By Dr. Prajwal Rai - NEET-PG '24 AIR 457 and INI-CET May '24 AIR 72

You're in a Battle Against Time

As doctors, we are fighting a very tough battle against time. Apart from our studies, which are pretty hectic already, we also have to balance everything else in our lives: family, friends, relationships, duties, classes, and so much more.

PG prep seems like a real chore on top of all this. How are you supposed to get a good rank with all this going on?

Who Am I and How Can I Help?

I'm Dr. Prajwal Rai, and I believe there are steps you can follow that will make your life a lot easier. I got AIR 70 in INI-CET Nov '24 and AIR 457 in NEET-PG '24 in my first attempt.

What made the difference? I refused to rely on the conventional method of notes and videos from various coaching institutes and instead chose a different approach.

This approach was based on the pure science of Active Recall and Spaced Repetition with Flashcards, supplemented with solving MCQs.

My Method is Perfect If You:

• Don't have time to study ✅

• Want to avoid stress during studies ✅

• Want to get a top 1000 rank in NEET-PG & INI-CET or a top 99% score in USMLE ✅

My Journey: From Struggle to Success

Before Using the Method:

Like 99% of students, I made all the classic mistakes:

• The entire process was a pain and felt like a chore

• Study hours went up to 12 hours a day during final exams

• It was overwhelming, stressful, and exhausting

• I felt overwhelmed by 100s of hours of videos and thousands of pages of notes

• Coaching with lectures & notes was passive learning & not that effective

After Implementing the Method:

• Only had to study around 2-3 hours on a regular day

• Felt much more confident about my studies

• No more 12-hour cramming sessions before exams

• Exam marks went up significantly

• 170 corrects/650+ score by the end of my prep

I used this method for dedicated PG-prep during my Internship as well, which brought me good ranks in both NEET-PG and INI-CET in my first attempt.

The Method: 3 Important Habits

1. Use neuroscience-backed Methods that Actually Work

My Discovery: Reading Harrison's 10 times wasn't helping. I'd forget everything after 2 days. I needed methods that actually make things stick in your brain.

What I Did:

1. I understood how the brain learns. And I will teach that to you now.

2. Started making flashcards for every topic I kept forgetting. Reviewed them at specific intervals (tried different timings until I found what worked) Mixed all subjects while revising (no more "today is only pharma day"). Built up 30,000+ flashcards over time (yes, it was exhausting to make them!)

How does the brain learn?

1.1. Active Recall

Forces your brain to recall facts without notes/textbooks. Every successful recall reinforces neural pathways. Shifts facts into long-term memory. Helps identify knowledge gaps and self-assess your prep

Example: The drug of choice for West syndrome is _____ Being able to recall ACTH as the answer successfully reinforces this fact into your mind.

1.2. Spaced Repetition

Strategically review information over time in increasing intervals. Combat the forgetting curve and enhance long-term memory. Spend more time on difficult information. Tailor the process to your personal learning patterns

Example: The drug of choice for West syndrome is ACTH Review schedule: Today → 3 days → 7 days → 14 days → 1 month → and so on

1.3. Interleaving

Study different subjects and topics in mixed sequences. Forces your brain to constantly adapt to new information. Learn to apply multiple concepts together (essential for clinical questions)

Example for West syndrome:

• Drug of choice: ACTH (Pharmacology)

• EEG Pattern: Hypsarrhythmia (Medicine)

• Characteristic seizures: Salaam spells (Pediatrics)

By interleaving these flashcards, you're now capable of solving complex clinical questions with ease!

💡 Shortcut: Incorporate these principles with Oncourse

Remember how I spent months making flashcards? You don't have to.

Oncourse gives you:

1. My Entire Flashcard Collection - All 30,000+ cards, organized and ready

2. Smart Reminders - The app knows exactly when you're about to forget something

3. Visual Learning - Diagrams, concept maps, videos all in one place (no more jumping between YouTube and notes)

4. Instant Practice - Every topic has questions that test if you really understood

The best part? After solving an MCQ, it immediately shows you the flashcard for that concept. No more making notes from your mistakes - it's all connected!

2. Make Study Addictive (& Not a Chore)

The key to balancing internship duties with PG preparation. Review flashcards during duty hours - as simple as playing a game on your phone

The Golden Rule: Little bit everyday >>> a lot at the last moment

What I Did:

1. Set daily challenges ("Can I review 600 cards today?")

2. Tracked streaks on a calendar. Celebrated every small win

3. Complete reviews on mobile itself - no need for heavy books or laptops. After returning from duty, finish remaining flashcards and solve MCQs

During Internship:

Now in Oncourse:

1. Daily challenges you actually want to complete

2. Live leaderboards showing your rank

3. Fun mini-games that teach concepts

4. Notifications that keep you accountable. That "You're in the top 10%!" notification hits different

   
   

3. Personalise & adapt your Study Plan

My Discovery: Following generic timetables from toppers was useless. My weak areas weren't the same as theirs. I needed something that understood MY struggles.

What I Did:

• Spent extra time on Pharmacology (my nightmare subject)

• Reduced time on Anatomy (already strong)

• Changed my revision schedule based on what I kept forgetting

• Analyzed every mock test to find patterns in my mistakes

Oncourse is also designed to help you do this without you having to put in the effort to do this!

Why Oncourse Works: It's Not Just Another Study App

Traditional coaching gives you PDFs and recorded lectures. Oncourse is different - it's built on the exact methods that got me (and many others) top ranks:

1. It Makes You Want to Study - No more forcing yourself. The streaks, challenges, and leaderboards make it genuinely fun

2. It Makes Things Stick - Using proven memory techniques, not just passive reading

3. It Knows What You Need - Like a personal tutor that adapts to your strengths and weaknesses

This isn't just an app - it's the study partner I wish I had during my prep.

⬇️ Download Oncourse Today