Must-know topics & formulae for NEET UG

By C.Muthu Kumari 

With only a few days left for the NEET UG exam to begin, it’s certain that many of the aspirants are feeling the jitters. The first thing that you need to keep in mind is that NEET UG is akin to the erstwhile AIPMT papers.

The paper has 180 objective type questions on Chemistry, Physics, Zoology and Botany, with equal weight age of 45 questions devoted to each subject.

The questions will be based on the syllabus prescribed by the MCI (Medical Council of India). The duration of the exam will be 3 hours and there will be negative marking of 0.25 marks.

Here are a few tips and formulae to help you work out the last leg of your preparation strategy:

Important Topics /Tips to prepare for Biology section:

• All the chapters of XI and XII biology are equally important with more emphasis on XI biology.
• In Biology, remember that an in-depth knowledge of every topic is extremely important. Read the NCERT textbook thoroughly.
•  Analysis of previous year papers has shown that the unit, 'Structural Organisation in Plants and Animals' in Grade XI contributes to the maximum number of questions. In Grade XII, the units 'Biology for human welfare' and 'Ecology' are important.
• In Biology, all the concepts pertaining to human biology are equally important.
• Try to remember:
  • The structural and morphological features of plants and animals
  • The essential ratios of genotypes and phenotypes in genetics. Here is a table of the ratios

Tips to prepare for Physics section:

• All the chapters of XI and XII are equally important.
• The analysis of previous year papers has shown that the units 'Kinematics and Laws of Motion of XI and the units 'Optics and 'Electronics' from class XII are immensely important.

Tips to prepare for Chemistry Section:

• The chapters of XI and XII are equally important.
• The chapters which are the most important are:

Inorganic chemistry: p-block elements, d and f-block elements, coordination compounds

Organic chemistry: IUPAC nomenclature, oxygen and nitrogen containing compounds

Physical chemistry: Solutions, Electrochemistry, States of Matter, Equilibrium, Chemical Kinetics

In Chemistry, concentrate more on Organic chemistry, because there is a chance to get close to 20 questions from this topic out of total 45 questions in the Chemistry section. Organic chemistry questions are likely to be easier, if you are prepared

If at all you have access to preparatory online study resources for NEET, revise all the important topics and keep taking practice tests.

Look at solved previous year AIPMT papers and try to locate a pattern of questions asked in the exam from the topic. Compare the CBSE syllabus for Class XI, XII with that of NEET, there are minor differences and you don’t want to miss those.  Revise the key areas and test yourself again on the topic.

It is very important for you to solve the exercises given in NCERT books. Practice using Sample Tests as it will help your ability to solve questions at the speed of 1 minute per question.

You can keep a track of your preparation by creating a topic checklist where you can mark the level of competence you have in each chapter/concept.

About the author:

An expert with Meritnation, C.Muthu Kumari has done her M.Sc & M.Phil in Microbiology from Bharathiar University, Tamil Nadu. She's a gold medalist and brings with her over seven years of experience in teaching Biology in higher classes.