Medical vs Non-Medical: What To Choose After Class 10?

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Class 10th Board test is a critical milestone for every student since it determines their future professional path. Following a successful performance in the class 10th Boards, the next significant challenge is deciding on the appropriate elective. Many students are still unsure which course to take after finishing their 10th grade. 

Here, we will shed light on the nuances of Medical and Non-Medical options, which will help you understand them better and thus make a well-informed decision. With the advent of more and more interdisciplinary courses, the difference between these two has become less stark. Therefore, it’s more important to have a clearer view of what is to come once you take your pick.

Is Medical & Non-Medical Stream Equally Difficult?

It is, indeed. As it goes without saying, every subject is complex in its own ways. It might be the complexities of theory or the complexities of analysis, but there isn't a topic that doesn't need serious study. There is no such thing as a difficult or simple topic; it all relies on your interest and the amount of effort you put in.

The medical stream is more theoretical, which will require you to acquire knowledge in the details, whereas the non-medical stream requires you to strengthen your analytical abilities. However, both provide a plethora of interdisciplinary strata within each stream, resulting in many new, less traditional possibilities.

Also Read: Career Options In Science - Ultimate Guide For Exploring Options

What Are The Subjects In the Science Stream In Class 11?

The scientific stream is split into two sub-branches based on the third topic you study:

• Medical: Physics, Chemistry, Biology, English, and an optional subject are required for medical students.
• Non-Medical: Physics, Chemistry, Math, English, and an optional subject are required for non-medical students.

Though Physics and Chemistry are the same in both streams, what distinguishes them is the choice between Biology and Mathematics. Some students even choose a combination of both, i.e., PCMB, deciding to choose Mathematics over the optional subject.

Students who do not choose from picking PCMB have to decide on to 5th subject to be tested on a cumulative score of 5 subjects.

What Are The Available Optional Subjects?

It should be noted that the optional subject may vary from one state/educational board to another.

A proper combination of topics and optional subjects allows a student to pursue a wide range of study and professional opportunities in the future. Academic opportunities that would otherwise be unavailable to a solely PCM or PCB student become available if a flexible optional is chosen.

We will now discuss the various career options that can be pursued by students of medical and non-medical streams. We will start with the career options pertaining to the core streams and later on discuss the inter-disciplinary and inter-stream courses which are also open for students from other educational backgrounds.

Career Opportunities For Medical Students

If we look at the subjects in the core medical stream, the following career and research options are open to the students through it:

Career Opportunities For Non-Medical Students

This stream has comparatively wider options that require analytical skills by the students. We will list out the career/research avenues associated with each subject in the stream.

1. Career prospects with Physics

These courses can also be pursued by the students of the medical stream. However, a majority of these fields require Mathematical skills, so a Medical student would benefit by keeping it optional. This will help them not lose out on many such opportunities.

2. Career prospects with Chemistry

Similar to the above case, these courses are also open for the medical students with the necessary addition of Mathematics as the main subject.

3. Career prospects with Mathematics

This subject is a common factor, not just amongst Medical and Non-medical courses, but also features in the Commerce and Humanities stream. Thus, making the following courses accessible for students from every educational background.

What if I pursue Engineering?

Which career options could be sought by students of both disciplines?

When we look beyond the core subjects, there is an entire world of courses and research avenues which are gathering momentum with time. While some of these career/higher educational options are restricted to only the science cadre, others are open for students of every stream.

Medical and Non-Medical Entrance Exams

We now look at the various entrance exams (at the national level) which students should consider. For your ease, we have divided these into stream specific exams and exams which are open to students from all disciplines.

1. Medical Entrance exams

2. Non-medical Entrance exams

3. Entrance exams spanning across other streams

• Entrance exams for defense, marine, and navy. These are held around the year by the Indian Army, the notifications of which can be found on its official website. Exams like NDA are specially formulated for students just out of school.
• Entrance exams for various Humanities and social science courses across universities. These include entrances for various B.Com, B.A., and Bachelor in Management courses which span over 3 to 5 years.
• Entrance exams for law courses. These exams are held by various universities and also nationally.
• Entrance exams for Fashion Design and Hotel management
• Entrance exams for pure math courses
• UPSC, SSC and IBPS exams held by the government. Apart from these, students could visit official Government websites like ncs.gov.in (National Career Service).

How Unstop (formerly Dare2Compete)Can Help?

It requires systematic and efficient planning plus management for students to reach whatever goals they set. Coaching and tuition can only help to an extent, what truly makes a difference is the amount of self-study the student agrees to put in. Another factor that matters is credible information and educational help sources for the students. This is where Unstop helps.

We provide information about various educational competitions across the country from every discipline under one roof. These competitions work as a good simulator of ideas and boost the confidence of the participants regarding their expertise on the choice of subjects. The students can keep track of the upcoming competitions and have a one-stop destination for all information regarding them.

Further, Unstop (formerly Dare2Compete)also provides information about various scholarship programs and competitions on offer by the govt. and private organizations plus universities. Students can avail these opportunities to help their higher educational dreams sail.

Students can also take part in the various quizzes (both online and otherwise) on the website. These quizzes are designed for every discipline and are a fun way to learn and revise the concepts present in the textbooks. If a student wishes so, they could also participate in quizzing competitions held across the nation (the information of which is also provided on the website).

Finally, there is a dedicated section of the website which contains career-related and educational articles which aim to help ease the ever-present confusions in a student’s mind.

Summing Up...

Science has slowly come to power and is now present in almost every sector, thus it is only natural for students to be more drawn towards it. Be it a career or personal interest, make sure that your choice does not deviate from these two. A forced decision will never help you in the long run, thus steer clear from the peer-mentality.

The medical stream and its tributaries occupy a major part of many international and national organization’s workings and Government-backed research. This makes it an attractive option for a young, enthusiastic mind.

The non-medical stream is, similar to medical, at the forefront of many breakthrough scientific developments and discoveries. Being an ever-developing sector, this stream has an obvious charm that makes it a favorite choice among students.

At the end of the day, the choice you make should be entirely yours. But don’t shy away from seeking guidance from your parents, teachers, and counselors. Use the internet wisely, to find out in-depth information about the course of your choice from verified websites. These courses are fun and interesting, and it would do well if you plunge into them with a similar mindset.

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