First, you should have your own style of note taking. Find a method that you find the easiest to use as note taking is very important for Q3-6 of the listening test. This is because these questions require a lot of content from the recordings. Keep practising your note taking as frequent use of note taking skills will help you make it a habit and make it easier for you during the exam.

Another tip will be that there are usually key messages of the recording around logical words and when there is a marked change in tone. Therefore, when you are listening to the recording, you have to focus. The audio at the exam venue is also not bad as long as you turn up the volume to at least 90%. 

If your aim is to score more than 110 for TOEFL, you should have two basic strategies.

1. Reading, listening, and writing  (writing especially) components should steadily be at the 29 mark. In this case, even if for the oral part you get fair (about 23 marks), you can still get above 110 mark overall.

2. If you have a particularly weak component among these three that usually cause you to not fare well, you need to score at least 24 and above for the oral part to have a chance at breaking the 110 mark. 

Of course, these are just my assumptions and theorising and may differ across individuals. Good luck!

I've got two things!

1. Logic

I usually compartmentalize the answering logic of the oral test into different categories, eg, passage logic, logic between sentences, and logic within sentences. 

For passage logic, it is easy to tackle where you just have to apply a template and build an overview. It is easy as long as you don't exceed the time limit. 

For logic between sentences, the main idea is not to repeat what you have said previously. To prevent this, you can practise by listening to more recordings to prevent using the same words. Also, for every sentence you make, ensure that there are connectors that retain the logic including times when you are listing examples. For example, when you are giving examples, you can use words like during, at the same time, as a result, etc. If you don't use these connectors, the examiner may not know what you are talking about. 

For logic within sentences, use connectors such as so that, even though, etc.

2. Re-reading

The English language and the Chinese language are different in the sense that when you are speaking Chinese, you use the same tone throughout your speech and students usually apply this habit when taking oral examinations. However, this habit makes it hard for foreigners to understand as they are used to using a variation of tones. This can be seen in all the official recordings where the speaker have different tone when coming across connectors. Words that are associated with negative emotions are usually also read more than once so, when practising, you have to practise re-reading too.

Good luck!

Hello! Besides doing TPO to familiarise yourself with actual exam questions, you can also use professional articles to practise. The most classic type of specialised articles are those related to your major. Such factual articles can allow you to understand more types of English expression, and it allows you to build on your content knowledge pertaining to the subject, giving you the ability to use these content for other components of the exam. Of course, if you have a good foundation, you can consider reading articles of different topics.

If you don't have much time, my advice is for you to just relax and keep up with the habit of reading instead of focusing so much on what to read. Good luck!

Hello there! Yes, you can, but note that the online application itself should have all the components completed and submitted by the deadline. 

If you are submitting an application without an MCAT score, you have to indicate on your application the date of exam taken or registered to be taken. There is a 2-week grace period after the admission deadline to send all supporting documents including the MCAT score. Good luck on your application!

No. Those students who graduate from Duke-NUS will receive a MD (Doctor of Medicine) degree. If you already have a MBBS or MD degree, you can consider to apply in the Duke-NUS PhD programme in Integrated Biology and Medicine instead.

Yes. All students interested in applying to the MD programme or MD-PhD track at Duke-NUS must take the MCAT as it is one of many approaches to measure a students' foundation in the sciences and critical thinking skills. 

For students interested in availing assistance in financing tuition and other fees, Duke-NUS offers a variety of scholarships, bursaries, or loans.

For example. those who are Singapore citizens can avail of the payable tuition fee that varies between 18% to 93% (exclusive of miscellaneous fees). For international students, they can avail of the payable tuition fee that varies from 14% to 75%.

The amount of financial aid awarded varies depending on you and your family's financial circumstances. Alternatively, a Tuition Fee Loan (TFL) scheme is available to admitted students through two of Singapore’s banks, regardless of citizenship. With this TFL, you may borrow up to 90% of annual tuition fees for a Singaporean Citizen candidate (amount subject to change.) 

There are scholarships that can be granted to exceptional students (with different criteria depending on source). These vary between SGD 10,000 and SGD 50,000 annually.

Scholarships awarded by philanthropic organizations through Duke-NUS do not impose an additional service commitment (bond), but students are expected to maintain high academic standards and to keep the respective organizations abreast of their academic progress.

Hi! If you have recently completed an empirical and medically relevant PhD, you may apply for a waiver of the research year requirement. This will be contingent upon approval from the Duke-NUS Research Curriculum Review Committee. Good luck!

Hello! You may appeal to Ministry Of Health (MOH) to give sympathetic consideration if you are unable to complete your course of study due to circumstances beyond your control and they review such cases on an individual basis. If not, you will still have to pay liquidated damages. 

This is a question many can relate to. You can consider gaining some volunteer or work experience in healthcare institutions, including hospitals, clinics, and hospices first to get a feel of this industry.

Besides being able to serve and contribute to society, volunteering also provides an opportunity to learn and apply many useful skills such as communication, teamwork, and time management which may be good for any education application. 

Make the most of your volunteering experience by communicating with patients, nurses and doctors, offering your help, and reflecting on your own interests and aptitude thereafter.

Yes. Duke-NUS students are required to pass USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 CK (Clinical Knowledge).

However, USMLE is not administered in Singapore, so to become eligible for full registration with the Singapore Medical Council, Duke-NUS graduates must successfully complete the Assessment for Medical Practice (AMP) Examination, which is similar in design to USMLE Step 3 (and jointly created for Singapore by the National Board of Medical Examiners of the United States and the Ministry of Health, Singapore). Best of luck!