15 best countries for business

New Zealand is ranked as the best country for business, according to Forbes. The report states that the United States continues to lose ground against other nations in Forbes’ annual look at the best countries for business.
(Source: Forbes)

1. New Zealand

The island country, New Zealand has a modern, prosperous and developed market economy. The country is heavily dependent on international trade and has a high demand for agricultural products.

GDP: GDP: $162 billion

GDP per capita: $39,300

Public debt as % of GDP: 36%

2. Denmark

Officially the Kingdom of Denmark has a developed mixed market economy and the country’s economy stands out for its economic freedom. It has a large labour force and its support for free trade is high.

GDP: $333 billion

GDP per capita: $59,684

Public debt as % of GDP: 44%

3. Hong Kong

Hong Kong is a special administrative region and is considered to be one of the world’s leading financial centers. The country has a major capitalist service economy characterized by low taxation and free trade.

GDP: $244 billion

GDP per capita: $34,457

Public debt as % of GDP: 30%

4. Singapore

Singapore has a highly developed market based economy. It is known to have one of the freest, innovative, competitive and business-friendly environments worldwide. The economy depends heavily on exports and refining imported goods, especially in manufacturing.

GDP: $240 billion

GDP per capita: $46,241

Public debt as % of GDP: 118%

5. Canada

Canada has a mixed economy and manufacturing, mining and service sectors have transformed the nation from a rural economy to an industrialized one. The country is one of the world's largest suppliers of agricultural products.

GDP: $1.7 trillion

GDP per capita: $50,345

Public debt as % of GDP: 87%

6. Ireland

The economy of Ireland mainly focuses on services and high-tech industries. Exports play a very important role and Ireland is considered to be one of the world’s most profitable countries.

GDP: $217 billion

GDP per capita: $48,423

Public debt as % of GDP: 105%

7. Sweden

Sweden is an export oriented mixed economy and is heavily oriented towards foreign trade. The country’s engineering, telecommunications, automotive and pharmaceutical industries are of great importance.

GDP: $538 billion

GDP per capita: $56,927

Public debt as % of GDP: 38%

8. Norway
Norway is a mixed economy. It features a combination of free market activity and large state ownership in certain key sectors. It is also one of the largest oil exporters in the world.

GDP: $486 billion

GDP per capita: $98,102

Public debt as % of GDP: 58%

9. Finland

Although Finland was relatively late for industrialization, the country’s economy grows rapidly. The country is highly integrated in the global economy, and international trade.

GDP: $266 billion

GDP per capita: $49,391

Public debt as % of GDP: 49%

10. United Kingdom

United Kingdom was the world’s first industrialized countries and is a now considered as one of the great powers in with its economic influence. The country has a partially regulated market economy.

GDP: $2.4 trillion

GDP per capita: $38,818

Public debt as % of GDP: 86%

11. Australia

Australia is a developed country which enjoys its high economic freedom. It is considered to be a wealthy economy with a market economy. The country is a major exporter of agricultural products.

GDP: $1.4 trillion

GDP per capita: $60,642

Public debt as % of GDP: 27%

12. United States

The United States of America has a capitalist mixed economy which has a developed infrastructure, high productivity and sufficient natural resources. Apart from being known for its large exports the country is also one of the largest importers of goods.

GDP: $15.1 trillion

GDP per capita: $48,442

Public debt as % of GDP: 68%

13. Belgium

Belgium has a strong globalised economy and it is characterized by high productive work force. The country is heavily is service-oriented and has an integrated transport infrastructure.

GDP: $512 billion

GDP per capita: $46,469

Public debt as % of GDP: 100%

14. Netherlands

The Netherlands has a market-based mixed economy that is well known for its liberal stance. Shipping, fishing, trade, and banking have been leading sectors of the country’s economy.

GDP: $836 billion

GDP per capita: $50,087

Public debt as % of GDP: 65%

15. Switzerland

Switzerland is known as one of the most stable, prosperous and wealthiest economy. The high tech economy’s main sector is manufacturing and the Switzerland’s largest exported goods are chemicals.

GDP: $636 billion

GDP per capita: $80,391

Public debt as % of GDP: 52%

Gangrape victim flown to Singapore for treatment

The 23-year-old grievously injured gangrape victim was late Wednesday night flown out of India for treatment in Singapore, doctors said.

The woman, who was brutally raped Dec 16, was shifted out of Safdarjung Hospital and flown in an air ambulance to Singapore's Mt Elizabeth hospital which is renowned for organ transplants, B.D. Athani, the medical superintendent of Safdarjang Hospital, told reporters.

The decision was taken after her condition deteriorated, sources said. Her parents are also accompanying her.

The young woman, who was admitted to the Safdarjung Hospital on Dec 16, was operated upon thrice and had to have her small intestine removed due to extensive injuries following the brutal torture by the five men and a juvenile who raped her in a moving bus.

Athani praised the woman's "fortitude and courage".

The decision to shift her was taken on doctors advice. The government made all the arrangements to shift her in a state-of-the-art air ambulance.

The woman's pulse rate had reportedly dropped alarmingly Tuesday night

Athani said the young woman was being treated "by some of the best doctors of Safdarjang and AIIMS". She suffered "severe injuries in her intestines and abdomen" and "based on the advice of doctors the government made arrangements for her to be sent in a specially equipped air ambulance abroad".

He said that arrangements had been made with Mt Elizabeth Hospital in Singapore "which has state-of-the-art organ transplant facilities".

He said the treatment would be long and that is why her family has also been sent with her.

Southern superstar Rajnikanth and former Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh had been treated in the premier Singapore hospital.

As the ambulance was leaving Safdarjung Hospital, some people tried to block the road and shouted slogans against Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit. They were quickly dispersed.

Tinsukia tea estate MD burnt to death by workers for salary

Angered because their salaries had not been paid and other basic facilities before Christmas not given, tea-garden workers on Wednesday allegedly burnt to death the managing director (MD) of the Tulapathar tea estate in Tinsukia district, 600 km east of Guwahati.

Two charred bodies including supposedly that of MD Mridul Kumar Bhattacharya were recovered from a house that was gutted. Its occupants were Bhattacharya and his wife.

The mob set ablaze the official quarters of the garden's manager also.

They also set fire to a gypsy and an Ambassador, which belonged to the management.

"The bodies have not been identified. Both the managing director and the garden manager's quarters were torched by a violent mob comprising labourers. Two more persons residing in the quarters are missing after the incident. The situation in the area is tense. Security forces have already been rushed to the tea garden", said SS Meenakshi Sundaram, deputy commissioner of Tinsukia district.

Sundaram said for the past two months, differences had surfaced between the tea garden management and labourers on salaries not being paid. On Wednesday, the garden authorities served quit notice to 10 workers.

In the first week of December, an FIR had been lodged against three labourers.

"Their arrest on a court warrant angered the workers more," Sundaram added.

Academic qualifications of India's top business leaders

If you thought all of India’s business leaders were born with a silver spoon in their mouth, you are wrong. Even those who were heirs to established business empire, made it a point to equip themselves academically to tackle the challenges posed by the winds of change and uncertain future.

Ratan Tata completed his B.S. in architecture with structural engineering from Cornell University in 1962, and the Advanced Management Program from Harvard Business School in 1975. 


Mukesh Ambani completed his graduation with a bachelor`s degree in chemical engineering from the UDCT, now Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai. He later enrolled for an MBA from Stanford University but completed only one year of the two year programme, to help out his legendary father in business.


Deepak Parekh is the Chairman of Housing Development Finance Corporation. A Chartered Accountant, Parekh began his career with Ernst & Young Management Consultancy Services in New York. After returning to India, he worked with Grindlays Bank and also Chase Manhattan Bank as its assistant representative for South Asia. Parekh joined HDFC in 1978.


Kumar Mangalam Birla is the Chairman of the Aditya Birla Group. A chartered accountant by qualification, he also has an MBA from the London Business School.


Anand Mahindra is the Chairman and Managing Director of one of India’s largest enterprise, Mahindra & Mahindra. He graduated magna cum laude from Harvard College, Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1977 (he studied filmmaking at Harvard), and completed his MBA from Harvard Business School, Boston, Massachusetts in 1981. 


Telecom tycoon Sunil Bharti Mittal is the founder, chairman and Group CEO of Bharti Enterprises. He started his career at 18 after graduating from Panjab University in 1976 and founded Bharti. He is also an alumnus of Harvard Business School, USA.


Anil Dhirubani Ambani group head Anil Ambani completed his Bachelors degree from University of Bombay (as it was known then), followed by Master of Business Administration degree from University of Pennsylvania Wharton School.


N. R. Narayana Murthy, Chairman Emeritus of Infosys earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Mysore in 1967 and a master’s degree in technology from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, in 1969.


Azim H Premji, Chairman, Wipro holds an electrical engineering degree from Stanford University, USA.


Venu Srinivasan is the Chairman and Managing Director of Sundaram Clayton Ltd and TVS Motor Company. After graduating as an engineer from the University of Madras, he completed a Master's Degree in Management from Purdue University in the USA.

42 year old woman gang raped dumped in Delhi

New Delhi, Dec 27 (ANI): Another gang rape has taken place in Delhi when a 42-year-old woman was allegedly gang raped by three people and dumped in Kalkaji area.

The incident took place in South Delhi on Wednesday night and the victim was thrown in the Kalkaji area. The police registered a case on against three people, out of which one person has been reportedly detained.

The victim was reportedly on her way from Vrindavan to Delhi.

The police registered a case of rape after the victim was given medical assistance and examined.

The recent incident can put the Delhi police in more trouble as they are yet to arrest the accused.

The police is under severe pressure and criticism since six men raped a 23-year-old medical student on a moving bus in Vasant Vihar area of South Delhi on December 16. This incident enraged the nation. Protests were held at different places of the country.

There were more than 24, 200 reported rape cases in India in 2011, a rise of over nine per cent on the previous year.

Among the major cities New Delhi has the highest level of sex crime. (ANI)

How Google is hurting Microsoft revenues

It has taken years, but Google seems to be cutting into Microsoft's stronghold - businesses.

Google's software for businesses, Google Apps, consists of applications for document writing, collaboration, and text and video communications - all cloud-based, so that none of the software is on an office worker's computer. Google has been promoting the idea for more than six years, and it seemed that it was going to appeal mostly to small businesses and tech startups.

But the notion is catching on with larger enterprises. In the last year Google has scored an impressive string of wins, including at the Swiss drug-maker Hoffmann-La Roche, where more than 80,000 employees use the package, and at the Interior Department, where 90,000 use it.

One big reason is price. Google charges $50 a year for each person using its product, a price that has not changed since it made its commercial debut, even though Google has added features. This year, for example, Google added the ability to work offline, as well as security and data management that comply with more stringent European standards. That made it much easier to sell the product to multinationals and companies in Europe.

Many companies that sell software over the cloud add features without raising prices, but also break from traditional industry practice by rarely offering discounts from the list price.

Microsoft's Office suite of software, which does not include email, is installed on a desktop PC or laptop. In 2013, the list price for businesses will be $400 per computer, but many companies pay half that after negotiating a volume deal.

At the same time, Microsoft has built its business on raising prices for extra features and services. The 2013 version of Office, for example, costs up to $50 more than its predecessor.

"Google is getting traction" on Microsoft, said Melissa Webster, an analyst with IDC. "Its 'good enough' product has become pretty good. It looks like 2013 is going to be the year for content and collaboration in the cloud."

Microsoft has also jumped on the office-in-the-cloud trend. In June 2011, it released Office 365, and now offers its software in both a cloud version and a hybrid version that uses cloud computing and conventional servers. Office 365 starts at a list price of $72 a year, per person, and can cost as much as $240 a person annually, in versions that offer many more features and software development capabilities.

Microsoft says it offers more than Google for the money, but the product has not won many converts from Google.

In a recent report, Gartner, the information technology research company, called Google "the only strong competitor" to Microsoft in cloud-based business productivity software, though it warned that "enterprise concerns may not be of paramount importance to the search giant."

Google is tight-lipped about how many people use Google Apps, saying only that in June more than 5 million businesses were using it, up from 4 million in late 2011. Almost all these companies are tiny, but in early December, Google announced that even companies with fewer than 10 employees, which used to get Google Apps free, would have to pay.

Google's revenue from Apps, according to a former executive who asked not to be named in order to maintain good relations with Google, amounted to perhaps $1 billion of the $37.9 billion Google earned in 2011.

Shaw Industries, a carpet maker in Dalton, Ga., with about 30,000 employees, switched to Google Apps this year for communication tools like email and videoconferencing. Jim Nielsen, the company's manager of enterprise technology, calculated that using Google instead of similar Microsoft products would cost, over seven years, about one-thirteenth Microsoft's price.

Shaw is a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway, run by Warren Buffett, but the close friendship of Buffett and Microsoft's founder, Bill Gates, did not sway Nielsen. "When you add it up, the numbers are pretty compelling," he said.

In addition to the lower price, Google has simplicity in pricing. Nielsen said he had to sort through 11 pricing models to figure out what he would pay Microsoft.

But his prime motive in choosing Google, he said, was online collaboration. "As people in their daily lives become more electronically social, they want to bring that into the office," Nielsen said. "Video is more appealing than a written letter."

Google, he said, is "constantly making it better for teams to work, inside and outside the company, with controlled access."

Microsoft says it does not yet see a threat. Google "has not yet shown they are truly serious," said Julia White, a general manager in Microsoft's business division. "From the outside, they are an advertising company." In 2011, 96 per cent of Google's revenue came from advertising.

Even though Microsoft sells a similar product, she said most companies did not want to depend exclusively on clouds for documents and communication. Microsoft now has some of its own workers entirely online, she said, while others use both local computers and the cloud, to get a feel for how various companies work.

Although she would not break out numbers, White said Office 365 was "on track to be our fastest-growing business." She said that Google, to be a threat, would need to "provide a quality enterprise experience" in areas like "privacy, data handling and security."

But according to the General Services Administration, out of 42 federal government contracts for which Google and Microsoft competed in 2012, Google won 23 deals, and Microsoft 10. The rest went to another company, Zimbra, which is owned by VMware, a maker of cloud software.

Microsoft's biggest and most profitable sector, its business division, brought in nearly $24 billion in the 2012 fiscal year that ended in June. Almost none of that came from Office 365, but from the familiar older-style software that depends on computers within the corporation.

As the two behemoths slug it out in the enterprise market, their cloud-computing software is changing the way businesses operate. Internet-based computing makes it easier to communicate both within and outside a company. Fixing software and adding features can be done automatically, the way consumers get the latest version of Facebook when they go to its site.

"People were looking for cheap email at first, but now it's about collaboration, calendaring and data storage online," said Webster of IDC. Over time, her firm says, software revenue will be at least 50 per cent from the cloud, which could challenge the complex way Microsoft prices and discounts its products.

White, the Microsoft manager, said Google "helped amplify a lot of the conversation around cloud productivity." That is a far cry from last February, when Microsoft put a video on Google'sYouTube website lampooning Google with a parody of the old television show "Moonlighting."

Google, the video suggested, would automatically change around a buyer's software. But cloud-based software is supposed to issue automatic updates and feature changes. Microsoft has issued several updates to Office 365, though, unlike Google, it lets customers delay the changes for up to a year.

Too much Internet use may leave kids brain dead

A 'Google generation' which relies on the Internet for everything is in danger of becoming 'brain-dead', a leading UK inventor has warned. 

Trevor Baylis, who invented the wind-up radio, said children are losing creativity and practical skills because they spend too much time in front of screens. 

The 75-year-old from Twickenham, south-west London, said he fears that the next generation of inventors is being lost, with young people often unable to make anything with their hands, the 'Daily Mail' reported. 

He said children could rediscover vital skills if schools used practical toys like Meccano, a model construction system. 

"Children have got to be taught hands-on, and not to become mobile phone or computer dependent," Baylis said. 

"They should use computers as and when, but there are so many people playing with their computers nowadays that spend all their time sitting there with a stomach," he said. 

"They are dependent on Google searches. A lot of kids will become fairly brain-dead if they become so dependent on the Internet, because they will not be able to do things the old-fashioned way," he said.

IT may not offer similar incentives as 2012

India Inc is expected to dole out an average pay hike of 11.2 per cent across job roles in 2013, lower than 12 per cent increase witnessed this year, says Hay Group. Global management consultancy Hay Group said pay for performance is the new mantra. 

Noting that salary increases are projected to be 11.2 per cent next year, Hay Group said the "amount represents a slight reduction against an actual average salary increase of 12 per cent across India Inc in 2012". 

The job roles into four levels - Clerical & Operations, Supervisory & Junior Professionals, Middle Management & Seasoned Professionals, and Senior Management & Executives. 

"Clerical and Operations Professionals are expected to beat the average of 11.2 per cent across job levels, standing at 11.5 per cent, while Middle Management Professionals can expect an increase of about 10.9 per cent," it said. 

The General Industry Compensation Report has pay insights on 418,414 jobs from 410 organisations spread across diverse sectors including Industrial Goods, FMCGs, Construction, Retail and Services. 

However, compensation practices for CEOs and senior executives in middle to large organisations are not covered. 

Hay Group India's Country Manager (Productised Services) Amer Haleem said creation of a pay-for-performance ethos is the number one priority amongst all respondents while putting a variable pay policy in place. 

"The most commonly cited reason for modifying a company's existing variable pay plan was 'a change in business circumstances', pointing to the increasing trend of pay and rewards being treated as a business decision rather than only the domain of compensation experts," Haleem said.

Going by the report, median starting salaries for fresh graduates would be in the range of Rs 18,500 to 25,000, with engineering roles featuring at the top of the scale. 

"Finance/Accounting and IT/ Telecommunication are amongst the other roles that are popular with the industry at present, while roles such as Administration/Support/Service and Health/Environment weigh in lower down the order," Hay Group said. 

The study revealed over 80 per cent of organisations, use their own industry sectors or selected peer groups as reference markets while aligning their compensation levels. 

"A relative industry-wide comparison shows Oil and Gas, Chemicals, and FMCG leading the pack in terms of the highest CTC," Hay Group said. 

Haleem added that sectors such as infrastructure, real estate and IT may not be rewarding their performers with similar incentives as last year although some sectors like health and life sciences and FMCG seem to fare better.

Doctors pursuing higher studies in the US to sign return bond

Any doctor travelling to the United States for higher medical studies from this year onwards will have to sign a bond with the government, promising to return to India after completing his / her studies.

This has been done to prevent doctors from leaving the country on the pretext of higher studies and eventually settling down there.

“Any student travelling for further medical education to the US will have to give us a bond that he will return after completing the studies. In the last three years, 3,000 doctors went abroad for studies and didn’t return. If a student doesn’t return from the US, he won’t be allowed to practise there,” Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said on 23.04.2012.

‘Bond obligation’

From this year onwards, the United States is insisting on a government NOC from every student enrolling with an American institute. “No other country is asking for this NOC,” the Minister said. “If they don’t fulfil the bond obligation, we can write to the US to deny the student permission to practise.”

Vested interest

On the proposed three-year Bachelor of Rural Health Care course, which seeks to create a separate cadre of public health professionals to serve in rural areas, Mr. Azad hoped that the Medical Council of India (MCI) would approve the course. “Doctors’ organisations are opposing the course. I have no hesitation in saying that they have a vested interest to increase their practice.”

“The curriculum is also ready. States are free to implement the course, as Assam is doing, but we want the MCI’s recognition to provide uniform standards for the course across India. We hope the MCI will move fast,” he said.

Mr. Azad also favoured increasing the duration of the MBBS course from the existing 5.5 years to 6.5 years. The Medical Council of India was working on the proposal. “I don’t mind increasing the duration of MBBS to 6.5 years. In the US, students have to go for six years of additional study to be able to prescribe medicines and practise,” he said.

Mandatory rural service

The proposed one-year increase in MBBS duration is being contemplated to set aside an additional year for mandatory rural service. The proposal is to award the MBBS degree only after the completion of 5.5 years of regular MBBS course and one year of rural posting, which would be linked to the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM).

Indian Medical PG Entrance exam preparation Tips

Basic books: 

- All India Pevious years' solved papers by Mudit Khanna 
- AIIMS solved papers by Amit and Ashish 
- Tehalaka by Dr. Rajesh Prasad (it contains solved mcqs of anatomy, physiology, biochemistry and forensic medicine)...Must read book according to me 
- Sure Success By Ramgopal 
- Chauthary For PGI (not that useful for all india) 
For each subject, you have to do the previous years' questions(AIIMS and All India), corresponding theory book and Ramgopal sure success. 

I also recommend you to take a small notebook and start taking notes of difficult to remember points, some important flow charts and tables. These come really handy for last day revision before the exam. You have to make sure that you don get too carried away with writing more and more as it will just waste your time and you may not be able to revise the whole things in one day before the exam. You can do it subjectwise (if u have the patience)...or you can just write the points randomly. 

Anatomy: 

This is the subject i never did all through my preparation! Indeed it seems too much for an effort to read through all volumes of chaurasiya and still not able to solve the mcqs. 

Recommended Books: Chaurasiya (all 3 volumes), Sure success by Ramgopal(big book), Tehalaka by Dr. Rajesh Prasad(for mcqs) 

if u ae short on time, i would suggest to read the anatomy pages from ramgopal's book and do mcqs from tehalaka...this way you should be able to answer more than half the questions from anatomy, which according to my opinion is quite good. you should concentrate on nerve injuries, nerve entrapment syndromes, muscles nerve supply and actions(especially upper limb), various type of joints(asked many times!), various fossa and there contents and cranial nerves. anyway one should not be spending too much of time on anatomy as itsa low yielding subject. 

Physiology: 

Recommended books: Ganong (very good book), Guyton (only for referance), Tehalaka. 

Here tehalaka comes in very handy. if you read all the mcqs with explaination from this, you would be able to solve majority of the common questions from physiology. supplement it with ganong with selected reading with special emphasis on general physiology topics 

Biochemistry: 

Recommonded books: Harper, Tehalaka, lippincott (as an alternative) 

lot of people will say that lippincott is very good, but i never found it that good. I would recommend reading Harper. The newer editions of Harper have been progressively trimmed, so it should not take more that 10 days to read on the first go. Topics that should be stressed are genetics(obviously!), chapters at the beginning(like enzymes, amino acids and some general chapters), regarding metabolism, it would certainly help, if you take notes of some important points on a note book for quick revision before exam. It will certainly help.. Tehalaka is nice for revising the facts quickly 

Forensic Medicine: 

Recommended books: Pareikh, Tehalaka, forensic SARP 

Here again Tehalaka comes in very handy. you can solve most of the mcqs from this book. Also forensic SARP is not bad at all for poisonings (especially do lead, mercuary, arsenic and others commonly asked). I would suggest you to make small notes of important features of common poisonings for quick revision later on. From Pareikh, do only selected reading. Always spend some time on ballistics...they need to be understood properly to solve the related mcqs. 

Pathology: 

Recommended books: Robbins(big) 

This is the only book thats needed...and of course, i am not including harrison, because i persume that you keep it alongside for referance while doning any subject. This in my opinion is the most important subject(even more than medicine, surgery). If u have good grasp of pathology, it would certainly go a long way to improve your chances in PG exams. I recommend you to read this book thoroughly with more emphasis on blood, GIT, kidney and general pathology...things that you can probably skip or do selectively are: CNS, Musculoskeletal system and other chapters towards the end of the book. I you have read this book during your prof, it would certainly help. 

Pharmacology: 

Recommended books: Tripathi, Katzung (Referance), Goodman & Gilman (only for referance, not at all essential!), Tumors SARP 

Agian this is a very important and productive subject. In tripathi, more stress should be on ANS and CVS. Tumors SARP is also quite good...just to be read selectively 

Microbiology: 

Recommended books: Ananthnarayan(very good book), jawetz(review), chatterjee(parsitology), SARP microbiology 

Jawetz (review, not the text book) i recommend for reading the immunology part. it will help you understand the basics of immunology in a very easy manner. For rest, Ananthnarayan is good enough...special emphasis should be on general microbiology. Virology can be done selectively like doing common ones like hepatitis, rabies, AIDS, rota virus, polio and from parts you see the questions...never forget to do general virology. Bacteriology has be done thoroughly in my view. For mycology, ananthnarayan is good. you may also look at SARP for mycology. For parasitology, although chatterjee is the recommended book but it consumes much of time..i would suggest just reading it from jawetz and doing mcqs. that should be enough for only 1-2 quesions are asked from parasitology. 

SPM: 

Recommended books: Park (what else!), High yield biostats by tyagi or Mahajan 
SPM is the subject thats often said to decide matters. If prepared properly, it can be quite scoring subject as well ...as hardly anything is asked outside Park. Important topics are first 116 (or something like that) pages. I mean up to the chapter about screening. Learn all the concepts properly. this will help you solve more than half the mcqs of SPM. Diseases should be done selectively. Do the more important diseases like tuberculosis, polio, leprosy, rabies, AIDS, syphilis, respiratory infections, rickettsial diseases, dengue, yellow fever(who cares it doesn’t occur in India!), diptheria and as you see the questions. From the remaining chapters, you should do environment and health chapter, contraceptives, health and nutrition and disease control programmes, health goals and about the health workers and their population allocations....rest can be done selectively. 

Biostats you can do from high yield biostats. Its quite good. and you can do it in just one day. Nowadays some questions may even be out of that book. Ypu can also do Mahajan for biostats. Its better but consumes more time 

Eye: 

Recommended books: Khurana, kaski (referance), parson(referance) 

Khurana will do for most of the questions. for some really hard questions, kanski comes in handy . important topics are... Cataracts, ocular injuries, uveitis, corneal ulcer, refractive errors, tumors(retinoblastoma, melanoma), retinitis pigmentosa, optic atrophy, papiloedema, chalazion. 

ENT: 

Recommended books: Dhingra 

Nothing much to say. Dhingra will do for most of the questions. read selectively. more impotant topics acoustic neuroma, facial nerve course and palsy, otosclerosis, CSOM and its complications, layrngeal polps, nodules and cancer, DNS, sinusitis, epistaxis, abscess in reation to pharynx, tonsils. 

Paediatrics: 

Recommended books: Ghai, Nelson(referance) 

Sometimes questions seem to be set from nelson and ghai seems to be insufficient. while thats true, but thats not a reason to read nelson. you cant gain much by reading nelson(its too huge a book). rather reading some selected topics may be useful. In Ghai, more stress should be on nenatology part, also CVS in quite good. also dont forget metabolic diseases and genetic diseases. Use nelson for refreance purpose as and when required. If u can spare some time, try to read the kidney part..that is cysts, dysplasias and vesicoureteric reflux. 

Gynae and Obs: 

Recommended books: Shaw(Gynae) and Dutta(Obs.) 

Both very good books. in gynae, more stress should be on oncology, endometriosis, menstural disorders, infertility, fibroids. In Obs., do all the tables and flow charts. that makes it very easy to understand and most of the questions can be solved quite easily. And dont forget chapter of population dynamics and birth control. 

Surgery: 

Recommended books: Bailey & Love, Sabiston pretest, Schwartz (reference) 

Bailey has to be done selectively according to the topics from which mcqs appear. More stress should be on GIT and genitourinary system. Schwartz can be useful for referance especially in GIT 

Medicine: 

Recommended books: HARRISON or CMDT(depending upon what u have already read), Harrison pretest, Medicine self assessment guide by Amit Ashish 

Both books are good. Do the one that you have read during your profs. If u read Davidson during profs, i would suggest to do important topics from CMDT and less important topics from Davidson. As for Harrison, if u have read during your profs, it would certainly give you an edge. Some high yielding topics in Harrison are: CVS, Kidney(especially glomerulonephritis, renal failure), acid base imbalance, Hematology, Genetics, Viral Hepatitis. Important thing is not to get lost in reading medicine alone. Its huge subject and will never finish. So do selectively. Keep more stress on previous years' papers and the topics asked there. Medicine self assessment guide by Amit Ashish come handy for reading selectively from Harrison in retrograde manner 

Skin: Harrison, Sure Success Ramgopal, Roxberg (referance) 

Harisson and previous years, mcqs will do for most of the questions. Do it from sure success(ramgopal) also. Roxberg has to be used for referance as and when needed. 

Anaesthesia: Sure Success Ramgopal, Lee(referance), Yadav 

Nothing much to say. Mainly concentrate on previous years, questions. Yadav is said to be very good. But personally I never read it. 

Ortho: maheshwari 

This is the only book you should do. even though these days some questions are asked which have referances from PG level books. You are not expected to answer that. Remember you don’t need to score 100%. A score of around 65% actually will give you a very good rank 

Psychiatry: Sure Success Ramgopal, Ahuja, High yield psychiatry. 

Concentrate on schezophrenia, mood disorders, substance abuse, sleep cycle and disorders, autistc disorder 

Radiology : No books needed here in my opinion. Just do previous years, mcqs and also do from Sure Success Ramgopal. 

Time to spend on each subject: It depends upon how strong(or weak) you are in a particular subject. also you have to spend less time on subjects from which less questions area asked. anyway, i will try to give a rough idea... 

Anatomy-3days(will mainly do questions from Tehalka) 
Physio- 5 days 
Biochemistry-10days 
Forensic- 2days 
Patho- 30days 
Pharma- 10days 
Micro- 10days 
Eye-7days 
ENT- 5days 
SPM- 20days 
Gynae & Obs.- 20days 
Medicine-30days 
Surgery-20days 
Paeds- 7 days 
SARP- 5 days 
Ortho- 5days 

This roughly comes out to be a little more than 6months. You may take some more or some less time depending upon your level of preparation. Its very important not to get stuck at one subject for too long. 

FAQS: 

1) Should i join a coaching class? 

It depends upon yourself. If u can sit and study urself., there is no reason to join any coaching classes. all what coaching classes do, is they help you to get oriented towards your study. It has some advantages but it has some disadvantages too....like tests they take are oten out of reality, course management is usually a mess and you have to follow there programme ion your study. So think and decide! 


2) Where should i study? 

Wherever you can concentrate without undue interferance. For me, at home. 


3) How many hours should i study? 

12hrs a day should be the goal. make sure dont let any day go by without studying atleast an hour. Most imporant is to keep maintaining the continuity 


4) Should I study alone or in a group? 

Its always said to be good to do group study. But it depends upon your nature. I have always studied alone. If u are studying alone, make sure that you keep track of aippg.com forums. it can also serve as an effective group and help you to get the focus right in difficult times. 



 NOTE :- 
Regardless of what i write here, you must follow your own plan according to your strengths and weaknesses. Spend more time on the subjects in which you are weak. This is the key to success. You have to identify which subjects made you suffer during your profs or during your previous attempt(s). Its always a good idea to finish them first. You can follow any order in doing subjects as u like. Try to finish all subjects atleast 2-3 months before the main exam so that you can have adequate time to give the revisions.