The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test is a one-tier national exam organised by NTA (National Testing Agency). It is a uniform and common entrance test for admissions into various UG medical/dental/AYUSH courses across pan-Indian medical institutes. This includes admissions into prestigious institutes like AIIMS, CMC and JIPMER. Earlier, these institutes had separate medical entrance exams, which have been scrapped under the recent law.
This single-window entrance exam is vital for every medical aspirant. Even foreign nationals/NRI/OCI aspirants who seek admissions in Indian medical institutes should clear this exam. The upcoming NEET exam for undergraduate courses has been scheduled for 17 July 2022. It is about to take place in 543 Indian cities and 14 centres outside India. Here, let’s look at some strategies that will help aspirants in their preparations.
Syllabus and Pattern
The exam happens for a 3 hours 20 minutes duration (2 pm to 5.20 pm). In this duration, aspirants have to attempt 180 out of 200 objectives asked in the question paper. The total 200 questions are equally divided among 4 major science subjects – Zoology, Botany, Physics and Chemistry. One has to attempt 45 questions from each subject. Each MCQ carries 4 marks, and thus one can score 720 marks by correctly answering all 180 MCQs. Last year (2021), three students cleared the exam with a perfect 720 score.
Each subject has two sections – A and B. Section A has 35 compulsory MCQs, and B has 15 MCQs, out of which 10 has to be attempted. Also, every incorrect attempt will cost a negative mark. Thus, one has to be careful while attempting the questions. It is important to know which questions can be left unanswered. Solving and analysing the previous years’ paper will give an idea to attempt NEET 2022 exam paper with ease. Let’s discuss more preparation tips that will help the aspirants clear the exam.
How to Prepare for This Exam?
It is important to know the competition and target to be achieved in this exam before starting the preparations. Every year, around 17 to 18 lakh candidates register for this entrance test. This highly competitive exam has a qualifying rate of just 55 to 56%. Thus, it is important to have a proper study strategy before giving this exam. Also, one should aim for top ranks as this will fetch admissions into top-tier medical institutes. The following are some tips that will help in achieving the dream target.
- Analyse the syllabus and pattern of questions asked from each subject. As a first step, it is important to segregate topics based on difficulty level. Also, know the weightage of each chapter in each subject. This will help in curating a proper study planner.
- After prioritising the topics, start the preparations with NCERT. Thorough the basic concepts in NCERT before moving to higher-level preparation materials. Solve MCQs in NCERT textbooks to get a hold of objective-type questions.
- Try to solve DPPs (Daily Practice Problems) and mock questions alongside learning. Make short notes of concepts and important questions that will aid in final revisions.
- For the last few months, focus on solving mock papers and previous years’ papers within the given time limit. Also, it is important to analyse the test performance and improve the scores on every test.
All these tips are not just for a day or two but should be ritualistically followed for months. It is advisable to stop the preparations 24 hours before the exam. If needed, just glance through the revision notes. Stop solving question papers before the day of the exam, and instead, take enough rest to charge up. Try to halt your preparations at least a couple of hours before reaching the exam venue. Just stay calm and positive before the exam.