The NEET (National Eligibility Entrance Test) is the pen and paper based qualifying test for MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery), BDS (Bachelor of Dental Surgery) and AYUSH (BAMS, BUMS and BHMS) programmes not only in Indian government and private medical and dental colleges but also mandatory for pursuing the same programmes abroad.
This test is formerly known as AIPMT (All India Pre Medical Test). It was conducted once a year by CBSE from 2013 to 2018 and has been conducted by the NTA (National Testing Agency) since 2019.
Only 15% of the total seats are filled via this test. The core knowledge concepts of Biology, Chemistry and Physics taught in classes 11th and 12th is tested in this test. The duration of this test is 3 Hours and 20 Minutes. All the aspiring students preparing to attempt NEET and want to secure a good rank must know that 1,614,777 candidates registered for the exam in the year 2021 out of which around 1.65 lakh students get selection.
Qualification rate is 56.44%. One has to pass their 12th board exam with an aggregate of 55% marks to sit for NEET UG and they also have to be the citizen of India or NRI with Indian passports.
The NEET exam is so difficult to crack because of the following reasons:
- Subjects are tough.
- Vast syllabus mismatches with the state board and time is limited.
- Very tough competition.
In this article, I will discuss some important strategies (derived from the students who have actually passed the NEET UG with their own ability) for the candidates who want to crack this exam without any help from any coaching institute.
- Gather information- Gather all the related and relevant information regarding exam sessions, exam patterns, syllabus etc.
- Know the syllabus- The syllabus for NEET UG is very huge and it is impossible to cover the whole syllabus so always try to make a separate list of important topics and weaker topics.
- Make a proper time-table – Make a proper time table for home study also so that you can devote some time to other daily life activities also without disturbing your studies.
- Formulate your study plan- Plan out a regular study schedule that contains concise study hours of all three subject viz. Physics, Chemistry and Biology with short breaks in between and follow it. Get a calendar and a diary and set your priorities in that.
- Follow standard study material- First of all cover the NCERT books. Try to solve each and every question from it and then refer to quality study material for extra preparations.
- Proper Books To Help You Need – Huge number of books are available in the market for NEET UG preparation. Students get confused about which books he should study. NCERT books are not enough to qualify the test with a good score. To solve this confusion, I will recommend you one the best books other than NCERT for NEET preparation based on the opinions of experts and toppers are –
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- PHYSICS – Concepts of Physics by H.C Verma, Fundamental Physics By Pardeep, Problems in General Physics by IE Irodov, Objective Physics By DC Pandey, and Fundamentals of Physics by Halliday, Resnick and Walker.
- CHEMISTRY – Physical Chemistry by OP Tandon, ABC of Chemistry for Classes 11 and 12 by Modern, Concise Inorganic Chemistry by JD Lee, Dinesh Chemistry Guide, Practise books by VK Jaiswal (Inorganic), MS Chauhan (Organic) and N Awasthi (Physical)
- BIOLOGY – Biology VOL 1 and VOL 2 by Trueman, Objective Biology by Dinesh, Objective Botany by Ansari, Pradeep Guide on Biology, GR Bathla Publications for Biology.
- Cover Important Topics- It is necessary to cover the entire syllabus. Analyze previous year papers and make list topics from which questions are asked each and every year. But, put some extra attention on topics which are more important than others from an examination point of view. Subject wise important topics are –
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- PHYSICS – Mechanics, Electrodynamics, Modern Physics, Heat and Thermodynamics, Optics, Simple Harmonic Motion and Waves.
- CHEMISTRY – Mole concept, Stoichiometry, Atomic Structure, Thermodynamics, Redox Reactions, Electrochemistry, Solutions, Chemical Kinetics, Block Elements (d,f,p,s), Coordination compounds, Chemical Bonding, Hydrogen Bonding, Organic Bonding, Organic Compounds, Biomolecules, Polymers, Hydrocarbons.
- BIOLOGY – Genetics and Evolution, Plant and Human Physiology, Flowering plants and Human reproduction, Diversity in Living Organisms, Ecology, Structural Organization in Living Organisms, Cell Structure and Function, Biotechnology.
- Solve Previous Year Papers- By solving previous year papers, the candidates will get an idea about the pattern of questions. Paper solving also helps to scan out weaker areas and improve time management skills. Spend extra time and effort to convert weak areas into your favorite scoring areas.
- Give Mock Tests- Give as many online mock tests as you can because online mock tests not only provide exam-like conditions but also offer self-assessment to candidates.
- Maintain Discipline- Be honest with yourself and be disciplined when it comes to following your study regime. Be sincere about your studies because sincerity is the main driving force. Students of the top coaching institutes failed in the qualifying exams also due to the lack of discipline and sincerity.
- Keep a positive attitude- Always stay positive so that no negativity in the world can stop you from qualifying this exam. Be your own critic if you fail in something. Positive approach to things towards your side.
- Stay fit – Both physical and mental fitness is mandatory to crack this exam. So, release the pressure of preparation to rejuvenate the memory cells and increase focus either by spending some time in your favorite hobby or playing a game or doing physical exercise. No one can pass this exam with a weak body and mind. Take enough sleep to avoid sleeping during study time.
CONCLUSION
Although coaching is the best way to prepare for the NEET exam, there is no hard and fast rule that coaching is mandatory. All the candidates cannot afford the costly coaching centers so the idea to crack the exam without coaching is feasible but challenging also. Strategic planning and disciplined execution of the plan is mandatory for preparation.
Many toppers and experts believe that committed self-practice is a major factor to success in the NEET UG examination without coaching. A student’s hard work, determination and passion are the only key to clear the exam.
