The exam, National Eligibility cum Entrance Test(NEET), is conducted each year by the National Testing Agency. The exam is a pan-level entrance examination to get admission into numerous medical and dental colleges and universities in India. The students who want to pursue undergraduate medical or dental courses abroad are also expected to appear and clear this exam. As a significant number of students aspire for this exam, the level of competition is increasing year by year. The exam is not only difficult but is also considered prestigious in its own right.
The exam is conducted online across the country. Students are expected to attempt a total of 180 questions in 180 minutes. Thus, on average, 1 minute for each question. However, it differs because some questions can be answered quickly whereas some questions require time to eliminate other options or to think in-depth. The questions are asked from the textbooks of class 11th and class 12 Physics, Biology, and Chemistry.
When the syllabus of the exam is specific and students are well-familiar with the sources, then why are many not able to score good marks in the exam? Well, there could be many reasons. Some of them are given below:
- Unaware about the syllabus or the pattern of the exam;
- Too many sources;
- Not practising enough papers;
- Unable to manage the time;
- Not revising sufficient times
- Overconfidence or lack thereof.
These are just some of the reasons that a serious and hardworking student might not be able to score good marks. So, what should you do to ensure that your scores in the NEET exam can be improved significantly? The purpose of this article is to address precisely this issue. The article contains some tips that you can and should follow to enhance your marks.
Table of Contents
1. Be Aware of The Syllabus
You must start the preparation by going through the syllabus of the NEET exam thoroughly. The syllabus helps you to understand what topics or issues might be considered important from the exam perspective and what are the areas on which even if you spent less time it will not cost you much in the exam.
2. PYQs
The other equally crucial step is to go through the previous years’ question papers. These papers will help you develop your understanding of the pattern of the exam. You will also be able to understand the types of questions that are usually asked in the exam. Go through the NEET PYQP 2018 Code AA to understand how the questions are framed. It will enable you to filter important information from not-so-important ones.
The syllabus and the PYQs will provide your preparation with the right guidance and direction. These two sources will ensure that you are well-equipped to find out the cost-benefits ratios of numerous concepts.
3. Only the Basics
The syllabus of the NEET exam can and should be completed only through the school textbooks. The syllabus is vast and thus, you must keep your resources limited. Rather than increasing your sources, increase the coverage of the limited sources. Go through them multiple times. Do not waste your time reading the same topic or concept from various sources. You can anyway gain additional sources through tests.
4. Make a strategy
Write down the date of the exam on a sheet of paper or a sticky note and paste it on the door or the wall of your room. Having a strategy ensures that you can plan the time you have to prepare for the exam smartly. Devise your monthly strategy utilizing your syllabus and PYQs. Make sure that at least 2 months before the exam you have completed the entire syllabus.
5. Schedule
Divide the strategy into various weekly tasks. You should divide the weekly tasks further into daily tasks. This has many benefits. You will be able to complete the syllabus well in time. Your preparation will stay on track. You will develop confidence. This will ensure regularity. This way you will also avoid wasting precious time thinking about what to study. Make a list of the topics of the syllabus that you have completed.
6. Make notes
The syllabus of the exam may seem to be vast and consequently, you might feel overwhelmed. That is why it is important that when you are studying you make notes that will help you to complete the entire topic the second time you study in less time. You should make your notes in short sentences in simple language. Make use of flow charts, tables, mind maps, and other creative ways of studying. The notes that you will prepare will serve as a single, comprehensive source for revision.
7. Test your knowledge
The hours of the day you invest in your preparation will not be beneficial if you are not testing your knowledge and learning from your mistakes frequently. Though studying is important, writing tests enable you to assess the areas that you need to work more on. Writing tests is the best way to increase your score in the exam. It will help you in multiple ways. Some are:
- How to manage your time;
- How to make guesses smartly;
- How to use the technique of elimination to arrive at the right answer.
Another added advantage of writing tests is- the knowledge gained through mistakes stays longer with us. So, make sure you are utilizing the tests as a learning and improving method.
8. Revise
The most crucial aspect of clearing and scoring good marks is revision. Revision assists you in more than one way. If you have invested your time in various revision cycles, you will be able to answer the question correctly as well as quickly. Revision ensures that you can produce the knowledge that you have gained by studying day and night. There is no point in studying if you are not able to utilize the knowledge when it matters the most. Having revised the notes and tests you write multiple times will help you particularly in this aspect.
If you follow these tips in letter and spirit, regularly, you will certainly be able to score good marks in the exam. You do not have to sacrifice your sleep to do so. But you do have to ensure that you eat and be healthy. Talk to your family and friends when you feel low. They will give you the necessary support.
