National Testing Agency (NTA) has revised the exam pattern of NEET 2021. In the recently published information brochure, NTA has conveyed the new exam pattern of the medical entrance exam.
NTA is going to conduct the National Eligibility Entrance Examination (NEET) 2021 on September 12, 2021, through pen-and-paper mode. Before the announcement of the revised exam date, there were rumours about NEET 2021 being conducted twice. However, due to the delay in the conduction of the exam, the medical entrance exam will not be conducted twice. Moreover, it will be conducted through offline mode, contrary to many speculations and reports. However, to help students in cracking the NEET 2021 examination, certain changes have been introduced in this year’s paper pattern.
New Exam Pattern of NEET UG 2021 is as follows – The question paper shall comprise of four distinct subjects – Physics, Chemistry, Botany and Zoology. Each subject shall be divided into two sections – Section A and Section B. Section A shall comprise 35 questions while Section B shall contain 15 questions. Students are required to attempt all questions in Section A. However, they will have to attempt only 10 out 15 questions in Section B, as per their choice. All questions shall be objective-based multiple-choice questions (MCQs).
In the NEET 2021 examination, each correct answer shall be allotted 4 marks while 1 mark will be deducted for every wrong answer. No marks will be awarded/deducted for unanswered questions. What the candidate has to do is to consider all four options and select the option which is most appropriate.
The information brochure of NEET 2021 also clarifies what will happen in case more than one option is found to be correct. NTA shall release a provisional answer key. Students will get an opportunity to challenge the answer key. After the answer-key challenge session, if more than one option is correct, then all those correct options shall be awarded 4 marks. Moreover, in case a question has been dropped or ignored, all candidates will be awarded 4 marks irrespective of whether they have attempted the question or not.
What are the differences between last year’s NEET and the new exam pattern for 2021?
The major change in the paper pattern being introduced this year as opposed to last year is Section B for each subject. Last year, all four sections comprised 45 questions each without any internal choice. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has severely impacted the academics of students. Hence, to provide concession to NEET 2021 aspirants, Section B has been introduced.
JEE Main 2021 students have been given four attempts instead of two to clear the national-level entrance exam. the same could not be done in the case of NEET 2021. However, students have internal choices in a few questions to improve their scores and clear the exam.
