How we made this
We read the preparation advice candidates shared in our PGMI WhatsApp and Facebook groups — what people who sat the induction test say they studied, and what they wish they had done. It reflects the messages we could read (mostly July 2023–October 2026) and is a guide to what is popular, not an official list. Always check the official PGMI Entrance Test Format & Recommended Books in PGMI's guideline pack at pgmi.edu.pk.
The exam in one minute
- Merit: ETEA test 75% + MBBS marks 20% + periphery / hard-area service 5% (PGMI Induction Policy, January 2026).
- Paper: clinical medicine plus four minors — English, Bioethics, Biostatistics & Epidemiology, Communication Skills. Many past questions repeat or come back in a new form.
- Style: US board-style single best answer. Rules from US review books often match the key.
If you prefer books on paper
- PGMI & AKU book (Minors and past papers)
- Past PGMI medicine MCQs and the minors.
- PassMedicine (MRCP question bank and notes)
- Clinical MCQs with explanations, if available in physical books.
- Master the Boards (MTB) — medicine
- Clinical theory as a reference book.
- First Aid (USMLE Step 1)
- Basics. Alternatively, use whatever resources you used for FCPS-1.
If you can study from a screen
MedSurgOnline puts all of the above in one place, so you don't jump between books:
- Explained notes for all of medicine, system by system, written as a summary of the standard textbooks above and updated to their latest editions.
- Every past PGMI recall from the PGMI & AKU book, plus similar-style MCQs, each with an explanation of why the other options are wrong.
- All four minors (English, Bioethics, Biostatistics, Communication Skills) with notes and MCQs.
- Search any topic or MCQ, track your weak areas, and re-do only what you got wrong.
- Exam Companion Medicine — the full medicine book, chapter by chapter, with pearls and red-flag alerts.
Look inside free for 90 seconds at medsurgonline.com, then request access to your exam. If you own the PGMI & AKU book, the online bank builds on it — you are not paying twice.
Step by step
- Get the official papers first. From pgmi.edu.pk download the Induction Policy, the Test Format & Recommended Books and the ETEA sample paper. Know the paper split before you open a book.
- Do past papers first, cold. Attempt one full PGMI medicine paper from the PGMI & AKU book without revising. Mark your weak systems. This tells you where your time should go.
- Go one system at a time. Pick one theory source (MTB, or MedSurgOnline notes) and stay with it. For each system: read the theory (1–2 days), then 50–100 MCQs with explanations (MedSurgOnline or PassMedicine, PreTest or another online bank), then that system's past PGMI questions. Write every mistake in a one-line “error log”.
- Do the minors little and often. About 30 minutes a day, rotating English, Bioethics, Biostatistics and Communication. Finish the PGMI & AKU minors section twice.
- Move to mixed MCQs. Random blocks across all systems, timed. Re-do only what you got wrong. Read First Aid / one-liners for gaps.
- Switch to exam mode. Two full timed mocks a week in exam conditions. Repeat all past PGMI papers. Read your error log daily. Nothing new in the last 5 days.
Short on time?
- All past PGMI papers first.
- High-yield systems with MCQs only (skip long theory).
- Minors from the PGMI & AKU book + timed mocks. “Theory doesn't stick for long, but MCQ explanations do.”
Common mistakes
- Buying every book and finishing none.
- Leaving the minors to the last week — they are a large share of the paper.
- Doing MCQs without reading the explanations.
- Not checking the explanation.
Screen or paper?
Try one week on screen. If you remember what you read and can keep going for 2–3 hours, stay on screen. If not, use Route 1 and use the website only for MCQ practice.
Prepare for PGMI Medicine on MedSurgOnline
Look inside any exam free for 90 seconds, then request access to your exam.
Request accessDownload this guide (PDF)