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What do I do to crack the NIMHANS entrance exam for a post-graduation in neurosurgery?
NIMHANS conducts an online MCQ based entrance test for Mch/DM Neurology and MD Psychiatry. A common exam is held for all these courses, and later on, a separate merit list is published for each. You have to select your course while applying, and can’t change it later on. You can apply for all three courses or one/two of them.
Here is some information on the entrance exam:
- It is a one-hour test with 150 MCQs.
- 1 mark is awarded for each correct answer, and ¼ mark is deducted for each wrong answer.
- 90-100 questions are asked from 19 MBBS subjects. These questions are not related to CNS. With good preparation for other PGMEE, you can answer them.
- Regular one-liner guidebook questions are asked.
- 50-60 MCQs are directly/indirectly related to CNS. For these, read the neuro aspect of all major subjects- Anatomy, Physio, Medicine, Psychiatry, Surgery, Patho, Micro, Pharma, Radio, and Anaesthesia. These questions are solvable given that you prepare well in the last 10-15 days before the exam.
The entrance is overall easy. However, the number of seats is very low, so the margin of error for silly mistakes is very low.
Read all subjects before the last 10 days. Then, focus on the Neurology part in the last 10 days. By following these tips, you’ll successfully crack the NIMHANS entrance test.
Which way is better, to do an MS general surgery and then take up neurosurgery as a superspeciality, or the direct 6yrs (Mch) Neurosurgery course (offered by AIIMS and NIMHANS) after an MBBS?
I’ll be sharing with you my opinion on both.
As a 6-year MCh candidate, you’ll rotate through 10 months of general surgery. However, general surgery skills aren’t of much use in Neurosurgery, except the very basic knot-tying and suturing skills. You can also acquire those from dedicated lab practice. The other techniques followed in Neurosurgery are very different from those followed in general surgery.
Neurosurgeons generally use access surgeons (thoracic surgeons or urologists) to perform unconventional approaches to the spine. It is much safer for the patient. Also, opting for a 6-year course after MBBS means one less entrance exam.
So it isn’t very beneficial for you to take up 3 years of MS general surgery. I would recommend you choose the direct 6 year Mh Neurosurgery course at AIIMS or NIMHANS instead.
What should I study to clear NIMHANS entrance exam for M.Phil. in clinical psychology?
In order to clear the NIMHANS entrance exam for M.Phil. In clinical psychology, you should be thorough in the basics of the syllabus prescribed for a PG in psychology. Consider studying topics like cognitive psychology, Biological basis of behavior, abnormal psychology, social psychology, and research methodology.
In reality, clearing the MPhil entrance is just a small step of the whole process. You should be mentally strong enough and have the ability to report to different people and tolerate their valid criticism. You will have to learn to work together with people from different disciplines, develop a passion for your patients, and spend long working hours including Saturdays. The bright side is, that you will be working with some of the highly intellectual people who will guide you to manage both academics and clinical work.
I am sure, eventually, you will realize that all the efforts were worth the result!
What do I do to crack the NIMHANS entrance exam for a post graduation in neurosurgery?
For post MBBS direct MCh/ DM neurology and MD Psychiatry courses, NIMHANS conducts an online entrance exam consisting of MCQs.
- A common entrance exam is conducted for all courses and later on a separate merit list for each course is released which means you have to opt for the course while applying or you can apply for all of them or either of the two courses.
- The test is for 2 hours with 150 MCQs. There is negative marking in the examination. Approximately 90 to 100 questions are from 19 MBBS subjects. The difficulty level is medium. The questions are selected from guidebooks.
- The rest of the 50 to 60 questions are related to CNS so prepare for the neuro aspect of all major subjects viz Anat, Physio, Medicine Psychiatry, Surgery Patho, etc. With the preparation of the last 10 to 15 days, these questions are solvable
- NIMHANS paper is overall easy compared to AIPGME and AIIMS but since the number of seats is very less, the margin of error for silly mistakes is very low.
The key to get through is by reading all subjects till the last 10 days to the exam and later focusing on the neurology part. This ensures that your preparation level would be optimum on exam day.
How is the life of a resident doctor pursuing neurosurgery at NIMHANS after an MBBS? Can we get a sneak peek into work hours, leisure activities, and culture at the institute?
Here is the routine of a Neurosurgery resident at NIMHANS.
The department is subdivided into 6 units, each of which is headed by an internationally acclaimed faculty member. The day of a resident starts at around 6 AM with a routine assessment of patients in all the wards under one’s respective unit for the month.
This is followed by academics which start at 8 AM. It runs for 1-1 ½ hours. During this time, the cases posted for surgery are presented by senior residents. These are then discussed among faculty members and residents to reach a decision for the optimal treatment of that case.
After this, the senior residents head to the OT complex, and junior residents present rounds to the faculty. Decisions on further treatment/discharge are made during the rounds.
Junior residents then perform ward procedures like External Ventricular Drain Insertion, Lumbar drains, Lumbar Punctures, Shunt Taps, Fontanelle Tap, Tracheostomies, etc. under supervision. This is followed by evening rounds by the faculty/ senior residents. After these, any leftover work is completed. The evening ends with a post-op call to the respective consultant, and the duty ends at 9 PM when the night duty resident takes over.
The OPD for a particular unit is held on a fixed day. It is also a casualty call day for the unit. Life as a neurosurgery resident is so busy that even having meals is like a luxury.
NIMHANS will train you to practice evidence-based medicine and keep updated with all the recent developments in your field. It is one of the best places in India to practice Neurosurgery residency.
What is the stipend offered for a DM in neurology at NIMHANS? Their prospectus is not clear.
The post-MBBS neurology course is taught by a Junior Resident for two years, for which he is paid around 55–65k depending on tax savings and HRA. After this, he serves as a senior resident for 3 years and receives a salary in the range of m 65–88k depending on tax savings and HRA. Usually, there is an increment of 3k every year.
Once MD is completed, you will continue to be treated as a SR and the pay will also remain the same. However, when the next pay commission is due, there will be an increase of around 15k in the salary.
Hope this helps you!
Which college is better for an MCh Neurosurgery: AIIMS Delhi or NIMHANS?
Both AIIMS and NIMHANS have been excellent institutes for neurosurgery. Both the institutes have their unique strengths and weaknesses. It’s better to weigh the pros and cons before coming to a final decision.
AIIMS Delhi
- AIIMS has given birth to elite neurosurgeons and enjoys a great level of credibility and global recognition.
- The neurosurgery department has top-notch infrastructure and all the modern facilities you could ask for.
- There is a dedicated trauma center, in addition to cadaveric training and research facility, neurosurgical education and training school, and an animal dissection lab.
NIMHANS
- NIMHANS is a dedicated mental health and neurosciences institute.
- It has an NBRC - neurobiology research center which provides necessary resources for research and technology advancement.
Both AIIMS Delhi and NIMHANS are equally good in terms of the amount of work, patient management protocol, and infrastructure. The only issue at AIIMS Delhi is the increasing staff as a result of which the surgical work gets divided and residents get less work. NIMHANS on the other hand has a lesser faculty count which does not necessarily mean more work.
Ultimately, it’s your performance that determines your success and not your institute. Institute just lays down the stepping stones for your future.
Which is better: An integrated five years course into DM neurology (NIMHANS) or completing my MD in general medicine and then specializing in DM neurology?
In my opinion, it’s best to complete an MD in medicine first rather than pursuing DM Neuro directly after MBBS.
It is so because M.B.B.S. students receive minimal clinical exposure and therefore their interest in a particular field might not be genuine. They might later regret their choice.
An integrated program is a 5-year program that requires a lot of commitment. So, if you go for a field you are not interested in, you will be wasting 5 years of your life. Even if you are sure of your interest in neurology, you may not actually like it when you start working. That being said, it's better that you do MD in medicine, have first-hand exposure to all the specialties, and then choose one for you.
People often choose integrated courses so as to save one year of education. However, they fail to recognize the risks involved.
Ultimately, unless you love neurology passionately and have enough exposure in the same, go for direct DM, else completing MD would be the safest bet.
What should I study to clear NIMHANS entrance exam for M Phil in clinical psychology?
To clear the NIMHANS entrance exam for M. Phil in clinical psychology, you need to be thorough with the basics of the syllabus of a PG in psychology either be MA in psychology or MSc in psychology, especially cognitive psychology, biological basis of behavior, abnormal psychology, social psychology research methodology, and all the different branches of psychology from PG level.
My friend is currently pursuing the M.Phil course in clinical psychology at NIMHANS. According to his experience, clearing M.Phil entrance is just one part of the game.
You will have to be passionate enough to take the pressures of having to report to different people, being able to work together with people from different disciplines, and being able to be resilient with minor or major put-offs.
Getting used to the work hours is very exhausting, including Saturdays and at the same time there are no holidays or you cannot leave clinical work while preparing for exams, so the clinical work and patients have the highest priority at this place.
In exchange, you will have the best people guiding you and the day-to-day privilege of working with the best people in the field, so you should be able to manage both academics and clinical work. Not to repeat but you should be mentally strong and constantly enthusiastic about what you are doing and be able to reach out to people when you have difficulties.
Which way is better to do an MS general surgery and then take up neurosurgery as a superspeciality or the direct 6yrs Mch Neurosurgery course offered by AIIMS and NIMHANS after an MBBS?
I know a person who is pursuing Neurosurgery and he does not feel it is not necessary to go through 3 years of MS general surgery before taking up neurosurgery. As a 6-year student, he was supposed to rotate through 10 months of general surgery.
He did not find general surgical skills that he acquired during the rotation, of much use in neurosurgery, other than the very basic knot tying and suturing skills, which can also be acquired through dedicated lab practice.
The other techniques followed in neurosurgery are significantly different from those followed in general surgery. The extensive use of the surgical microscope and bipolar coagulation for hemostasis distinguishes this surgical discipline from general surgery.
Today, neurosurgeons typically use access surgeons (thoracic surgeons or urologists) if they want to perform any unconventional approaches to the spine, which is much safer for the patient.
A lot of post-MS students don’t find much difference in incompetence or spectrum of surgeries and they are comfortable when compared with those having gone through six years of courses.
Globally, there is a trend towards running integrated courses only. Also, in India, pursuing a 6 years’ course after MBBS means you will have one less entrance examination to worry about.
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