How to Prepare for NEET UG Exam

The National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET-UG) is the examination conducted for aspirants seeking admission to undergraduate MBBS/BDS courses all over India. The exam is conducted by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE). With every passing year, more and more students interested in pursuing a career in medical science are taking this exam.

Age criteria: The minimum age for candidates applying for the NEET-UG is 17 years. This is applicable for All India Quota Seats as well as State Quota Seats. The upper age limit is 25 years. There is relaxation of 5 years for SC, ST and OBC candidates.

Educational Qualifications: General category candidates must have 50% in aggregate in Physics, Chemistry and Biology. It is important that the candidate has passed Physics, Chemistry, Biology and English separately. There is also an entrance test which needs to be passed for appearing in the NEET-UG exam. A candidate has to obtain minimum 50 percentile in the same.

Time of examination: Examinations are mostly held in the month of May-June.

Subjects and pattern of NEET-UG exam: The NEET-UG examination is mainly based on three subjects - Physics, Chemistry, and Biology. There are 180 multiple-choice questions, with a time-limit of three hours. A correct answer fetches 4 marks, while a wrong answer has 1 mark deducted.

Preparation tips for candidates appearing in NEET-UG examination

There is no doubt about the fact that the NEET-UG examination is a tough one. The following tips will help deal with stress and perform better:

• Know the syllabus of the examination well: The very first thing that candidates should know is the complete syllabus of the NEET-UG exam. You can compare the syllabus with your Board exam syllabus. It is beneficial for you if there are common chapters as you will not need to prepare them separately. This will give you ample time to concentrate on the parts of the syllabus that are not covered.


• Make a schedule of study for the week: Until and unless you make a complete and thorough schedule of the way you want to study, you will not be able to complete the syllabus. Plan for the week in advance. Figure out chapters that you need to prepare from the beginning and chapters that will need only revision. Working in this manner will help you cover all parts of the syllabus uniformly. Allot time for each segment and try and maintain that.


• Work on weaker areas: It might happen that you are very strong in one subject and weak in the other. Do not feel disheartened by the same. Try and work hard more on the weaker areas to strengthen them. If required, take help from a friend or senior or take extra classes for the subject. This will help in overcoming the fear of your weakness effectively.


• Practice mock test papers: One of the greatest hurdles of the NEET-UG examination is the time limitation. Candidates have to finish 180 questions in 180 minutes (3 hours). It means they can give a maximum of 1 minute per question. Time management is a mandatory skill that is required for this exam. While practicing at home, make sure that you keep the time limitation in mind. Try to solve the questions in lesser time so that you have some time for final revision as well.


• Do not fall for guesswork: Many candidates have the tendency of applying guesswork to questions they don't know. However, it might prove risky in this case as there is negative marking for a wrong answer. It is recommended to leave a question completely if you do not know the right answer.

Recommended books for NEET-UG

• Complete AIPMT Guide: Bio, Phy, Chem (Combo) for AIPMT 2014 by MTG Editorial Board
• The Pearson Guide to the Medical Entrance Examinations for NEET/AFMC/AIIMS by K.K. Arora, N.K. Sharma, B.K. Trivedi. Publisher: Pearson
• NEET Chemistry: Common Medical Entrance Exam, Disha Publication
• NEET Physics: Common Medical Entrance Exam, Disha Publication
• NEET Biology: Common Medical Entrance Exam, Disha Publication

Last Updated on : March 10, 2016