How to Study for MBBS Important Books

Although every year matters, the first year in particular is very important to a student as it helps them figure out the teething problems in studying, introduces them to new technical terms, tests their fundamentals, what they studied in school, and enables in developing a strong understanding of the basics.

What Is The Realistic Time Spent For Studying MBBS Subjects

It is easy to make plans. The hardest part of making plans is sticking to them. But what a plan enables you to do really is create a habit of perseverance. Studying six hours a day is not an incredible task. But don't beat yourself too much on the timings. It is okay to be frivolous some days when the going gets tough. Also, it is good to have high targets, so you can continuously keep working towards achieving more. But try to be realistic. For instance, if it takes two hours for you to study one part of a subject, don't set your target timing to half an hour. You could start with 1 hour 30 minutes and end up finishing a good amount of the portions in 2 hours. So work on timings gradually instead of setting overambitious targets and ending up not sticking to them.

Subjects of MBBS

There are nineteen subjects in the entire course of MBBS. Here are the subjects:

MBBS Syllabus

The MBBS syllabus is very vast and comprehensively covers the core concepts of both Medicine and Surgery. The curriculum is designed to impart extensive knowledge in an array of medical-related topics and equip the students with the skills relevant to the industry thus helping you prosper in the field of Medicine.

Pre-Clinical: The first two semesters of an MBBS degree program form the pre-clinical studies. It includes syllabus like Anatomy, Biochemistry, Physiology, Biophysics, etc. The introductory phase will help you in getting started with intensive learning by covering the majority of basic concepts and the fundamentals of the healthcare profession. It is mandatory to qualify the first pre-clinical phase of the degree to enter the second phase.

Para-Clinical: The next phase of the degree program is a thepara-clinical level which runs for 3 semesters. The subjects taught at this level include Community Medicine, Forensic Medicine, Pathology, Pharmacology, Microbiology, Clinical postings, OPDs, etc.

Clinical: The final academic portion of the MBBS syllabus comprises the clinical phase. This level stretches from the 5th to 9th semester where the core focus is placed on studying the specializations in both medicine and surgery. The MBBS syllabus taught in the clinical phase consists of medicine allied subjects like Psychiatry, Dermatology, Obstetrics, and Gynaecology, and Paediatrics. Apart from these, it also includes Surgery allied subjects like anesthesiology, ENT, Ophthalmology, Orthopedics.

MBBS Course Structure

MBBS Phase I Syllabus

MBBS Phase II Syllabus

MBBS Phase III Syllabus

What Are The Best Books To Refer For MBBS (Author-wise)

Anatomy - BD Chaurasia Osteology - Inderbir Singh, AK Dutta Embryology - Langman's and Kadasne

Physiology - Sembulingam and Guyton

Biochemistry - Satyanarayana and Harpers

Regarding books to read, I will provide you on what I found suitable for my preparations.

Anatomy -

Gray's is the Bible of Anatomy as far as I know. A very easy to learn and is more clinically oriented which will be very useful for your Viva. But there are also other books you can follow,

1. Vishram Singh
2. Charurasia

On practical aspect Cunningham's is the best manual one can get.

Physiology -

Though there are many standard books such as Ganong and Guyton, you can use them as reference books and rely on G. K. Pal for better understanding.

A. K. Jain is equally good. But if you start reading G. K. Pal , you will never want any other book.

Biochemistry -

1. Vasudevan for molecular biology
2. Sathyanarayana for all the other chapters
3. Harper's can be used for references

The above list is purely based on my planning and strategy. You can approach your seniors for the standard book used in your college. Make sure to get the latest edition for all the books. Also make use of old editions in the library. They contain a lot than the latest edition.

Regarding planning and strategy, there are endless things that I have left unsaid. But remember that this is the golden period of college life. Use it fullest to make memories and bond with friends, but never forget why you are here in the first place.

ANATOMY

1. GROSS ANATOMY : B.D. Chaurasia (easy to understand, plenty of diagrams which you can reproduce in exams), GRAY'S anatomy Student Edition (I referred to the PDF for diagrams and for better concepts), Netter's Atlas (magnified diagrams, good to understand and visualise)
2. NEUROANATOMY : B.D. Chaurasia (volume 4), Vishram Singh
3. HISTOLOGY : Difiore's (best one), I.B. Singh (never draw diagrams from here, only refer it for identification points for exams)
4. EMBRYOLOGY : Langman (beautiful diagrams, exact replica of which you'll get as models in lab, language little tough), I.B. Singh (easy language, lots of flowcharts and tables- better to retain)
5. OSTEOLOGY : Poddar & Bhagat (and Viren Kariya's videos during exams)
6. DISSECTION : Cunningham (though I just used it for gross practical file diagrams)

PHYSIOLOGY

1. Guyton & Hall (standard textbook with lovely explanation, good to clear concepts but reproducing it in exams is difficult)
2. A.K. Jain (this'll come to your rescue in exams, language is pretty easy to understand)
3. Ganong (i personally never read it, but its a good one for PG entrance)
4. R.L. Bijlani (my personal favourite)

BIOCHEMISTRY

1. Harper (standard one, though I didn't use🤦but regret now; difficult to comprehend)
2. Vasudevan (totally relied on it and really liked the illustrations in metabolism related chapters, good for concepts and exams)
3. Lippincott (professors recommended us to use it for genetics part and I read it from pdf)

Other , MBBS comprehensive Books :

The basic steps of your starting strategy

1. Finding the bigger picture by skimming the material before class. It is important to be able to identify four or five major topics.

2. Creating a rough draft of the material based on the lecturer’s slides. Notes can help emphasize the context in the textbook.

3. Creating lists or diagrams that help organize the needed material. This approach can help emphasize patterns that facilitate memorization.

4. Actively memorizing the material through lists and diagrams. It is important to be able to incorporate the information quickly and efficiently.

5. Practicing applying the material through practice or quiz questions during the study process.

They can be used in any active study pattern and include the following:

1. Identifying important information
2. Organizing the information
3. Memorizing the information
4. Applying the information to more complex situations

So, make sure to get a proper essence of the subjects before passing on to the next year. Coming to the strategy part, there are a set of things that are really important and should not be missed.

• Never ever miss your dissection hall classes. This is the place where you are really going to feel yourself as a medico. Respect the cadaver and it will teach you many things that text books can't. Bunking classes may sound like fun, but then you will be the one banging your heads cluelessly.
• Maintain proper notes from beginning. Trust me, notes are the only saviour during your exams. Make charts, diagrams….etc. Make it as simple and easy for you. Class notes are also equally important, as teachers may teach you what may be absent in textbooks.
• Use your library to the fullest and not your Google. Google may give you only the answer to your doubts. But books can lead you to new questions and further answers
• Taking leave and going home is not a problem. But make sure to keep an eye over your attendance percentage or else it will become a serious headache when exam approaches. Maintaining good attendance will help you over your internal marks. Also, you can afford to take extra holidays in the end for studying. You will surely need it.
• There are some good videos on Anatomy and Physiology which you can rely upon. They are the best tools if you are finding a topic difficult. They really do help.
• Make sure your are good in all the basics before passing out of first year. The basic Anatomy, Physiology and Biochemistry are going to travel with you throughout your course and practice as a doctor.
• Though reading the entire concept is necessary, as the exam approaches you should concentrate on scoring areas. Remember,only marks can take you to your second year safely. You can seek help from your seniors regarding important topics to cover. Reading the entire book before the night of exam will be a complete waste of time. Learn to know, what to read and what to learn.
• Regarding exams, it is all in your preparation. There will be one or two questions for which you will not know the answer. But remember to not leave any question blank. As the saying goes.... If you don't know about the tree, tie a goat to the tree and write about the goat.

Few simple revision tips for new medical students

• Break up study schedules into 20 to 30 minute segments
• Create a study timetable
• Keep hardest topics for the morning
• Create colorful notes and mind maps
• Practice old exams and papers
• Start assignments sooner rather than later
• Learn to speak with confidence and structure