NEET PG 2021: Adapting to changes in exam pattern, tips to keep in mind

NEET PG is an entrance examination, conducted by National Board of Education (NBE) for admission to MS/MD and PG Diploma Courses under various Universities/ Institutions in the country. The NEET PG 2021 will be held for admission to 19,953 Doctor of Medicine (MD) seats, 10,821 Master of Surgery (MS) seats, 6,102 government, private, central, and deemed universities and 1,979 PG Diploma seats.

This year, candidates will be asked 200 multiple choice questions instead of 300. As a result, the total marks are reduced from 1200 to 800. According to the NEET PG 2021 marking scheme, a candidate will receive four marks for correct responses and one mark will be deducted for each incorrect answer.

The paper will be entirely in English and will be held for a duration of 3 hours and 30 minutes from 2:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. It will be a computer-based exam which will be held in 255 cities across the country on April 18, 2021.

Since there was a major change in this year’s NEET PG exam pattern, here are some tips on adapting to these changes:

1. Pay more attention to clinical subjects: More clinical questions are likely to be asked in the examination. Ensure that you are well-versed in the clinical aspect. Some of the most important clinical subjects to study are Medicine, Surgery, OBG, Pediatrics, ENT, Ophthalmology, Dermatology, Orthopaedics, PSM, Radiology, Psychiatry. Adhere to clinical subjects as much as possible during your revision.

2. Question pattern: Expect each question to be a case or a disease. Also, expect some questions to be moderately lengthy. However, it is unlikely to be as lengthy as the USMLE (The United States Medical Licensing Examination) considering the past trends of NBE.

3. Try to attempt all questions: Utilize the first 15 minutes of your time to carefully examine the question paper. You will then be able to determine whether it is easy, moderately difficult, or difficult, based on your preparation. Avoid twisted questions if possible, or solve them at last, after all the easy and average questions have been answered. With this strategy, attempt as many questions as you can, unless you are entirely unsure about the case/numerical.

4. Last-minute tips: Pre-clinical, para-clinical, and clinical sciences are the three main parts of the NEET PG 2021 syllabus. These sections are further divided into sub-sections such as Anatomy, Pathology, and Psychiatry, among others. For Pre/Para clinicals, concentrate on applied aspects rather than the entire theory/topic.

5. Revise thoroughly: Students must devise a well-thought-out approach based on their own strengths and weaknesses. Concentrate on the subjects you have already covered and do not read new subjects/books (especially USMLE books). Trust your hard work and go with your instincts.

6. Attempt mock tests: You can boost your confidence by taking no more than 2-3 mock tests before the exam. Multiple revisions will help you retain information. Practicing and re-visiting what you have learnt will strengthen your confidence and make it faster to solve the questions on the day of the examination.

Without understanding the new paper pattern, a NEET PG aspirant's preparation would be incomplete. Hence, get a clear understanding of the exam's scheme and mode, as well as the structure of the question paper and weightage of subjects. The NEET-PG 2021 results will be released on the NBE website on May 31, 2021.

(Author Dr Dilip Kumar is a NEET PG educator at Unacademy. Views expressed here are personal.)