National Testing Agency (NTA) has clarified, and warned students, that the notice on NEET 2020 syllabus changed is fake. There is no revision in the syllabus. Candidates can know the actual syllabus from appendix I of the NEET 2020 information brochure here, and see the official notice on syllabus revised being fake here.
With that settled, students are focusing on their preparations. However the lockdown has presented them with new challenges. Now it is all about self studies, discipline, and also cooperation from family members is highly needed to be able to prepare effectively.
The situation is unique. Never in the history of NEET or erstwhile AIPMT have any batch has to prepare for the exam in this very peculiar type of situation. As the world battles it out with a microscopic sized organism that has brought everyone to its knees, as doctors and nurses battle it out from the front lines, the future doctors are faced with an unprecedented set of questions.
For overcoming the new barriers, and gearing up to do even better than before, here are some excellent tips for all NEET 2020 aspirants.
#1. Stay safe. Stay healthy. The number one priority for everyone right now is to protect self and others from the pandemic. It is essential to follow all WHO and MOHFW guidelines at this time. Also, abide by the lockdown and social distancing norms being issued on a city and state level from time to time. In India, 42% millenials are affected which is an anomaly from the global norm. Hence, young students should take extra precautions and ultimately, that is required for the safety of their family and community as well.
#2. Be disciplined. When you have school and coaching to go to, you are more or less in an externally defined schedule. Now, there are no such things to define your time table. The 24 hours are yours. It is easy to slip into erratic sleeping pattern, bad eating habits, and unfocused study times. Now it is more important to make a time table – as close to normal as you can – and stick to it.
#3. Too much disturbance at home? Find your comfort space. Right now your parents and siblings, and perhaps your extended family too is at home. Someone may be watching TV, someone may be shouting, maybe they are playing games or singing. Here you are recommended to do two things. First is to find silent zones – either time wise (like early morning is disturbance free) and space wise (maybe that one room no one uses is undisturbed). And secondly, request your family members to help you out and maintain some peace, as much as they can. There will be instances where in you might feel a little distracted because all the family members at home. But you will have to balance that out by preparing your time table. Give more time to your studies but also take small little breaks to be with your family.
#4. Use technology. You can connect with teachers and peers by call, Whatsapp audio / video calls, google hangouts, or explore new apps like zoom and skype. You can fix some time with your teachers when they can help you out with doubts (zoom, skype have screen sharing features also). If you used to study with peers you can have some common QnA sessions with them, and so on. In fact it is also encouraged to use these to simply socialize from time to time. But restrict the screen use time to not get distracted too much.
#5. Get into the revision mode quickly. Do not expect NEET to get delayed for too long. Stay prepared. Hence, dive into the revision mode as soon as you can and start revising from your self-made notes, and practicing to polish your strengths and better your weaknesses.
#6. Take mock tests, solve sample papers, and previous year question papers. Toppers of each year’s NEET exam have one thing in common – they solved several previous year question papers, practiced many sample papers, and took mock tests. Doing these build speed, accuracy, and confidence, that are all essential in pushing your score in NEET exam several notches up.
#7. Limit social media use. While this adage has been in use for quite some time, this year it is even more important. Right now social medial is filled with news of the pandemic. There are news on it and then there are news on the news, facts and fiction both. Do not go down that rabbit hole right now. You can watch the news for 20-30 minutes in a day to know what is happening, but overall stay away from all the discussion around the facts.
#8. Meditate, and talk. These are trying times. But we will get through them. However if you feel anxious or panic at anytime, talk to your family, talk to your friends, talk to your teachers. Meditate for a little while every day to lower your anxiety levels. You are strong, but this young you, the future doctor is after all human. So do not be ashamed of your moments of weaknesses and seek help as soon as you feel you need to. You will get through this 🙂
So to conclude, candidates who will appear in NEET 2020 can utilise this time to revise, take tests. While most students must have completed their syllabus by now, this is time to improve on your weaknesses if there are any. Candidates should give a minimum of 1 mock test every day and check them to know where they are actually lacking behind. Use this time frame to strenghten all the possible topics. If your coaching centre is indeed hosting a virtual class, then join it without wasting any time. If that is not the case then opt for watching youtube online lessons. You can also take a help from video conferencing with your teachers. Now that you have more time and nothing else to do, start previous year question papers each and everyday. Clear your doubts with the help of your NCERT books and do a self check of your answers too.
There are a lot of news about COVID-19 around the world and how it is impacting the world economy and various other daily activities. The global pandemic has also impacted the date of lot of examinations in India one of which is the NEET 2020, so keep a check on the official websites nta.ac.in, ntaneet.nic.in for any updates and changes.
