in the american system until 7th grade and then i did my O/A levels after which i studied from the FSc books and even went to an academy for the goverment colleges test, so it can be said that I have experienced all three systems. Although I dont know what american high schools are like, from my experience of the system i can tell you that it is designed to dumb you down. I mean, i don't recall ever having to study for a test at home, did my homework as I pleased and still I was on the honoroll. I mean, everything was so easy and taught at such a slow pace ( compared to O/A levels),math especially, that it really is a miracle how people still managed to fail. And this is in one of the top 10 public schools in the state. Again, i don't know what high school is like so the above doesn't apply there. The O/A system, in my calm, objective opinion, though certainly not without its faults, is the most balanced of the 3 systems in that conceptual learning and memorization are both given their due. The american education system, i feel, focuses a little too much on conceptual learning leaving little room for memorization, a necessary component of a good education, while the Fsc system does just the opposite. i have to go now but i will have more to say on this later.
 
#22 ·
A Levels are much tougher than Fsc...........people say if you have got A* A or B IN O levels then only you should go for A Levels but if you dont get these, than better go for Fsc.......this is what i have read from one website........
 
#23 ·
I don't think so...personally speaking my results went down the drain...I say that everyone should stick to their system no matter what because even if you are the best student in your own system, your grades would slip even while trying to adjust in the other system.
Moreover saying that a levels is better than fsc is totally wrong; both have thier loopholes and both have thier good points its just that we people who've done O/A Levels make this issue a way to hide our disappointment and shortcomings
 
#24 ·
cheating is a universal fact, part of any examination. i know of people who have cheated during their O/A level exams and got away with it. during bio paper 1 (multiple choice) this guy was reading out his answers in quite an audible tone to the girl next to him (you know, like 1. A, 2. C, 3. B....etc.) and none of the invigilators took notice.
 
#25 · (Edited)
well that kind of cheating was useless because the questions were shuffled therefore there was no reason for the invigilators to take any notice(at least i think) as the answers were going to be wrong anyways. #wink#laugh


I personally think there should be no reason for people to complain about cheating during the government medical college test for Punjab because anyone who had read the instructions carefully would know that cheating was almost impossible...
 
#26 ·
I really wonder, how many people actually FOLLOW the instructions. There's no cheating in govt. Medical college? sorry but, This is Far from true. This year My friend actually witnessed it all herself while she was sitting in a GOVT. college medical test, and believe it or not but there were 3 people behind her back asking HER for the answer .. Is this not cheating? and one of them even came into the sight of an invigilator - what did he do? IGNORE IT COMPLETE. ? Isn't this a form of cheating? People like us ( A level students ) DOnt even dare cheat, Keeping in mind of ALL the consequences. The rules are strict on us FROM THE START !

*No hard feelings towards Anyone. But this is a True Incident which i thought to share.*
 
#27 ·
I know this an A levels thread, but given the discussion on cheating, I have to ask, are you guys stretching the truth just a little bit when you say that your paper can be canceled? I've heard of things like this, but I've never seen a single person get any sort of reprimand for cheating. In actuality, cheating is simply rampant in medical colleges. I've heard professors and test proctors shout at students, threaten to cancel their papers, threaten to kick them out, and yet it never happens. The student always gets off with a warning. I watched a girl wearing a hijab use a hidden cell phone under her hijab to call a friend who was waiting to help her out with the test. When she got caught, she went to a meeting with a few of the faculty, and that was it. No sort of formal punishment, not even a penalty on the marking- and this was a supplie exam btw for mbbs professional part II.

I find it hard to beleive that if cheating isn't taken seriously in medicine, something that's perceived to be the most prestigious of education, then how's it possible that they're throwing high school/A levels kids out left and right if someone dares to even cheat? If anything, it should be totally the opposite. I can't believe the kinds of things medical students get away with. It's so blatent it just makes it hard to believe that the rest of the education system is any different.

In the US, cheating in lower grade levels equals lesser punishments, but definitely punishment nonetheless. When you get into high school, cheating gets you a permanent mark on your high school transcript called "breach of integrity," along with an F grade for citizenship, as most american high schools give you two grades per class, one academic, and one for your overall behavior throughout the year. The Breach of integrity not only makes it extremly hard for you to get into universities after high school, but also makes it impossible for you to ever get into certain professions, such as law enforcement- at least in the state of California.

If by some fluke chance you have the audacity to cheat once in a university, you're automatically expelled. If that university is part of a network of universities, like the UC system, you can't get into any other UC university either. There's no room for apologizing to the professor, or begging or calling your father, or anything like that. Suffice it to say, cheating is never ever taken lightly in the US school system.
 
#31 ·
I've heard professors and test proctors shout at students, threaten to cancel their papers, threaten to kick them out, and yet it never happens. The student always gets off with a warning.
That could be true about the Pakistani system where I personally saw the invigilator returning the exam papers to two boys after "canceling" them.

I find it hard to beleive that if cheating isn't taken seriously in medicine, something that's perceived to be the most prestigious of education, then how's it possible that they're throwing high school/A levels kids out left and right if someone dares to even cheat? If anything, it should be totally the opposite. I can't believe the kinds of things medical students get away with. It's so blatent it just makes it hard to believe that the rest of the education system is any different.
A Level students do get kicked out even blacklisted and barred from giving the rest of the exams and here I am not stretching the truth a classmate of mine (in O Level) got almost kicked out for not sitting in the exam hall for the customary two hours or so after the exams because he went to the school clinic taking his mobile phone with him..
There's no room for apologizing to the professor, or begging or calling your father, or anything like that. Suffice it to say, cheating is never ever taken lightly in the US school system.
agreed
 
#28 ·
Hey mastahriz, what is your take on this battle going on between students from A-levels and Fsc? You did ur high school from the US, and you must have seen students from both systems in your medical college. Who do you think are smarter?

I did O-level followed by Fsc, then I got in to a govt medical college, there were students from both A levels and Fsc, and apparently I did not feel any difference between the students from two different systems. I agree that A-level has a more conceptual approach towards studies but that does not make them smart!! I know some very dumb Alevelers who graduated from my college!! On the other hand, in medicine the first step to make concepts is to memorize things!! and Fsc students are pretty good at that!!#happy
 
#30 ·
Hey mastahriz, what is your take on this battle going on between students from A-levels and Fsc? You did ur high school from the US, and you must have seen students from both systems in your medical college. Who do you think are smarter?

I think it's a little unfair to ask that question. I've seen people from both systems who are smarter than others or who are equally smart. For the most part, the student who wants to be smarter than the rest, regardless of the educational system, usually turns out to be. It's very much the same thing in medicine- if you want to be an excellent doctor, you'll take the necessary steps through medical school to out perform others, while some will choose to cruise through med school and cheat at any opportunity they get. In the end, one will become a surgeon, while the other practices family medicine.

High school in the US is currently a good example of how intelligence is totally based on the individual and not the system. If you choose to, and have the grades to do so you can start taking college level courses before you're even halfway done. Some students in high school graduate after taking all of the basic classes (english, history, basic math) while others will graduate in the same time frame and have also taken classes like college level calculus, college physics/chemistry/biology, computer courses, music theory, business classes, or even pre-med subjects like anatomy/physiology.

I don't know if you have that kind of leeway in A levels or FSc, but based on the people I've met, I'd say that the same principles apply.

"There are only two kinds of people who are really fascinating: people who know absolutely everything, and people who know absolutely nothing."
- Oscar Wilde
 
#29 ·
see faizan A level students are characterised in three groups those getting A B C are smart ones.....An A level student who has got A 's is the smartest among all students even than those Fsc guys............A levels are done in class 12 and 13 .......and Fsc is completed in 12th grade...we strive so much and this is what we get.........i have qualified from UAE......Hence i have got A 's and B's in O Levels ....after this i have been admitted to the top school in dubai ie St Mary's for A Levels.......in lahore i am striving for admission in private ones.........but now i have a good chance in the overseas seat in UOL.......
 
#32 ·
In pakistan the teachers make tests in such a way that if u know enough you will get 45% and then they expect you to get that extra 5 passing point by cheating and so invigilation is sorta lax....they do give pprs bak........

cheating without getting caught is a skill.......it requires patience, confidence, quickness, swiftness of the hand, improvisational skills if u get caught, and guts........... think abt it, you become a NINJA if u master the art of cheating............. I am the ultimate BOOTEE MASTER!!!!!!!! mwahaha
 
#33 ·
cheating without getting caught is a skill.......it requires patience, confidence, quickness, swiftness of the hand, improvisational skills if u get caught, and guts........... think abt it, you become a NINJA if u master the art of cheating............. I am the ultimate BOOTEE MASTER!!!!!!!! mwahaha
If people utilize all this time and energy in learning instead of preparing cheat notes I am sure more of us would pass our exams in an honest and deserving way...medical students should be extra honest I guess;they have the health and death of so many people when they become doctors;it is an awesome responsibilty
 
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