Preparing for Exams: NEET

You’ve finally finished class 12 and you are ready to take the next step toward your medical career! But now you have the dreaded NEET exam to prepare for and you don’t know where to begin. It can be an overwhelming time for any Indian student. If you are stressing about your upcoming NEET exam and need some top tips on how to prepare for them. Read on to find out more about this exam and how to ace it.

What is the NEET exam?

First of all, what is the NEET exam? The National Eligibility Entrance Exam, also known as NEET, is a competitive exam in India that is the basis for qualifying for the MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine/Bachelor of Surgery) and BDS (Bachelor of Dental Surgery) fields across the country. This exam is for any student who wants to study medicine in any of its forms. It is a tough and highly competitive exam.

Eligibility for the NEET exam

There are a few rules in place regarding eligibility for the NEET exam. There are four different factors that you must meet the criteria for to be able to take the exam. The first one is nationality, only students who are Indian National, NRI, Overseas Citizens of India, or Persons of Indian Origin can apply for NEET. The second criterion is the mandatory subjects a student must have taken before applying for the NEET exam. The subjects required are Physics, Chemistry, and Biology. The only other exception to this rule is students who have taken Mathematics with optional Biology can still apply.

The third criterion is the minimum qualifications required for acceptance to take the exam. All students must have cleared class 12 or any equivalent course before they can apply for the NEET. If you have completed a course from an open school or are about to sit your grade 12 exams, you can apply for NEET in the same year. The final criterion for NEET is the marks you achieve. For the General category, you should have at least 50%, a minimum of 45% marks in the PWD category, and at least 40% in the SC/ST/OBC category.

Registering for the NEET exam

So, what’s the process when registering for the NEET exam? You must register before you are allowed to sit the exam. It’s a step-by-step process that starts with visiting the NEET website. You need to register as a new user and fill in the online registration form. Submit the documents required including your academic certificates and forms of ID. Then you will be taken to the online payment system. Pay the desired fees for the NEET exam and then you are done.

Once your registration is complete, you can then wait for your admin card. When you have this, you can download it and take it with you to the place where the exam is being held. You will not be able to sit your NEET exam without this card, so make sure you download it on your phone, or even print out a copy, to ensure that everything runs smoothly on the day.

NEET syllabus

If you are going to prepare for your NEET exam, you need to know the syllabus and what you are going to be tested on. The main topics are physics, chemistry, and biology. These can be divided up into further sections. For physics, there will be topics on mechanics, optics, thermodynamics, and nuclear physics. For chemistry, there will be topics on the mole concept, the periodic table, general organic chemistry, coordination chemistry, and chemical bonding.  
For biology, there will be topics of genetics, cell biology, the physiology of animals and plants, the basics of biotechnology, morphology, reproduction and ecology, and the environment.

Top tips on studying for your NEET exam

• Know the syllabus inside out! And know your weak and strong points with your subject knowledge. It will be highly beneficial to know which specific topics you need to study more time on
• Create a realistic timetable for yourself that you will stick to. Don’t give yourself the impossible task of studying 10 hours a day, seven days a week because you will be setting yourself up to fail
• Take regular breaks from studying. This will help you absorb the information and allow yourself the opportunity to view the topic with fresh eyes after you take some time away
• Look after yourself. This is an important one. Studying for your NEET exam is stressful and it’s important to get plenty of sleep, eat well, and get some fresh air once in a while, your brain will thank you for it!
• Once you feel ready, take some practice mock tests. This is a great way to prepare for the real thing, you have to answer 180 questions in 180 minutes, that time pressure is real and you should practice quite a few times before your actual exam to get used to the way it will work on the day
• Don’t ignore NCERT. Did you know that 70% of the questions come from NCERT textbooks?
• Your study plan should revolve around three aspects: learn, revise, and practice