Alevels or FSC after Olevels for Pakistani medical students? This is one of the many questions I pondered over during my Olevels and Im sure many others do the same. To make such a decision usually involves a lot of elements. Its usually your parents who suggest changing your line of education and moving on to do FSC or you just get discouraged by your seniors who couldnt perform well in the entry test and failed to make it to the better government universities. I have always supported Alevels and so I did the same instead of changing my field to FSC so basically, this post will focus on a pro-Alevels argument so if anyone has a different opinion please dont mind. :) The Alevels Equivalency Now the first question is that how does the IBCC equate FSC and Alevels students. They have a simple formula where they use the 8 compulsory subjects of your Olevels and 3 subjects of Alevels. The formula is as such that you get 90 marks for an A*, 85 for an A, 75 for a B and so on. For example, you get 6A*s, an A and a B in Olevels and you get 2A*s and a A in Alevels, your FSC equivalency will be calculated as follows: 6*90+85+75=700 (Olevels) + 265 (2*90+85 in Alevels)= 965 Do you see an anomaly over here? About 73% of the equivalency is comprised of your Olevel subjects. That means when you enter Alevels you are already done with 73% of the equivalent FSC and even if you dont do well in Alevels it wont make a grave difference to your FSC equivalent marks. Advantages of the A* With the introduction of the A*, the Alevels students are no more at a disadvantage. Apart from the top most students of FSC, getting a 90% equivalency is not an easy task for FSC students. But Im pretty sure that the proportion of Alevels students with straight A*s (that gives you a 90% equivalency) are much more than FSC students with > 90% marks so we are actually at an advantage here. Performance in the MCAT One problem students have when opting for Alevels is the possibility of poor performance in the MCAT due to the pro-FSC syllabus. But let me make one thing clear for you guys that studying FSC books once we are done with Alevels (which are essential to get the best in the entry tests) can only be of advantage to us. Plus, the Punjab UHS MCAT has a strict syllabus which is much closer to the Alevels syllabus and recently in the past two years many students from Alevels have been able to secure top marks in the UHS MCAT. I cant say the same thing about other provinces, though. But with a 90% equivalency, you can do well in any case by working a bit more hard. Why do Alevels? Now let me come to the reason why you guys have this question in your mind. Firstly, you have studied continuously in the CIE exams type environment so it is always preferred to continue with the same. Then you guys have the choice to opt for Mathematics and other subjects and keep your options open while opting for pre-medical in FSC binds you to one field with very less other options. Then the question of conceptual studies arises. It is quite clear that there is a huge difference between the examination pattern of our local boards and the Alevels. With the latter one always preferred. And this is one major reason why people prefer to continue with the same British curriculum rather than shifting to the local one. Lastly, youll have a slight edge when it comes to admissions in private institutions like the Aga Khan University due to the all round personality you develop as part of the Alevels programme. Why do FSC? Eventhough I support Alevels, Ive yet come across several advantages of doing FSC. First of all, if you dont get good grades in Olevels for example a Matric equivalency of less than 85% with no A*s or a few Bs then it is much better if you do FSC. As I have stated above, about 73% of the Alevels equivalency is comprised of the Olevels result so an average Olevels result will truly damage your equivalency even if you achieve 3A*s, that is the maximum possible, in Alevels. So for those with an average Olevels result and with strong aspirations of entering a government medical university should seriously consider doing FSC instead of Alevels. Secondly, doing FSC gives you an idea and prepares you for the hardships and different style of education that you have to go through during the medical studies at the government institutions. It isnt difficult to adjust in the new environment after Alevels either but obviously the FSC students have a slight edge at the beginning. Verdict Do Alevels if you have a good enough Olevels result as youll already be done with 73% of the FSC by then if you choose Alevels. Do FSC if you have an average result in Olevels as doing FSC will give you a renewed chance of improvement. The final choice is yours.
Posted on: Tue, 28 Oct 2014 06:25:42 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015