Unlocking Inspiration: Success Story of INI-CET Rank 1- Dr. Aarosh Dhamija

Success is not just about achieving a certain result, but your overall journey that made it possible. This is why success stories play a crucial role in inspiring others. They hold the power to fuel the belief of all future aspirants that they too can achieve their dreams. 

Dr. Aarosh Dhamija, who recently qualified for the November INI-CET exam with the remarkable AIR 1 shared his journey to success in an interview with our faculty, Dr Nikita Nanwani. Read this blog further for valuable insights and strategies that will serve as a roadmap for you to navigate future challenges and optimize your exam preparation.

About Dr. Aarosh Dhamija

Dr. Aarosh Dhamija has recently secured Rank 1 in his first attempt at the INI-CET exam. He holds an MBBS degree from AIIMS, New Delhi. 

While we all believe that top ranks are often bagged by students who also ace their college/university exams. However, in Dr Aarosh’s case, he never topped his class during MBBS and was neither a gold medalist. 

In addition to that, Dr. Aarosh prepared for the INI-CET exam while simultaneously pursuing his internship, which makes his achievement even more noteworthy.

Navigating the Updated INI-CET Exam Pattern

The INI-CET exam pattern was changed just three days before the scheduled exam date. Dr. Aarosh, along with other INI-CET aspirants had to tackle the changed exam pattern. The change in the exam pattern had a great impact on his exam experience. 

Dr. Aarosh had a well-thought-out strategy based on the previous exam pattern. He had practiced tackling 200 questions within the standard 3-hour timeframe extensively through INI-CET mock tests. 

However, the updated exam pattern required students to attempt questions in sets of 50. The last-minute change caught him off guard, making it challenging to apply his practiced strategy effectively.

However, despite the change in exam pattern, Dr. Aarosh secured success which highlights his adaptability. And, Dr. Aarosh's experience serves as a valuable lesson for aspirants, that they must stay flexible and prepared.

Key Takeaways from Dr Aarosh’s Preparation Strategy 

Dr. Aarosh started his INI-CET exam preparations quite early on during his MBBS years. He started watching PrepLadder video lectures around the COVID-19 phase and supplemented them with his own notes as well. Here are some key takeaways from his preparation strategy - 

Emphasis on Revision: Dr. Aarosh highlighted the significance of a well-structured revision plan, emphasizing the role of PrepLadder’s Rapid Revision videos that allowed a comprehensive coverage of the entire syllabus in a limited time. Having covered everything during the last month before the exam gave him a confidence boost that was critical.

Balancing Internship: Dr. Aarosh acknowledges the fact that it is very hard to prepare for the exam along with the internship. Moreover, hard postings tend to break your momentum totally and also give you a feeling that you might be forgetting everything and will need to re-read it all. 

To work around your internship, he shared his approach and advocated for a baseline level of preparation, which must be achieved before starting the internship and to maintain momentum during the postings. 

Adaptive Strategy: Acknowledging the unpredictability of exam questions, Dr. Aarosh emphasized the need for adaptability and a balanced approach to all subjects, considering the evolving nature of INI-CET.

PYQs and exam recalls: While solving PYQs is important, Dr. Aarosh stressed the importance of analyzing recalls to gain insights into the topics asked in previous exams and how to approach them.

Subject-Specific Focus: According to Dr Aarosh it helps if you set a baseline target for every subject, achieve that, and then focus on diving deeper in every subject. How deeply you cover the syllabus depends totally on your individual approach, grip on that subject and the time you have on your hands. 

Coping with Low Days: Dr. Aarosh acknowledged that taking breaks is important to manage stress and anxiety from preparation. He recommended taking time off, communicating with peers, and being involved in music, workouts, or limited social media to alleviate stress.

While the above takeaways summarize Dr. Aarosh’s preparation strategy, we highly recommend that you watch the detailed interview for more insights 

Dr. Aarosh's success story serves as an inspiration for all aspirants, illustrating that dedication, adaptive strategies, and a positive mindset can ensure your success.