Changes expected in NEET 2019 and how to prepare for it

By Nishant Sinha

The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) may see several changes in 2019. According to an MHRD (Ministry of Human Resource Development) release (which was published by the Press Information Bureau (PIB) on March 13, 2018):

The National Testing Agency (NTA) will be created to take over the reign of the entrance exams in India that are being conducted by the CBSE (Central Board of Secondary Education) at present.

It is believed that with NTA at the helm, the medical entrance exam will become highly reliable and standardized, and it will be possible to conduct fair assessment tests for all candidates interested in taking admission to the MBBS and BDS courses in India.

You can read the release here:

The two most relevant points for the NEET aspirants mentioned in the release are:

• It will be conducted twice a year – in the online mode (instead of the current offline mode), and
• NTA would locate centers at district or sub-district levels that would provide hands-on training to rural students so that they can appear for the online NEET test with confidence.

Significant Changes that Happened in NEET 2018:

2018 saw several changes in the NEET exam and the next 2019 might prove a year of changes too. Some of the fundamental changes that happened this year are:

• Earlier, students of Jammu & Kashmir, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana had to submit a Self Declaration form to be eligible for seats under 15% All India Quota (AIQ) - as the states were not part of the NEET's AIQ scheme. It means that those who qualified NEET could not seek MBBS or BDS seats in the medical colleges of these states under the All India Quota.

Now, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana have joined the AIQ scheme. Hence, its candidates do not have to submit the self-declaration form anymore.

• Students who want to go abroad to study medicine have to first qualify the NEET (UG) exam now. Accord to the latest government announcement, from May 2018 onwards, medical aspirants will only be considered eligible to study abroad if they secure a position in the Top 50 percentile of the entrance exam.

Read: MCI makes NEET mandatory for medical studies abroad

• CBSE projected a scare when it announced that the NIOS (National Institute of Open Schooling) students or students of state open schools or private candidates would not be eligible for the NEET 2018 exam. It also said that a student will get a maximum of three attempts to crack the NEET exam and that the candidate should not be more than 25 years old to be considered eligible for the exam.

Thankfully, the court asked the CBSE to allow everyone to appear for the exam. Also, the official brochure did not mention any cap on the number of attempts in the NEET exam.

• The CBSE used to prepare multiple sets of question papers in each of the ten languages in which the NEET exam takes place. On the Supreme Court's directive, it agreed to have only one set of question paper in each language to ensure the uniformity of the difficulty level of the exam for all students.
• Students who choose English as their exam medium will get the NEET question paper in English only, while the students who choose Hindi, Urdu or any of the regional languages would get a bilingual NEET paper in which the questions will be published in English as well as the chosen language.

Read: NEET to be held in 8 more languages besides Hindi & English

Aadhaar card has also been made mandatory for NEET registration, but it should not make much of a difference to the medical aspirants. Those who do not have an Aadhaar card can always use another official ID such as the driving license or passport to register for the medical exam. If you intend to appear for NEET 2019, there is still ample time left to apply for an Aadhaar card and receive it in time.

(Expected) NEET 2019 Exam Date

NEET 2017 was conducted on May 7, which was the first Sunday of the month that year. NEET 2018 exam has been announced on May 6, which is again the first Sunday of the month this year. Going by this trend, NEET 2019 will likely be conducted on May 5 – the first Sunday of the month next year. Check NEET 2018 important dates here.

Since the NTA is likely to conduct the exams twice a year, it is a possibility that NEET will again be conducted in October or November next year.

Will there be a change in NEET 2019 syllabus?

On January 18, 2018, Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar told the media that students of the State Boards often complain that the syllabi for Physics, Chemistry, and Biology in many states are significantly different from the CBSE syllabus of the three subjects. Hence, they are at a greater disadvantage when it comes to NEET as the medical entrance exam is based only on the NEET syllabus. Consequently, the government has decided to take into account the curricula of all State Boards while framing the NEET 2018 question paper.

The statement created a furor among students and parents. By January, many aspirants had already covered most of their syllabus, and their NEET preparation was in full swing. Seeing the backlash, the CBSE quickly announced that there would be no change in the NEET 2018 syllabus. It did not commit anything about NEET 2019 though.

Those who are preparing for the NEET exam to be held next year are advised to focus on the CBSE syllabus for now, and factor in some extra time to study the new topics (that might get added to the curriculum of the medical entrance exam in 2019) in their study plan.

NEET coaching providers are already gearing up for the changes in the exam. You may seek their help to get a streamlined syllabus that not only includes CBSE topics but the important topics from state boards’ curricula as well.

How to prepare for NEET 2019?

NEET is a highly competitive exam, and students start their medical exam preparation as early as Class 8. In fact, some coaching programs offer foundation classes for students still in Class 6!

The general trend is to start preparing for the program in Class 11. NEET syllabus includes the topics you cover in Class 11 and Class 12. If you cover all the topics well and in depth and practice questions from previous years’ NEET or AIPMT papers on the topic you study, you should do well in the exam.

Your daily study routine should include:

1. Study theory from the NCERT book, and use a reference book or your coaching’s study material to clarify the concepts you do not understand well.
2. Solve NCERT questions.
3. Attempt questions and problems from your reference book or solve the Daily Practice Papers that various coaching institutes offer.
4. Attempt the questions from the past years’ NEET or AIPMT papers. You might also try to solve AIIMS papers to gain expertise on the topic.
5. As you finish a chapter or a unit or a subject, take the chapter-wise, unit-wise, or subject-wise test to evaluate how well you've understood it. During the last phase of your NEET preparation, you should solve at least one full-length NEET sample paper or mock test every day and analyze it to know your strengths and weaknesses.

It is best to take online tests as in the coming days, the exam is expected to be conducted to go online.

Students who dream of becoming a doctor one day should always be ready for emergencies – and learn to reach out and seek help from others whenever they need it.

Best of Luck!

About the Author:

Nishant Sinha is the co-founder of emedicalprep.com, an Online Medical Coaching platform for Medical Entrance Exams like NEET (earlier known as AIPMT), AIIMS and other school entrance exams aiming for a career in the Medical sector. He is passionate about making Doctors and Medical aspirants meet their goal (NEET or AIIMS). For this dream of his, he left his lucrative career in one of the American Management Consulting firms named Kurt Salmon Associates.