The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) will be conducted on May 5. Here is a strategy to prepare for NEET, alongside your board exams.
The NEET exam is the only national-level medical entrance exam for aspirants, who want to study MBBS/BDS courses in various government or private medical colleges, affiliated to the Medical Council of India.
With the board exams around the corner, it is very important for students to strike a balance between boards and NEET preparation. It is also important to follow the right strategy so that you can prepare for boards in a precise manner and simultaneously continue your NEET preparation.
Due to the difference in their respective exam patterns, you are often caught in the dilemma of managing both at the same time. The class XII board exams are mainly based on subjective-type questions, with a marking scheme that has one, two, three, and five-mark questions. Your goal should be to practise as many questions as possible.
While solving one-mark questions for physics, chemistry and biology, remember that you are also practising for NEET, (since the entrance is MCQ-based). For boards, two-mark questions are elaborative type for which you may practise diagrams as well. Further, three and five-mark questions are descriptive-type questions. Supporting diagrams increase the probability of getting a good score. Additionally, practise a lot of derivatives.
To develop an effective approach, you must ensure they have a thorough understanding of basic methods that help in answering both types of questions. As of now, it is time to focus on class XII syllabus and revise class XI syllabus. Do not start with any new topics as it will be time-consuming.
Prep right
Revise previously completed syllabus and practise as many questions as possible. Practise subject-wise sections of the mock test. For example, for physics, practice 45-90 questions from a couple of mock tests, and on the next day, repeat the same for chemistry and biology.
Practise with a paper and pen to help you improve your speed for the actual exam, especially since as it will be conducted offline. Whatever you learn or revise, write it on paper many times to memorise well.
Recommended books: For both NEET and board exams, class XI and XII NCERT books are a must. For NEET, you can refer to GRB books for MCQ. For mock tests, you can either buy an online test series or a book. For board exams, use practise books which have previous years’ and sample papers to give you an idea of the exam pattern.
Plan each day: Prepare a study schedule which includes time for your coaching schedule and self-study. Decide a goal for each day, by dividing the chapters into topics and sub-topics. Further, decide hourly goals to complete short-term targets. Each hour should have pre-decided topics, which you should diligently complete as per schedule.
Last, it is crucial that you reserve time for revision. After board exams, focus on class XI syllabus first, since you would have already revised class XII syllabus for the board exams.
The writer is Academic head and VP (NEET and JEE) at Gradeup.