How to Survive Third Year

If you thought second year was hard, get ready for third year. Third year is HARDER. But its very
DIFFERENT, and in many ways thats a good thing. And even though its harder, most people will finish
third year on time. Its the FEELING of greater difficulty that you cant shake off, despite the fact that
virtually every class curves to the batch. You can definitely get through it in one piece, and youll use
many of the same tactics used in second year.

What are the main differences between 2nd and 3rd year?
1. Less shiftings, more quizzes
Third year SEEMS more laid back without your daily dose of shiftings, but be very careful. Quizzes are
often worth as much or MORE than shiftings. Take every quiz and shifting very seriously, especially
PEDIA3.
2. More classes
16 classes. Sounds daunting. One of them is a 6-in-1 course where its a combined grade.
3. More lectures, less labs
The 16 classes are just lectures, so youll see less lab time and more lecture time. Of course there is
still Ward, but other than that, its pretty much just lectures.
4. Different section = Different profs, exams, passing rates
This is one of the most annoying realities of third year. Your section may determine your fate. In CFM
and IM, you have different professors for different sections. In CFM, you even have different EXAMS. So
depending on your section, you may have hard or easy exams. In IM, the exams are departmental,
where the different professors of different sections each provide questions, so you will be tested on
questions that may or may not have been discussed. Very annoying. For the 2012-2013 3rd year, Ive
heard IM will have a NEW EDITION implying the professors may make new PPTs and hopefully base their
entire material on Harrisons textbook.
5. Easier exams
You will never have to spend all day on one subject (like Patho), and youll never need to read massive
lectures and handouts with a fine comb (like Patho again!) in hopes of passing. You have more courses
and generally easier questions, but its not easier due to the massive load overall. There are a few
classes that still require thorough detail like Pedia, IM sometimes, and CFM (especially with Dr
Mendoza). With more enumeration on exams (discussed later), you need to know material well.
6. Curving
Virtually every department curves. Last year, the only department that stuck to a 75%-passing was CT.
But some departments have minimum passing. IM usually wont go below 70%. Pedia is not afraid to
remove half of the batch. Some departments will be more strict, but as always, youll never know the

curve until they post the removals. They generally curve based on the batch, so the general rule to
yourself is STAY ABOVE AVERAGE, and you should be fine
7. Less consistent professors and course setup Idle Time
Waiting. Third year is a lot of waiting in your classroom, a lot of professors cancelling, and a lot of
wasted time waiting for classes to start, waiting for professors to come, or waiting to find out theres no
class. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO FIND A WAY TO MAKE GOOD USE OF THIS TIME. Some people bring
earplugs, others sit in the corner of the room. Others go to the library and ask their classmate to text
them when/if the prof comes. Do whatever works for you, but make sure you study.
8. CPC
CPC is a continuation of the Patho CPC. It is the same idea where you are given a case, and your class
has to come up with a pathophysiology, cause of death, etc. The entire IM 3A and 3B embark on Alfonso
Hall every Wednesday afternoon. Hundreds of people sitting in Alfonso Hall, and depending on the
residents, they will allow volunteers from each section, or RANDOMLY pick people from the audience.
Each presenter will explain their pathophysiology and justification in about 10 minutes. Then the ~10
professors (including Dra Magkasi) ask questions, and you defend it. Volunteering is not such a bad
thing. It guarantees you wont present again, it guarantees youll be prepared, and it guarantees a 1%
bonus mark directly added to your IM grade. Personally, I recommend volunteering. Not only do you get
1%, but youre guaranteed to not get picked again for the rest of the semester.
3 CPCs per period (9 in a semester). They sometimes give a little quiz before and after each CPC. Make
sure you read the case, and know the expected Pathophysiology, because the questions usually come
from there. But sometimes they are really easy or impossible. The quizzes are not worth a lot, but still
try to do well, and please dont be a cheater. Represent foreigners with dignity.
9. 2nd year = Multiple Choice, 3rd year = enumeration
This is my most hated element of third year. There is a lot of enumeration. For all of 1st year and 2nd
year, its almost all multiple choice. In 3rd-year Pediatrics, half of the shiftings are enumeration, and
anywhere from 10-100 questions on a CFM major may be enumeration. You need to prepare yourself
better than if it was multiple choice.
10. Hospital Experience
Once per semester, you spend a night with the OB department in the hospital from 7pm Friday until
7am Saturday morning. You basically just sit around, learn how to scrub in, and wait and hope that there
is a pregnant patient that comes in. You get to watch the operation, if youre lucky. If not, you just sit
around with your friends, study, and try to get some sleep. In my two duties, I only saw one ectopic
surgery, nothing else.

1st semester
COURSE DID THEY CURVE? What was the passing grade? How many took REMOVALS?
(Removers/ Total Batch)

1. OB physio OB is more of an understanding course like Physio was. There are weekly shiftings
every Monday morning. Its quite a heavy load as there are often two lectures in a week. So youll spend
a good chunk of time with this course. Most of my Sunday went to OB. We were surprised at the end of
the semester that they curved a fair bit, but dont count on it. Things change from year to year. Yes ~
65% 40/200
2. OPHTHA Ophthalmology, a 3-hour class, usually a bit boring. But you need to study because they DO
remove people. The exams can be quite hard sometimes, and even feel a bit like Surgery in difficulty.
Use samplex, too, because sometimes they repeat questions. Yes ~ 65% 40/200
3. JURIS Jurisprudence. Dont anger Dra Baria. Show her a high level of respect, and always be sitting
quietly by the time she enters the room or else! Shes usually be extremely late. Read the chapters she
assigns, and memorize the lists that she emphasizes. Yes. Lots. 5/200
4. CFM CFM is hard. It all depends on the professors, but theyve caught on to the ability of students to
recall and take pictures of the exams. Efforts are made to make unique exams with little or no samplex.
So there are few shortcuts. You need to study and memorize. Dra Poly Chua-Chan may give cases,
calculations, enumeration. Dra Oczon may give cases, enumeration, matching. Dr Basco is as impossible
as first year. Dr Mendoza is frustrating, just memorize every single word in the text. Yes ~ 65-70%
40/200
5. NEURO The Neuro professors became bitter in 2010 when people werent showing up for lectures,
and were just samplexing. So things changed for the worse, as you know. Their exams are harder,
attendance is mandatory, and they wont give out the powerpoint lecture, and say we have to read the
book. But the chapters are as long as Robbins and its a ONE CREDIT course. So we transcribed the PPTs
and now have the transcripts floating around. Make sure you study for it too. If they are new lectures,
make sure to transcribe with your friends. You need the PPT, because the book is not a reasonable
option. Yes. Unknown. 60/200
6. PEDIA Pedia is one of the two KILLER COURSES of third year. Many subjects are hard, but pedia is
much harder. The lecture load is HEAVY, exams are difficult, and shiftings and quizzes are often
enumeration, and worth a LOT. The main strategy is to consider every quiz and shifting as critical.
Quizzes are worth about 13% of your final grade, and shiftings 20%. Thats huge, especially considering
you may only have 3-4 quizzes. Plus the final exam is even-distribution cumulative from the beginning.
Super killer. Make sure to talk to your friends in other sections because they often repeat the quizzes
and shiftings. Work together between friends from other sections. You need to know all the questions
that have been asked for the exams in other sections. Study this a lot, and use samplex for strategy.
They inevitably have to repeat some questions because the professors have so many exams and
shiftings to make. Different sections will have different timing of lectures. You might have a prelim topic
that another section has during the finals period. I cant emphasize enough: WORK TOGETHER with
friends from other sections, because sometimes theyll repeat a quiz or shifting, and it is essential you
have every bit of help you can get. Yes ~ 65% 100/200
7. PSYCH Just like second year psych. Just as easy. Yes. A lot. 10/200
8. CT CT is Pharma but without the lecture. CT is only reportings/cases. They still have shiftings (called
quizzes, but remember they are as valuable as shiftings) and major exams, all questions based on the

reportings. Its kind of a reviewer of Pharma so have your Pharma notes ready for when you study the
topics. Definitely review samplex, but theres no guarantee itll be the same. As you can see by the
number of removals, they are strict 75%, so dont mess around with the seemingly benign course. NO
65/200
9. SURG Same as second year, but a bit more serious/difficult. The lectures are generally a bit longer,
and the questions are just as impossible as 2nd year. Hope for samplex, but study the lecture too. Yes ~
60-65% 50/200
10. ANES Anesthesiology is an add-on course to Surgery, worth 15% of your final surgery grade. The
Anes exam (~25 question) is given minutes before the Surgery exam. Try to study for it, because its
quick points that will boost your surgery grade. Remember, Surgery exams are killer, so if you can score
well in Anes (much more reasonable questions than Surg), you can offset a low Surg score.
IM (6-in-1) INTERNAL MEDICINE is the other KILLER class of third year. 6 courses in 1. The 6 courses add
up to 70%, then 5% CPC and 25% Ward mark. Notice how big your Ward mark is, and that is solely given
by your Ward proctor, so make sure you make good histories or somehow impress them. Internal
Medicine is HIGHLY variable. Every section will have different professors who submit questions.
Approximate breakdown per class is Cardio 10.7%, Pulmo 10.7%, Comm Dse 21.4%, Hema 8.3%, Gastro
9.5%, Immuno 9.5%. Make every subject count. If you have to neglect a subject, choose wisely. Comm
Dse is usually the easiest, and the best place to boost your mark, especially since its worth twice as
much. For Salandanan, use samplex, and listen to every word he says. Yes. ~70% 80/200
11. IM CARDIO Ang: Sometimes samplexy.
Vicaldo: Unpredictable. Takes questions from Harrisons
Jumangit: Takes questions from her lecture and handout. She makes her own handouts, so make sure to
get it.
Pineda: He used to be samplexy, but now he gives hard case questions.
12. IM PULMO Bayot: Hard! Review samplex to know how he tests. Master both samplex and his notes
and youll do well. He likes cases and applications.
Esguerra: Usually easy, samplexy, straight from handout.
13. IM GASTRO Cham: She had weekly student presentations in 2011-2012
Uy: ?
Vitug: Tests on what he says. Generally quite easy. He takes questions from the handouts that the
STUDENTS provide him.
14. IM IMMUNO Baes: Know the handouts very well, and be ready for cases of the most common
things discussed in her lecture. Look at samplex, but she generally makes new questions. She loves the
D. A&B, E. A&B&C. The answer is usually one of those two.
15. IM HEMA Cua: ?

Tuy: Very hard. If you are to neglect one subject, this might be the one. Review samplex as he often
repeats questions.
16. IM COMM DSE Salandanan: Student presentations, though he often takes over instead of letting
the students present. His questions usually come from samplex or from the things he emphasizes in his
lecture. If you cant understand Tagalog, ask someone else what he said.
Abara: Questions are straight from her PPT, so study from that.

2nd semester, based on 2011-2012

COURSE DID THEY CURVE? What was the passing grade? How many took REMOVALS?
(Removers/ Total Batch)
1. OB patho OB-B is a bit easier than OB-A, but thats good, because your time has to shift more
towards GYNE. Yes ~ 65% 30/150
2. GYNE GYNE is really hard. The material is challenging with a fair share of understanding and
memorizing. The questions are harder than OB and very applied. Study a LOT of samplex, as some will
repeat, and at the least itll put you into the case-based mindset. Yes ~65% 40/150
3. OHNS Similar to OPHTHA in style. Different profs each week. One shifting before the major exam.
Usually, but not always samplex. They say they exempt you from the final exam if you have at least 85%
average, but in reality, they exempt almost everyone. Only about 20 people had to take the final exam,
the other 130 were exempted. People were exempted even with a 70-75% average. Attendance is very
important and may factor into the exemption list. Yes ~70% 5/150
4. LEGAL MED Legal Medicine.
Dra Baria: Dont anger Dra Baria. Show her a high level of respect, and always be sitting quietly by the
time she enters the room or else! Shes usually very late. Read the chapters she assigns, and memorize
the lists that she emphasizes. Very few removals.
Dr. Olarte: Strict, and high expectations. Graded oral test in class, hard exams, but ultimately, he passed
everyone in the class. No removals. Yes. Lots. 8/150
5. CFM CFM 3B has been a joke at best. We had a total of about 2 lectures for the entire semester, yet
we had a prelim, midterm, and final. CFM 3B is meant to be class-wide PROJECT-based. So there will be
a project and implementation to be done, and an end-of-semester presentation to the CFM department
to determine the fate of your mark. The prelim exam was a review of second-year CFM, the midterm
was half-samplex, half-Basco, and the final was similar to the midterm. Review samplex from previous
years for repeat questions. Yes. Unknown. 20/150
6. REHAB Dr Chan: Not as strict as people say. Prelim is more memorization based on the lectures, and
the midterm/final is case-based. Look at samplex for examples. If he emphasizes something in class,
assume its very important.

Dra Dizon: Apparently almost always samplex, samplex, samplex. But the final exam was not samplex at
all, shocking some people who only reviewed samplex. Yes. A lot. 10/150
7. PEDIA Not quite as killer as Pedia 3A. Same marks breakdown, but with an added Ward-component,
where there are rumors that each submitted history is worth a shifting. There is also a Ward Practical
that is treated very seriously, but weve heard that it may only be worth a shifting. Yes ~ 60% 20/150
8. CT Same as CT-A NO 65/150
9. APPLIED NUTRITION Biochem, part 2. But MUCH easier. No removals. Case-based nutrition topics.
Often samplexy. Yes. ~50% 0/150
10. SURG Quite different than Surg 3A.
Surg 3B has specialty topics of Neuro, Ortho, Pedia, Plastic, Uro, and Cardiovascular. A whole new set of
professors, with new styles. Some professors are very easy, others are very hard.
NEURO:
Acedillo: Very hard. Look at samplex and learn from it. Listen in class.
Orata: Easy. Samplex.
ORTHO:
Both profs are quite tough. Review samplex
PLASTIC:
Alcantara: Hard.
Cruz: Easy. Samplex.
UROLOGY:
Reyes: Mix of easy samplex and hard cases. Prepare for both
PEDIA:
Aison: Easy, samplexy.
Resurrecion: Samplexy, but need to study too.
TCVS:
Lat: Pretty hard, with some samplex too. Yes ~ 60-65% 50/150
IM-B (5-in-1) Similar to IM-A but with new topics. All 5 topics are worth similar. I think IM-B is marked
based on the number of questions. Just for approximations, Pulmo and Cardio are about 26 points, while
Endo, Nephro, and Onco each give about 20 questions. Yes. ~68-70% 60/150
11. IM CARDIO Same profs as IM-A Cardio.
12. IM PULMO Del Poso: Hard! Review samplex to know how he tests. Master both samplex and his
notes and youll do well. He likes cases and applications.

Esguerra: See IM-A.

13. IM ENDOCRINOLOGY Roque: Hard to hear, and unfortunately not very samplexy anymore. Read
the notes, and TRY to listen to her in the front row.
Alferos: Gives quizzes and assignments equal to one major Endo exam. Her questions are not always
from her handouts, but there arent many options. Harrisons is not worth the time.
14. IM NEPHROLOGY Super super hard. Both of the professors, Mora and Yang, are VERY hard. Class
average for the midterm was 35-40%. Its debatable if its worth the time, but the prelim and finals are
doable.
15. IM ONCOLOGY Dra Ilagan taught all sections. High chance of ENUMERATION. All twenty questions
of our prelim was enumeration. Quite samplexy, so review samplex thoroughly. She asks generally easy
questions, or lists. Dont neglect onco.