The exam syllabus is manageable even for someone without a biology or medical background, provided you put in consistent reading and effort.
- Get Instant Notes in Neurosciences. Read it from the first page to the last. If you feel lost, don’t worry — that’s normal. Estimated completion time: 14 days.
- Reread the neuroscience/physiology sections of the CBSE biology textbook. Estimated completion time: 7 days.
- Dale Purves’ Neuroscience is an easy, quick read to build a high-level understanding of the subject. Estimated completion time: 1 month.
- Connect with people who have completed an MPhil/Masters/PhD from the same department. This is a simple but effective trick — you will likely gain 10 extra marks from this. Many questions tend to be repetitive.
- Watch the MCB80x course during the last week before the exam. Estimated completion time: 7 days.
Two months of solid preparation is enough to crack the entrance. The subject matter, by nature, feels volatile from an engineering perspective — it grows on you slowly. Consistent reading and revision are essential. It’s important to follow the preparation steps in the specified order. If you still have a month to spare, take Professor White’s Medical Neuroscience course from Duke University on Coursera.