A Life Line

Our attempts to understand, debate, and improve the education system continue to rely on categories of analysis which have origins elsewhere. The power differential between the global north and south constitutes the research methodologies and categories of analysis used in the north as general enough to talk about the social realities in the south.

Such innocuous terms such as standards, standards-based reforms, child-centred learning, systemic reforms are grounded in particular local discourses of the global north. The meanings they assume in our context may diverge from the ones they were originally assigned.

It may do us some good to be more mindful of the language we use and not be mindlessly tossed around by words that reach our shores.

Let us take the idea of education reforms. It would be useful to see how the term ‘reform’ was used in other societies. It may help us see the way in which the language of education reforms created in a different context affects our ability to understand and resolve the problems rooted in our context.

Education reforms have assumed many different names in Pakistan. Let us consider standards-based reforms to illustrate the point I am trying to make.
We keep talking about the need for standards-based education reforms in Pakistan. This term standards entered education reform talk in Pakistan in the mid-2000s. However, it has been around in the US and the OECD countries since the mid-1980s. It originated in the wake of a report on the state of education in the US commissioned in 1983. The commission gave its report a rather provocative title of A Nation At Risk (ANAR).

ANAR was the first anywhere in the world to call for the use of rigorous standards in education.

Today, many in the field of education think that standards are indispensable to education. But before the 1980s, the states have successfully, if not perfectly, universalised education and run common schools without the use of standards.

In fact, standards are part of a larger package of reforms usually referred to by education scholars as the Global Managerial Education Reforms (GMERs). These reforms use standards, together with a potpourri of the market and managerialist policy solutions together with such ideas as the choice, competition, incentives, and accountability.

Now let us look at the motives for education reforms. The current trend has been to measure the success of each and every reform initiative by looking at the learning gains. But it has not always been so in the so-called developed societies.

The early reforms that involved setting up of a functional and effective system of universal schooling did not employ these terms. It may be said that the reforms language of GMER is part of reforms that allegedly aim at dismantling the well-established public education systems.

Regardless of the political aims of the GMER, the predominant meaning assigned to the word standards in the education discourse within the OECD countries was measurable statements about what children must know and be able to do. Accordingly, standards-based reforms aimed at defining curriculum standards and ensuring that instruction and assessment were aligned with them and with each other.

However, in most conversations that I have had about ‘standards’ in education in Pakistan, the word is used interchangeably with ‘quality’. When utilised in this way, standards are expected to be high but not rigorous or measurable. Thus, we have been using standards-based reforms without debating and adapting its core premises.

Now let us look at the motives for education reforms. The current trend has been to measure the success of each and every reform initiative by looking at the learning gains. But it has not always been so in the so-called developed societies. The reformers did not always refer to declining test scores as justification for standards-based reforms.

The reference to student learning is a very recent insertion in the reform discourse. For example, the sweeping education reforms undertaken in the United States in the 1950s had no reference whatsoever to student learning but had everything to do with security. The launch of Sputnik, the first artificial satellite, by the Soviet Union was seen in the United States as a threat to its security and superiority in science and technology. It sent the latter into a frenzy of education reforms. It was not declining student learning but the feeling of lost pre-eminence that prompted these reforms.

The early policies to put in place a functional system of universal education at the state’s expense anywhere in the world were justified on the basis of a political need for such a system.

As I have mentioned in an earlier article on the same pages, the societies have not always held themselves up to the ideal universal education. Massive education systems are very recent and have emerged in tandem with the emergence of a peculiar kind of state called nation-state. The nations are imaginary communities, which can only be rendered ‘real’ through universal education. It is only through regular indoctrination that children born within the boundaries of a nation-state assume the identity of its citizens.

The universal common school was established as an instrument to establish the writ of the nation-state. There are no insurgencies in countries with universal systems of education. The effectiveness of universal education as a tool of public order increased the stake of state in it. Consequently, universal education was conceptualised as a public service. This happened regardless of the relative superiority of private over public schools.

Since the nation building, security, and stability provided the primary rationale for universal education, the state and society could not help but establish it as part of the public sector. It did not require systemic reforms to put national systems in place but a deep recognition that there was no nation without universal common education.

When this recognition was expressed through a strong political will everything else more or less fell in place. The idea of subsequent education reforms as organised efforts to improve the performance of education systems have emerged in countries that already had a well established and functioning public school systems.

So the massive education systems were set up because the modern nation-state was inconceivable without them. Subsequent education reforms show the concern and commitment of the society to its schools and also its dissatisfaction with them if they are not producing the desirable outcomes. Also, education reforms in these systems have not always used student learning for their justification. This is not to say that the student learning has not been a focus of attention, but that it has not been necessarily used as a rationale for reforms.

In fact, educators, particularly in the United States, assumed that the learning was distributed on a Bell (or Normal) Curve. Bell curve was used to ensure that excellence and mediocrity clustered around average as a norm. Thus, the education system was not to distribute learning equitably but to sort people in ways that suited an unequal society. It was only in the early 1980s that decline in student achievement and learning gaps between different socio-economic and racial groups became political flashpoints.

Systemic reforms is another term that is finding its way into education debates in Pakistan recently. This word was also first used about 25 years ago in the United States and has taken about as much time as the standards-based reform to travel to our shores. The early standards-based education reforms were quite piecemeal in the sense that they narrowly focused on improving one or the other aspects of the education system. The idea of systemic reforms emerged in the early 1990s as a call for coherence and alignment.

Systemic reforms were based on the hypothetical argument that schools were not likely to improve unless systemic barriers to change were removed. However, the notion of system within systemic reform remained up for grabs and different people with different vantage points saw the system differently.
Why should we engage in a conversation about the language of reforms? We should, because education reforms are contingent and deeply embedded in unique contexts. Even words such as standards or systems or even reforms adapt and assume new meanings when implanted in new contexts with different histories and characteristics.

What education reforms might mean in a country with little political will and recognition that a common education is essential for its survival as a nation-state? We have already privatised education even before we had a functioning system of education. The only systemic reform that has been in operation for the past many years has been gradual dismantling of whatever dysfunctional system of education we were given by the British Empire. That system, as Tim Allender has observed, had already collapsed in the mid-1880s just as soon as it was put in place.

It is also instructive to note that British started a state-sponsored system of education in India much earlier than they did on the Isles. We should ask why did the public education refuse to grow in India and what is now Pakistan, and what made it flourish in Britain and other OECD countries?

A lesson in the history of education systems may teach us that political will and deep recognition of education as a lifeline for the nation-state was the single most important determinant of successful education systems than anything else.

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What’s NSTC?

Heya fellows! Yesterday, I was thinking, about what topic I should write first. But then I thought, why not tell you guys what’s NPTC?

As you have already read in our biographies that we are among the top 50 students regarding physics in Pakistan and most of you would’ve liked how do we even know that we come in the top 50? Are we just boasting?

Your query – justified! But let me tell you that it’s not a random shot but actually it’s calculated. And the best part is, YOU can be an alumni too.

NSTC means National Science Talent Contest. It’s a test that FSc – 1 students or A-1 students can give. It’s registration opens round about November – December. And the respective test is held in February ( roughly ).

During the submission of form, you have to choose your favourite science subject out of Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics and Biology (in which you are most competent). As you already know, we chose Physics because it’s simply just amazing. Thus on the given date of the test, you have to appear in that subject’s test and nail it. First there are 5 mcq’s each of all 4 subjects. Then there are 50 mcq’s of the particular subject you chose. And then finally, 3 long questions of 10 marks each. Remeber! There is negative marking so you have to be careful.
Then result is announced in 3 months or so. Every year an international Physics, Chemistry, Biology or Mathematics competition is held in different countries in July and NSTC is a 1 year training programme for choosing a team for that competition. Here:

• NPTC stands for National Physics Talent Contest
• NCTC stands for National Chemistry Talent Contest
• NBTC stands for National Biology Talent Contest
• NMTC stands for National Mathematics Talent Contest

Similarly, there are IPhO, IChO, IMO and IBO which are the international competitions. Theyselect top 50 students in each subject and cut them down to top 5 or 10 as required through a series of training camps ( that’s how we know we are in the top 50, 10 and 5  ). For Physics, they are held at PIEAS, Nilore, Islamabad. For Chemistry, Mathematics and Biology, at some universities in Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad respectively.

Survival as a Freshman

Hey guys, as you guys have secured admissions in your respective universities, so here it is now – something that’ll help you  survive as a new student and you won’t be there to say “kaash ye cheezain mujhe pehlay pata hotin” (I wish I knew these things earlier). And yes, you’ll thank me after this.

So, it was 8th September 2014, the first day of my university and I literally had no idea what to do or even where to go. I was like I should’ve known somethings at least. And these are the things that make you what they call “freshmen”. And freshmen year is like hunting season if you know what I mean.

I’m here to help you with this and so below I have mentioned a few guidelines that’ll help you   in your respective universities too.
 

1. Be Confident:

I remember my first week when we were all surprised and excited to see differentdepartments and the mahol and acted like insane fools  These things are sure to point you out as a freshmen. Always be confident. Study the map, the departments, the different areas or what they are called in your universities so that when you get attacked, you can excuse that you aren’t a freshmen and you lost your card. Try not to be surprised – exception for mechanical engineering students – but don’t try to be overly cool too. They are like reindeers, ready to be preyed upon!

Success percentage: 40%
 

2. Be Bold:

If someone randomly comes to you and asks “oye, freshmen hou?”, the quickest route would be to run as fast as you can. But it’ll not be the safest one because they surely don’t know who you are, but they’ll find you, AND THEY WILL RAG YOU – more maybe for lying. So, I’ll advise you to stay bold and say it on their face with all those plain expressions that “nahi bhai, shakal se itna chota lagta hun? Senior hun, card nahi pehna shughal ke liye”. If they fall for for it then voila, you’ve succeeded! But if they don’t, there’s always the former plan. 

Success percentage: 60%
 

3. Say no to Cafés:

Cafés are like hunters’ camps. Even if you survive some days one way or another, they’ll never and I repeat NEVER EVER have mercy on you even if they sense the presence of you around one of these. They’re sure to kill you and feast on you, not only that day, but on the days to come too. Cafés are like the attractive clubs and casinos and all and yes, you’ll get allexcited to go there for all the obvious reasons – no! the alibi “bhook lag rahi thi, kuch khana tha” does not and will never justify a freshmen’s presence there (especially mechanical engineers or civil too sometimes – but they’re obviously exempted because of the lack of a WHOLE SPECIES of the opposite gender in their respective departments).

Success percentage: 80%
 

4. Avoid ladies from foreign departments:

If whenever you’re strolling around the grounds or anywhere in the university and see a beautiful young girl after which you start to dream all that bollywood style “thandi hawa” and“tum hi hou” in the background and mentally form all solutions to your mom’s problems with her, along with sending a proposal to her, and marrying her later on; please don’t. It was in that moment you dreamt a perfect life with her but it was also in that very moment, her friends, or your seniors of the other department saw you drooling all over her and passing smiles and all and decided to thrash you. Believe me, all departments are possessive for their ladies especially architecture and business management (or the other way round hereiykwim) and they will avenge you – and by now, you should have the idea how. So in these cases, relax, say “pehli nazar halal hai”, utilize it, then leave – again exemptions for mechanical and civil boys as they’ve never seen such a rare species before.

Success percentage: 100%
 

5. Cards:

There are two type of university cards; A). The original cards your university issues and they’ll be with you for the rest of your bachelorette years. and B). The temporary cards freshmen are given until their original cards are issued and as much as they are important, they are also a source of potential danger for you as they are mostly bigger in size and can be seen from far away, hence marking you as the next prey for them seniors. They’ll get you, kill you, eat you, humiliate you and take out all their frustration on you. Tip to avoid this is to keep your temporary card in your pocket and reveal it only when you need to enter your department.

Success percentage: 70%
 

6. Backup:

This is surely a not recommended technique but very useful. If you are caught up in a situation where there’s no way out and you are in the centre of hunters about to be preyed upon, then you should “better call Saul” (Breaking Bad reference). That is to say if you know any senior from that department (or anyother department), stop them hunters, call Saul and voila! He’ll be there to rescue you – and if he isn’t, you’re in for a VERY bad treatment 

But this is not that good of a trick as your interaction lessens and you fail to enjoy the mere pleasures of your university.

Success percentage: 95%
 

7. Mechanical and Civil induced girls:

For all the girls out there opting mechanical or civil as their careers, firstly a BIG salute to your courage and secondly a GREAT choice, PLEASE COME xD You’ll always be treated as the princesses and queens of your department. Nobody will have anything to do with you, you’ll always be at mercy, any excuses you make will be legit and people will always be there to do your work in a jiffy. You’ll always be the apple of everyone’s eye and can always call your brothers in “kaams” because, you know, the whole department consists of a bro-zoned army, whenever you’re caught up in the middle. Hence if you’re a girl then:-

Success percentage: 100%
 

8. Hostels:

If you live in a hostel, then I’m sorry because you’re automatically screwed my friend. Freshies have a whole floor to themselves and this indicates you being a freshmen. Alongside, every person in the hostel knows everyone by face, so yeah. Moreover, generally speaking seniors can recognize a freshmen just by the look on their faces so in short, everyone’s under threat.

Success percentage: 0%
 
 
So, as this is over, on a serious note, freshmen year is one the best years of one’s life as you get to experience so many new things. The seniors are never like how I mentioned exaggerated, they are actually VERY AMAZING and helping for everyone. Even if they tease you a little for fun, then it’s okay because you’ll get to know them this way and they’ll become your greatest allies. And yes, ragging is a part of life, it’s fun as well as a source of ice-breaking. No offence to mechanical and civil engineers

Apart from that, engineering is one of the toughest careers. You’ll never ever have spare time during your semester. Whoever told you “FSc kar lou, aagay asaani hai” is wrong as hell. The only way to tackle it is to study alongside, daily. You’ll get to know this once you are enrolled.

Best of luck to all the juniors out there. And beware. Huehuehue 

A Glimpse of Life in PIEAS (Written By Utban Ahmed doing BS in mechanical engineering from PIEAS)

PIEAS happens to be a mystery in the minds of people who have never been here or have never met any of its students. But in fact PIEAS is an institute way beyond the thinking of such people. I’m here to give the readers an unbiased opinion about the life in PIEAS, why they should consider opting for it and why they shouldn’t and it should be noted that this article pertains to readers interested in undergraduate studies only.

Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences, is an institute run by the PAEC, Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission.  PAEC itself is regarded as one of the most successfulorganizations of Pakistan and the world. It is recognized and acknowledged throughout the globe, the chairman PAEC himself being the current chairman of the board of governors. So one thing should be kept in mind, when it comes to research and education, PAEC takes it very seriously, as is shown by their track record.

The undergraduate program at PIEAS comprises BS Mechanical and Electrical Engineering only and inducts around 100-110 applicants only from throughout Pakistan. The MS program forms the major program of the institution, offering MS in 7 further disciplines out of whichmasters in nuclear engineering is one of its kind. No other institute in Pakistan offers MS program in this field, so maybe this is why PIEAS manages to get the attention of international forces. As MS focuses more on research, the research area of PIEAS stands out among all other institutes of Pakistan. One must think of the BS program as an underdog of the MS program, as I myself did when I first joined, but the fact is that the Undergraduate program thrives due to the fact that MS is the stronghold of PIEAS. Why? The same highly qualified faculty is shared by the undergraduate and the graduate programs, providing the undergraduates a large number of highly qualified and research oriented faculty persons. This particular perk, in my opinion, stands out for PIEAS only among all other engineering institutes of Pakistan. Getting ranked the number one Engineering Institute in all of Pakistan certainly doesn’t appear out of the blue. The faculty of PIEAS has the highest number of PhD holders in all Pakistan. They ensure an elevated level of propriety and excellence in the studies as well as experimentation. For this very reason, PIEAS was ranked no. 106 in QS Asian University rankings, research and a high teacher-student ratio being the strongest points of this institute.

Getting awarded an Engineering degree from PIEAS certainly holds its perks. The university produces highly trained Engineers who make their way into all kinds of fields. Engineers from this university are trained to undergo all kinds of pressures and tasks and this certainly comes in handy in real life.

However, when you consider the university campus life, the undergrad glamorous and extrovert life that other universities offer their undergrad students, PIEAS definitely falls a large way back. The campus is situated inside a PAEC governed and regulated sector and due to the sensitiveness of the institutes in the surroundings, PIEAS suffers from a highly reserved and an isolated environment. The extracurricular and society environment is still progressing and has progressed by huge leaps over the past couple years. All sorts of clubs and societies exist, Debates, Dramatics, Performing Arts, Entrepreneurship, IEEE and ASME that all add to the undergraduate exposure and grooming. The societies aren’t very saturated and there isn’t much competition when it comes to extracurricular activities owing to the small number of undergraduate students occupying the campus. This gives a free way to anyone with a few skills to stand out and utilize the opportunities to the max. You just have to get up and grab all the opportunities lying around for you.

The hostel life of PIEAS is certainly one of positive points about the university. Hundreds of rooms organized into wings and sections create a neat and educational environment. Students interact with each other and take part in social activities. Late night parties accompany students in such environment. One of the good points: there is no restriction when it comes to hostels. You can get in and out any time you want. This particular point has intrigued me very much.

With a state of the art internet system, computing and networking services throughout the campus and hostels, a whole block dedicated to the library and the best, and a most cooperative faculty, PIEAS is a sanctuary for intellectuals and those dedicated to pursuing a quality and sound undergraduate education in engineering.

Which University Suits You Best?

First of all, I’d say ‘no offense’ to all the people studying in the universities mentioned below. This is just an article to help people choose the university that suits them. Each one has its own place in its own field.

After all the F.Sc. crap, and going through the tough ordeals of entry tests, comes the greatest test of all. A choice. A simple choice. Tough apparently it seems simple; it’s not.

You may have heard “Don’t let the university choose you, let yourself choose the university“. If you haven’t heard that, then don’t panic. Because this was something my mother used to say  . Jokes apart, this saying is actually right. Only some children, who are lucky enough, have this privilege. And if you are the lucky one (i.e. you have been selected in all the universities and in your desired fields), then firstly, pat yourself on the back for a job well done because there’s no joy more than this (for you are officially awesome!), and secondly start thinking about where you want to go. And believe me it’s, as I say, “zindagi maut ka sawal” (question of life and death) 

Here is an article that’ll help you select the university according to your preference.

PIEAS:

Top of the rankings, PIEAS will surely catch your eye due to its accomplishments. A well known university mostly known for its Masters in Nuclear Engineering (the only university to do so) due to its affiliation with PINSTECH. It has a great Bachelors programme in Electrical and Mechanical Engineering though the admission criteria is tough as it selects only almost 200 students, 100 per field approx. Hence a good option but PIEAS relatively doesn’t have that much of extracurricular activities. More of a nerd zone if you ask me. It has a small study circle, no social zone. So if you’re up to studying all the time, then this place is for you!

GIKI:

Ah! GIKI. It was at the top of my priority list. A place located in Topi (KPK), is well reputed for its Bachelors programme in Mechanical Engineering. It offers one of the best degrees in this field following other fields like Electrical Engineering etc. Socially, it is one of the best universities with occasional events like GIKI Science Symposium, GIMUN, concerts etc. So (a) if you can afford, and (b). want to do Mechanical Engineering; then there’s no better place for you. For Electrical Engineering, better institutions exist.

NUST:

As you already know, NUST offers a wide range of fields to choose from. It is further divided into schools. For Mechanical Engineering, SMME is upto par with GIKI, hence you can choose either of the two universities. Mechanical programme of EME is good too but according to the latest records, SMME had the highest merit. For Electrical, the prestigious SEECS or EME. For Civil Engineering, NICE though I’ll rate UET better in this regard. CAE for Aeronautical Engineering. NBS for BBA programme though you have better options to choose from like LUMS and IBA etc. SCME for Chemical Engineering, although I’ll rate UET higher again. NUST has a very wide alumni network and an open social circle so you can enjoy what boys call “party scene” along with the studies. Also, it recently got its degree verified from Washington Accord so NUSTians won’t have to give a test while applying for jobs in America, just to prove they’re a recognized engineer.

FAST/COMSATS:

Think you are a born programmer? Then these are the universities for you. Ranked first inComputer Science programme and its research, They’ll offer you the best degree there is in CS and Software Engineering. I think they are better in these fields than SEECS, EME, MCS or any other university though others’ opinions may beg to differ. They also have a socially active environment and extracurricular are always supported.

IST:

Want to do Aerospace Engineering? IST is the best institution for you in this field, well the ONLY instituition  . Though it also offers Electrical and Mechanical Engineering, but I’d only choose it for this particular field. None-the-less, same active university like the rest and it also has some pretty amazing space records to its name. Like recently it launched iCube into space, Pakistan’s first cubesat satellite.

LUMS/IBA/Bahria:

Well, LUMS is best known for its degree in business administration holding equal ranks with IBA. I’d prefer a BBA degree from any of these universities and after them, NBS, naturally. You know the environment in these… 

UET:

Pakistan’s well known universities, UETs offer every field of engineering. Mechanical from UET Lahore holds the same status as SMME or GIKI. Electrical from UET Taxila or Lahore is also renowned. Petroleum is only offered by UET Lahore in the whole Pakistan. Civil from UET is also great. Though that little enjoyment part will be lesser, but not totally diminishing. So if you don’t care about looks, then UET is a very good option, and it’s cheap too.

Others:

Apart from that, Architecture form NCA is a great option, followed by COMSATS and SADA.

There are other universities offering other fields of engineering but I don’t have knowledge about them. This is all due to some ranking based information and my personal opinions. In the end, the choice is always yours to make. Or where your parents force you! 

Entry Tests – The final after final

With NET-1 around the corner, I thought of writing this article to help all the current second year students across Pakistan.

You, maybe, have heard people saying “bas FSc hou jae, aagay chill hai“ (Hard times will be over after FSc). Well, you should wake up to the bitter reality that this is not the case sadly. The major finals, after your board or cambridge exams, are the entry tests and that is what will decide your future – either you’ll choose the university or the university will choose you. Either way, you’ll be on a ride to your future but in the former, the roller coaster will mostry travel straight and uphill instead of turning much and going up and down.

Tips to prepare for…

The first upcoming test is of NUST a.k.a NET-1. NUST conducts three tests a year including NET-1, 2 and 3. NET-1 occurs in December, NET-2 in March and NET-3 in June-July (roughly). People have the notion that “Oh yaar, aati hai mujhe FSc, book se hi aata hai test, hou jae ga“ (Oh! I have learnt FSc course. Test is from the books. So no need to worry!). Wrong! Never even in your dreams think that without studying you can get admission in a prestigious university. Hardwork is the key to success – and by that I don’t mean ratta (cramming). If you have your concepts cleared A-Z of your FSc books, only then you can pass any test.

Firstly about Maths…

Main thing is Maths. It’s not about knowing the method or formula, but it’s about solving the question in less than a minute and encircling the answer. That’s were it gets tricky because, as engineering students, we have to solve whole questions to reach the answer. For that, either you should be GREAT in mental maths or you know the shortcut methods to solve certain questions. For that purpose, join an academy or think over yourself because time management is the key. I am not saying academies are necessary because there are students with me who scored quite ALOT, without academies. And by ALOT, I mean 150+ in NETs.

Tips for Physics…

Second thing to encounter is Physics. Ah! For the love of engineering! Only he/she who knows physics, can truly become an engineer. Here, you should have vast concepts about a particular topic and a powerful hold over it. Things like weight, mass etc may seem small; but when applied practically, can turn out to be real ghosts. You can pass this easily if you know these things and save up sometime if you have a good hold. Sometimes, look upon the minor details too like if you are asked ”What’s the speed of light in cm/s?”, Don’t get it wrong by answering the one given in m/s.

Now about Chemistry…

Third is chemistry, the easiest for engineering students as except PIEAS, no university gives much attention to it  .  Straight forward questions like symbol of this and blah, structure of this and blah and just about 5% conceptual, based on your textbook. It’s easy to pass if you’ve read the book thoroughly.

Few words about English…

Fourthly, English. Now this is one thing I really don’t have anything to say. It all depends upon how well you understand it, how well you have a command over it, your vocabulary and grammar. Don’t freak out. If you get stuck at vocabulary, simply try to cut down your options. Cut off those which you think are de-ja-vu type, as in you’ve read them before and you think they don’t fit in, and encircle the one that’s left. Not a fool proof plan  but worked for me. A good practice is to read novels or you can memorize the word list at the end of SAT books (though it’s tough so i didn’t do it). 

Be ready for intelligence test…

Last but not the least, intelligence. Personally I found it the most difficult  . It’s not that tough if you figure out the patterns or something like that  . Make rough calculations, possible ways, etc. For coding, a shortcut is, write ABC till Z and give each letter a number. Now, arrange the letters according to the given word and match the number for the one asked. Voila! Easy peasy. Others are similar to it. You just need to have a good perception of things.

Note to self: If you think you are a Cambridge student and it’s tough for you, then you are wrong mostly. You people have concepts better than almost 60% of FSc students. Just go through their books once and there, you are good to go. While for FSc students, go through your books as well as extra information given by your teachers or the academies, which ever you prefer.

From a personal experience, I found GIKI’s test, the toughest. Followed by NUST, PIEAS and others. PIEAS has equivalent number of MCQs for all four subjects (sciences andEnglish) and one good thing is that calculators are allowed ONLY in PIEAS. GIKI is more of a concept based whereas NUST is a mixture where a score of 140+ is usually enough to save a seat with normal first year marks, whereas for exceptional marks, 130-135+ is enough.

Don’t skip any NET, a personal advice. It just gives you more exposure about what type of questions are possible and maybe, if you are lucky, get an easy test that leads to your admission

Main objective is time. Beat it. Time management is very important. I scored lower in NET-2 because I couldn’t answer 20 MCQs. Hence, try to pace up. NUST is the most difficult to management in this respect. I started with physics, followed by chemistry, intelligence and then maths – the toughest because brain was in flow. But everyone prefers it their own way.

That’s pretty much it. Hope this helps. Feel free to leave ask a question in the comment section below.