Western Mindanao State University College of Medicine Medical College Admission Test (WMSU COM MCAT)

Since Western Mindanao State University is a sought after institution, they received a lot of applications. Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) is one way for them to assess how ready you are to be a medical student. It was a half day event. Due to Covid-19 regulations, we took it in the halls of College of Education. I forgot the number of items. It was 120 items (I think). 

• Is it a MCQ type of test? 

Yes. Just know how to shade properly.

• Should you prepare for it? 

Sure, but it covers all topics we've already learned in our undergrad.

• Is it harder than NMAT? 

Not even close. It required some pretty specific answers though that I wasn't able to research ahead of time.

Major Tips 

1. Testmanship / Guesstimating Skills:

        They don't really require you to make intense calculations. You just have to learn how to do dimensional analysis and know how to eliminate/analyze the choices. It's like you are given choices that only differ in their decimal point like A. 1.0 moles, B. 10.0 moles, C. 100.00 moles, D. 0.1 moles so you had to go back to the given (question) and try to guesstimate what answer will make sense.

2. Computations?

    Yes. You will have to compute percentages and analyze tables and graphs. Brush up on these skills as the exam is time-pressured. Will you compute in physics and chemistry? No. You do have to know how to analyze concepts like what happens to the Pressure if you do this to the Volume or something like that though. For chemistry, just know the basic concepts in Stoichometry because some items about it will come out. 

3. Science Subjects?

        No need to study in depth like specific names or nomenclature. Just have an overview as they will ask you questions that would assess if you have  a firm grasp on common concepts. If you can readily answer these type of questions, then you won't have to worry.

• In the first law of thermodynamics, what is neither created nor destroyed?
• Which of the EM radiation in the electromagnetic spectrum has the weakest energy? 
• Which ecosystem has the highest degree of biodiversity?

 4. Unexpected items

As doctors you have to have a general data on local health. I don't know how you would study in this area but they have random questions like, "Zamboanga City Population comprises what percent of the total population in the Philippines?" Questions like that...all I can say is Good luck.  

5. Special items

        I guess you had to be updated with certain COVID-19 stuff because we had to answer questions about COVID like mode of transmission and the vaccines.  I guess, that's it. Don't bother to bring snacks. Just eat your breakfast. Be on time and the test will be done in less than 3 hours. Thank you.

How to Ace the Western Mindanao State University College of Medicine (WMSU COM) Interview

The interview isn't a typical panel interview that you are expecting. I would keep it a secret so that you'd suffer the same fate I did hahaha but I am not that cruel. So, turns out the interview was an MMI (Multiple Mini Interviews). So basically, there are 4 stations. You have 10 minutes in each station. The doctor facilitator in the station will present a scenario/task to you. Don't worry you have 2 minutes naman to think of what to say...

Come in your comfy business formal attire. Put on some light make up. And be prepared to fight for your life in the 10 minutes you are given hahaha if they ask you to role-play, just give them what they want. Be honest even if you have to make hard choices.

I don't even know if I did well. All I can do is prepare you for what to expect. The worst thing you could do is to let some seconds pass. Just keep on talking. The interviewer will work with the things you said. It's not a one-sided conversation.

I've noticed that they will try to see if you have some skills that would tell them that you have what it takes to be a medical practitioner. I'm going to give you a general background of what I think they are trying to assess:

Station 1: Communication skills

Station 2: Making Ethical and Informed Decisions

Station 3: Critical Thinking Skills/Prioritization

Station 4: Ability to Give Instructions

I don't know if they will give out the same scenarios but you have to practice how to analyze a situation then give your honest judgment. The main things I just want to share is that you have to talk. It doesn't matter even if you have to use your vernacular language. I was super nervous and I stuttered a lot in my first station. But I became increasingly confident in the preceding stations because the interviewers are really engaging. Just keep on giving them something to work with as they kind of have a checklist of what they are looking for. Good luck hahaha you can do it. Actual words I've heard from my interviewers: "There are no right answers, it's your justification/explanation we want to hear." So don't second guess. Don't give rehearsed answers. Just be yourself and be confident. 

Habits I've Had To Break As A One Month Old Medical Student

Today marks my one month of being a medical student in Western Mindanao State University, College of Medicine. And here are some changes I've had to make to cope with our curriculum (COVID-19 edition). There's no hope for face to face classes anytime soon so we had to deal with the advantages and disadvantages of online education through MS Teams.

Here are our subjects for the first semester:

• Biochemistry
• Introduction to Medicine I (Anatomy and Physiology)
• Perspective in Medicine
• Preventive and Community Medicine
• Medical Ethics and Good Clinical Practice
• Leadership and Management

We have online classes from 8 AM to 5 PM from Monday to Saturday. Our vacant period is only every Thursday afternoon. After each lecture by a visiting lecturer, there is a Small Group Discussion with our FGL facilitated by a faculty doctor. Sometimes we discuss as a group then present our answers in the plenary session. We also have Assignments/Problem sets/Case Studies every now and then. Quizzes, Practical Exam and Long Exam are of course also part of our lives as students. 

So what's the problem? Lectures stretch for hours and you have to read ahead of time to basically keep up with months worth of lectures condensed into those precious hours. Then, you have to research some more to answer the Assignments/Problem sets/Case Studies and share it with your classmates. After a long day of lecture and active discussion, you still have to study for upcoming exams. So here are some changes I've had to make to adjust with our grueling baptism of fire as pioneering batch of WMSU COM:

1. SLEEPING IS ACTUALLY A FUN HOBBY

I used to sleep at 2AM then go to work at 7 - 8 AM. I never worried about not having enough sleep as when the pandemic started, our work had to be accomplished in shifts so we get to rest when our 2 week duty ends. Now, If I had to choose between sleeping and studying longer, I would choose SLEEP over anything. It's the one thing I can give myself to keep from going crazy from the intense amount of workload. You can't afford to be super groggy the next day for another set of information overload and group discussion.

2. NETFLIX/YOUTUBE/TIKTOK WHO?

In connection with No. 1, I spend a lot of time watching series, videos and the likes. I now feel guilty if I even watch just one episode as I know it would lead me to a downward spiral due to my scary binge-watching tendency. So I keep myself in check. Though if something particularly good happens or if I have to deal with disappointment, I do lose myself in a non-medical related world to refresh my mind. 

3. MEDICAL BOOK OVER FICTION ANY DAY

In connection to No. 2, I also read a lot since my net connection isn't super strong to begin with. I could finish a 1000 page novel in three days or so. I actually keep to myself most of the time. Now, every time I open my ebook reader app, I get overwhelmed by the pages of the stories I used to enjoy. I kept thinking that I could spend these hours reading our super hard to digest medical textbooks like Harper's Illustrated Biochemistry or Moore's Clinical Anatomy instead. I never thought Medical School would take over my life this way but it did.

4. REST IN PIECE, SOCIAL LIFE

I used to be active on social media especially in updating my My Days and Stories on Facebook and Instagram. I had a tiktok video to post everyday. Now, I try to keep up with uploading and stuff but it's all a bit too much. No one understands except for the people you are experiencing it with. So my social life is now limited to communicating, updating, and ranting with my classmates through Facebook messenger. I promised myself I would still have time to slay in life but no, I still have a lot of adjusting to do before getting to that point.

5. BARE FACED BEAUTY BABE

I love make up. I couldn't go a day without beating my face up gently with my brushes and sponges. Now, I try to not mess with the remnants of my lash extensions to make it look like at least I'm trying. This lifestyle isn't good for my acne-prone skin so I try to at least be religious with my skincare routine. I loved applying eyeliner but now, I'm like ehhh I could do without it.

6. CRAMMING, REALLY?

I recently came across an advice pointing out that if you can't learn the concept in days leading to the preparation for your upcoming exam, what makes you think that you can learn it the night before? And to that, I agree. For my first ever Long Exam in Biochem, I failed. It was disappointing especially when I recall the effort I made in studying FOUR chapters worth of material where anything can come out. But I guess the studying methods I used didn't work for me. I do know that Cramming isn't going to help me. It used to work in High School and College but this is a whole 'nother level.

Hoping I could update in another month and actually have some positive changes and tips for success to share. But for now, these are some of the habits I've had to break. And I hope I could keep it up. I am grateful tho to be a Crimson Doctor in the future.