Tackling National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test (Neet)

Dr Prateek Singh

As soon as a student makes a decision of taking up Science stream in the intermediate level, the first dilemma that strikes is to choose between Mathematics and Biology. Both of these are key subjects that play an important role in paving the paths of your career as well as your entire future. Most of the students opting for Biology desire to enter the medical field and the irongate one needs to bust in order to enter the medical field is NEET-UG (National Entrance cum Eligibility Test - Undergraduate).

WHAT IS NEET - UG?

NEET-UG, formerly the All India Pre-Medical Test (AIPMT), is an all-India level entrance examination for getting admission into MBBS, BDS, and AYUSH (BAMS, BHMS, BUMS, and BSMS) courses in government as well as in private colleges. NEET (UG) has been a qualifying entrance exam since 2020 for admission to MBBS/BDS courses in AIIMS and JIPMER (although governed under separate statutes). The examination is also a must for NRI candidates who aspire to get admission into any Indian medical college. The examination is conducted by National Testing Agency (NTA) since 2019 with the approval of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the Ministry of Education. Indian students and Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) intending to pursue UG medical courses in a foreign Medical/ Dental Institute also need to qualify NEET-UG.

PAPER PATTERN AND MARKING SCHEME

The paper is of a maximum of 720 marks.

- Correct answer or the most appropriate answer: Four marks are awarded (+4).

- Any incorrect answer marked will be given one minus mark (-1).

- Unanswered questions will be awarded zero marks (0).

- If more than one option is correct then (+4) marks will be awarded to the candidates who have marked any of the correct options.

- If all the options are reviewed to be correct then (+4) marks will be given to all the candidates who have attempted the question.

- If none of the options is found correct or a Question is dropped then all candidates who have appeared will be given four marks (+4) in Section A irrespective of the fact whether the question has been attempted or not attempted by the candidate; in Section B, four marks (+4) will be awarded to all those who have attempted the question.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA 

·         The candidate should have passed the intermediate or equivalent level exam with Physics, Chemistry, Biology/ Biotechnology and English as core subjects with 50% marks. z

·         The minimum age limit for appearing in NEET-UG is 17 years of age at time of admission. Lately, the upper age limit for appearing in the exam has been done away with. z

·         NRI and OCI candidates are eligible to appear for the exam by uploading a certificate from the concerned Indian Diplomatic Mission in the country of their residence in support of their claim as NRI/ OCI certificate. z

·         The students of UT of Ladakh shall be eligible for admission to 15% of the All India Quota.

REVISION STRATEGY FOR LAST TWO MONTHS

The last two months seem to fly really fast so you need to follow proper tactics and strategies to wrap up and decorate your prior learnings. You need to be focused and work off your best with proper rest. Make sure you take a proper diet and avoid junk food because you cannot afford to fall sick at such a crucial moment.

Keep in mind that you become what you think. Visualize yourself as a doctor with stethoscope and dressed in white with apron. This should be your only image of yourself. These two months are to harvest all what you have sown all this while. Revise all the important topics and be the master of your concepts. Confidence is your attire; flaunt it to reflect your hard work and worth.

Tackling Biology

NCERT text book is the Bible for NEET aspirants, especially for biology. Keep revising NCERT and solve previous years' papers.

·         Try memorizing important dates and data using flashcards. z Don't neglect NCERT Exemplar. 

·         Remember mechanisms in form of cycles and flowcharts.

·         Pay attention to the diagrams, charts, and tables of NCERT. 

·         Write down and memorize the name of scientists and their contributions.

·         Pay attention to the text written below the diagrams because sometimes those terms might not be mentioned in your original paragraph.

·         Every line of NCERT is important for biology so make sure that whenever you are revising, you are going through each line of the book rather than only focusing on the terminologies. 

·         All the examples mentioned must be at your fingertips.

Tackling Chemistry

Chemistry is a fun subject and also the most volatile. Here are some tips you can use to strengthen your chemistry. 

·         For Inorganic Chemistry follow NCERT.

·         Solve as many as previous years' papers and reward yourself for achieving your targets.

·         Pay attention to GOC (General Organic Chemistry) as it makes the foundation of overall Organic Chemistry.

Some pro tips: Make short notes for these chapters: Hydrogen, Environmental Chemistry, Polymers, Biomolecules, Chemistry in Everyday Life, Metallurgy, etc. (The core crux of making these short notes is that from these chapters you should be able to answer direct memory-based questions and not much of understanding of concepts is required so make sure to make very short notes of these chapters and you are done with almost 7-8 questions from chemistry section). Track all the formulas of physical chemistry at a place. If you really wish to boost your chemistry preparation and wish to secure a very good rank then you should solve the previous years' papers of JEE Mains too (remember, not JEE Advance). And also remember that this is only for the Chemistry section and not Physics.

Tackling Physics

Physics is the trickiest and most interesting subject but here are some ways through which you can gain a command over this mighty subject which scares most of the medical aspirants. First of all, you should face your fear of physics and start devoting time to this beautiful subject. The more time you'll give the easier it will become. Stick to the basics and learn their applications. For non-numerical problems and better understanding, have a look at the summary and Points to Ponder portion of NCERT. For each chapter write down all the formulas in a place.

Remember, practice is the key. If you are weak in the subject just keep solving as many questions as you can.Try to develop a unique approach towards the numerical questions. Whenever you are given a question try to understand the given values and the variables and then proceed to solve the question. You should focus first on the high yielding and easy topics: Current Electricity, Semiconductor Devices, Atoms, Nuclei, Photoelectric Effect, Unit and Dimensions, Errors, Ray Optics, Wave Optics, and Thermal Physics. Some questions can be solved using the method of dimensional analysis only so you must master the chapter.

RESOURCES TO RELY UPON

Resources must not be the barrier for your dreams if you are determined to work hard and smartly. In the ongoing context of COVID, many find it hard to attend offline coaching institutions. Many talented aspirants may lack proper financial support. However, if you are serious regarding pursuing your goal as a doctor, you need not worry. This is the era of internet and you can find many online platforms offering you wonderful learning experience in an affordable manner. There are online courses of many offline coaching institutes too. While studying from online sources, check if the website and the faculty involved are authentic or not. Do proper research and observe the success rate of the very institute you are opting. Find teachers and resources that suit and satisfy your learning queries. You can get pdf of necessary books and modules. Many platforms provide online test programs where you can compete with thousands of other aspirants and know your rank among them. You can know how your preparation is going on and at what domains and scopes you need to work better to improve your test scores.

TIE BREAKING RULES

In case two or more candidates achieve same marks or percentile, then the ascending rank will be decided on the basis of following factors:

A) Candidates obtaining higher marks in Biology followed by,

B) Candidates obtaining higher marks in Chemistry followed by,

C) Candidates obtaining higher marks in Physics followed by,

D) Candidate with less proportion of incorrect answers,

E) Candidate with less proportion of incorrect answers in Biology followed by,

F) Candidate with less proportion of incorrect answers in Chemistry followed by,

G) Candidate with less proportion of incorrect answers in Physics followed by,

H) Candidate older in age followed by,

I) Application number in ascending order.

DEALING WITH MISINFORMATION

In the present era with the boon of internet, information can be spread across the masses in a very insignificant period of time but at the same time it has also been a matter of concern because false and fake news also find the same fate. In the present COVID times, we have seen that very often a lot of fake news keeps on circulating about exam postponement, exam dates, and exam cancellation and so on and so forth. Hence it becomes very important that you don't believe in any news and gossips regarding examination date, pattern, syllabus, counselling you see online. Always confirm the news and check the official website of NTA (ntaneet.nic.in). Keep yourself updated with this website and always cross check the information provided to you from YouTube videos, Instagram posts, Whatsapp messages or Telegram groups.

HOW TO SELECT FOREIGN INSTITUTES?

NEET is among the toughest competitive exams in the country and every year almost 17 lakh students across the country fight for almost forty thousand government colleges seats in MBBS. Since only a fraction of the students are able to fulfil their dream of getting a seat in a Government Medical College, others who are well off with their families go for private colleges where the annual fees could be somewhere between 6 lakhs to 22 lakhs and a very low percentage of students and their parents can afford this fees. Most often, students with middle class family background who fail to get admission into Government College and also cannot afford private colleges in the country seek the option of pursuing MBBS from abroad.

While opting for foreign colleges, keep in mind to properly analyse the university you are planning to enrol into. The hospital and hostel quality, academic status, college achievements on research papers and surgeries performed.

There are many private agencies who claim to help you pursue your dream in foreign colleges so make sure that if you are contacting them or vice versa then you have all the necessary information about that agency and also you should match the overall fee structure provided to you by the agency with the official website of the university or college into which you are opting admission. You should be very vigilant while investing your money in education abroad and should always verify the information given to you at your end.

Lastly, Medical field is a very noble profession and it requires a lot of courage and hard work and determination to become a good doctor. All the best to all the future doctors of this country.

(The author is a medical professional and NEET coach. He can be reached at prateeksinghtalks@gmail.com)

Views expressed are personal.