Pharmacognosy is one of the core areas of Pharmaceutical Sciences which deals with study of drugs of natural origin. From the point of view of competitive examinations like GPAT, it is very essential to have a thorough knowledge of this subject because a good number of questions (usually 15-20) are asked from this subject alone. If we include Phytochemistry (Chemistry of Natural products) the total number of questions that can be expected from these two subjects can easily exceed 30. This indicates that these two subjects will play a big role in the final GPAT exam. However, due to a general lack of interest and deficiency of faculty who specialize in these subjects, many GPAT aspirants often find it difficult to prepare these subjects thoroughly. In this discussion, we try to highlight some important topics to read and books to refer for Pharmacognosy.

Top 3 Books for Pharmacognosy

It is always a good idea to refer at least two text books for any subject. As far as Pharmacognosy is concerned, almost all the universities in India prescribe the following text books for Undergraduate as well as Post Graduate course in Pharmacognosy.
1.Pharmacognosy – Trease and Evans, Elsevier Publications
2.Pharmacognosy – C.K. Kokate et.al., Nirali Prakashan
3.Pharmacognosy – T.E Wallis, Churchill Livingstone Publications

It is advised that GPAT aspirants purchase at least one text book out of these three for ready reference. The other two books can be borrowed from the library as the need arises.

Let us now look at some salient features of these books.

1. Trease and Evans – Pharmacognosy

This is undoubtedly a standard and good book for understanding the subject in depth. It covers all the major categories of crude drugs that are included in the syllabi of various universities in India. Not only that, it also covers several other topics of importance like Alternative systems of medicine, quality control, examination of crude drugs by microscopic techniques, plant growth regulators and basic metabolic pathways in plants. All the chapters are given up-to-date references from standard sources of literature. References are very important to establish the authenticity of any printed literature.

Topics to be read:

If we go through the questions papers of GPAT (2010-2012) and GATE (2009 and earlier), we can easily identify at least 5 questions which have been taken from this text book. Some of the important topics that are usually asked from this text book are:

Classification, Biological Sources, Synonyms, Chemical constituents and tests, Microscopic characters, Uses, Adulterants and Substitutes of

• Carbohydrates
• Volatile Oils
• Alkaloids
• Glycosides
• Resins
• Colouring and Flavouring agents
• Lipids

Apart from these, questions have also been asked from Plant growth regulators, quality control techniques, nutraceuticals, production of secondary metabolites.

2. C.K Kokate et.al.,- Pharmacognosy

Authored by India’s well known Pharmacognosy teacher and researcher, this text book is very popular among undergraduate students. It is clear and concise in its composition and very easy to understand. The language used is very simple and therefore, it has become a hit among UG students. In fact, most of the syllabi in Indian universities is based on this text book and therefore students usually finish reading all the topics at least once from this book by the time they enter the final semester.

Topics to be read

The following are considered to be hot topics which are usually asked from this book apart from those mentioned under Trease and Evans.

• Methods of Classification of Crude drugs
• Cultivation, collection and processing of crude drugs
• Plant tissue culture
• Analytical Pharmacognosy
• Drugs of Mineral origin
• Enzymes and protein drugs
• Marine drugs
• Natural excipients, fibres and sutures
• Ayurvedic formulations and terms used in Ayurveda

Highlight: The appendices given at the end of the text book are very useful for competitive exams like GPAT and NIPER. The section on list of all major chemical tests covered in the text book is very useful because a lot of questions can be answered if this list is memorized correctly.

3. T.E Wallis – Pharmacognosy

This book is usually referred for extra information, especially about microscopic characters of crude drugs. It is a very good text book to understand the practical aspects of the subject as it covers the morphological and microscopic characters of a huge number of crude drugs in detail.

Topics to be read:

• Microscopic characters of some important crude drugs under Alkaloids, Glycosides, Volatile oils and Carbohydrates
  Important characters of substitutes of crude drugs used in other countries. For example : Cinnamon

After knowing the importance of each text book, let us now make an action plan to study this subject in an innovative and effective way so that it retains your interest till you finish all the exams.

First of all, the mindset the Pharmacognosy is boring and difficult to understand should be done away with. Pharmacognosy is in fact the easiest subject among all and if studied properly, can do wonders to your GPAT score.

• Make a list of all the crude drugs which are important after properly scrutinizing the syllabus and previous question papers of at least 10 years.
• For easy reference before the exam, prepare your own notes in a concise but informative format. The best way is to prepare tables for every class of crude drugs. This template should help you in preparing such tables.

• Use ball pens/sketch pens of different colours to identify drugs which should be given more priority while revising. Ex: Red – Highest, Blue – Moderate, Green – Least. Order of priority should be decided based on frequency of questions appearing in previous exams as well as mock tests.

•   For miscellaneous topics like microscopic techniques, standardization of crude drugs, ayruvedic pharmacy etc., make a list of important points as you are reading the topic. Use symbols like “ * ” or underline words with coloured pens so that you can read those points first, every time you open the notes.

• Last but not the least, always make sure that you have read each topic at least once from two text books namely, Trease and Evans and C.K Kokate. As most of you must have referred C.K Kokate for your semester exams, you must make it a point to study Trease and Evans more often while preparing for GPAT.

This concludes our discussion on Books and topics for Pharmacognosy. If you need any more tips then do comment below. We will be more than happy to help you because we are also Pharmacists who cracked GPAT (earlier GATE-PY)

With regards to the test conducted on 05/01/2014, we provide you the following analysis

Individual Analysis (Available for registered test takers only)

This is the actual score card which we provided to registered test takers

*This means there are x% of candidates who have scored equal to your score or below your score)

Please note that the scores are indicative only of your performance in our mock test and the actual GPAT test

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GPAT 2014 is now an online examination. This is a newer development and hence you might feel anxious about the exam. Here are some tips to help you succeed in the online GPAT exam

Practise, Practise and Practise for GPAT 2014

You cannot have a clear understanding of the level of your preparation, unless and until you test yourself. By giving as many tests as possible, more so in the last one month before the exam will definitely help you in improving your final score. The best way to test your preparation levels is to subscribe for mock tests. The online GPAT mock tests conducted by Pharmawiki.in are a very good choice for assessing your preparation as these tests are designed to test your understanding of the subject in depth.

You must make it a point to write at least 5 mock tests based on the final exam pattern in order to get a clear sense of where you stand in the competition. And taking online tests will surely help.

The actual GPAT exam (Dated: 25/02/2014)

You need to be smart when you are actually attempting the exam. All the hard work you have put in will go in vain, if you fail to finish the exam on a positive note. You cannot afford to lose at the last moment. The pain and agony associated with failure after thorough preparation is unbearable. Therefore, you must bear the following points in your mind while you are taking the exam.

1.   You have 180 minutes to complete the test. Use each and every second of this time.
2.  Do not waste your time on questions which confuse you. You have the option of marking the questions for REVIEW which you can visit later.
3.   Keep navigating through the questions and answer those questions first, which are easy and have direct answers.
4.   Follow the deletion method wherever possible. If you are fortunate enough, you may come across at least 10-15 questions where you can find the correct answer by omitting the wrong answers if you are sure of them.
5.   Try to solve questions which have mathematical calculations in the first two hours. This will give you enough time to avoid calculation mistakes.
6.   Remember that there is NEGATIVE MARKING. You must avoid answering questions which are too difficult or from the topics you have not covered. It does not matter how many questions you attempt. All that matters is how many questions you have answered CORRECTLY. So try to avoid the tendency to answer all questions and rely on luck!
7.   Lastly, allot at least 10 min time to review all the unanswered questions and mathematical questions. This will ensure that you check these questions twice and reduce the scope of mistakes.

We hope that this discussion will help you in making a proper plan to prepare for GPAT.

We would be glad to help you if you have any queries. Keep watching this space for more updates about GPAT 2014 preparation.

And don’t forget to read the preparation strategy for GPAT 2014 exam

Planning for success – GPAT 2014 success mantra

With the date of GPAT 2014 (February 25th – 27th) fast approaching, there is a feeling of anxiety among the final year students about clearing the exam. Since last year, GPAT has gone online and the level of difficulty has also been increased considerably. It is astonishing as well as disappointing to know that there are a number of students who do not even know the importance of GPAT. Those who understand the importance are plagued by the tension of clearing the exam in the first attempt. The burden of project work in final semester, lack of time to prepare and no proper guidance provided in colleges adds to the agony of many GPAT aspirants. This discussion throws some light on how one can plan their approach to clear GPAT in the first attempt with a good score. This in fact, applies to all other competitive exams like MANIPAL-ENAT, NIPER-JEE, and BITSAT.

So the important ingredients for success in GPAT 2014 and your subsequent admission to NIPER or University Colleges is planning and Smart work.

Study Plan for GPAT 2014

Organizing your study time and planning what to study when is a very important aspect for GPAT preparation. Most of the students find it difficult to manage their time and end up feeling tensed and worried at the last moment. It is to be remembered that proper planning and allocation of time for studies is very crucial in deciding your performance in the main exam.

Let us look at some important points which should be addressed while preparing a plan of action for GPAT preparation

• Syllabus sorting: Finishing the entire syllabus of four years in 2-4 months is foolish and impossible to accomplish. Instead of wasting your time on topics and subjects which are least likely to be asked in the exam, you must try to complete as many topics as you can, from subjects which are given more importance and weightage in the main exam. Even in these subjects, you need not go through the entire syllabus that is prescribed as in case of Pharmacology, Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Pharmacognosy and Pharma Analysis. These subjects are very vast and it is practically impossible to cover all the topics that are mentioned in the GPAT syllabus in such a short time of 2 months. Therefore, you must try to sort the topics that are more important and cover them first. To do this, you can do the following:
• Compare the syllabus of your university with the official GPAT syllabus and underline the common topics. These are the topics which will require more concentration while you study.
• Refer books which have papers from previous exams and try to get the idea about the general tendency of questioning from a particular subject/topic. This will help you not only to identify important topics but also acquaint you with different types of questions that can be asked from the same topic.
• Once you have prepared a list of topics for a given subject, start studying your favorite subject first to get into the groove. Start making your own notes, preferably point-wise so that you can easily refer it in the last week before the exam.

 Time allocation

It is really a tough task to squeeze out time to prepare for a competitive exam, especially when you have to attend college regularly. However, it is not that difficult, provided you are ready to forego some luxuries and are determined to follow a schedule.

Assuming that you attend college every day for 8 hours (9 to 5) and it takes 2 hours for your journey to college and back home. You are still left with 14 hours every day! Make the most of this time. Make it a habit to wake up early in the morning instead of staying up late night. The ideal time to study for such important exams is from 5-8 a.m in the morning. After you are back from college, take a break for an hour and get back to studies. You can wrap up your day by 11 p.m which means that you study at least 7 hrs (3 hrs morning + 4 hours evening) a day initially. As the exam date nears, you can increase your study time by a couple of which is more than sufficient in the last 15 days.

Also read online GPAT exam tips

Important Instructions for GPAT ONLINE mock test takers

Please read the instructions carefully before taking our Online GPAT mock tests

• This test is intended for registered members only (Click here to register now)
• DO NOT USE any other programs while attempting the test as it will lead to locking of your attempt and your exam will not be graded.
• You can attempt the test ONLY ONCE. However, you can review your answers any time after submitting the test any number of times.
• You cannot stop the test once it is started. The test must be taken continuously for 3 hours. It is advised that the candidates ensure they choose a convenient time to avoid disturbance due to power cuts.
• The test will be available from 12/01/2014, 10 am onwards.
• The test can be taken at any time on any day after 12/01/2014 till the actual GPAT 2014 exam.
• Instant feedback on your performance will be available immediately after the exam. You can see the questions and correct answers along with the answers you marked in the review.
• All India Ranking will be provided by email. The attempts of the test takers will be taken into account in allotting ranks and percentile. This rank card will be sent to registered email by 18/01/2014.
• Please note that All India Ranking will be provided only if you attempt the test before results are being mailed.
• The recommended browser for taking the test is Google Chrome or Firefox
• Contact us immediately in case you face any technical problems while taking the test.

Test Date: 12/01/2014

Duration : 3 hours

No of questions is 125

Each question carries 4 marks. Each correct answer fetches you 4 marks while for each incorrect answer 1 mark will be deducted.

All the best !!

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