Effective revision strategies for NEET 2020

By Adarsh Rajvir V.

The first and foremost point to remember is that one should never compare themselves with his peers nor apply their methodologies. One should always know one’s strengths and weaknesses and make one’s own strategies accordingly.

National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) is the gateway to the field of medicine and is among the toughest exams to clear in India. It is important not just to qualify but also to score enough marks to be eligible for a seat in a decent medical college. Lakhs of students appear every year whereas the seats available are just in thousands. So the competition is increasing every year and it becomes difficult by the day to clear the examination. But with hard work, anything is possible.

We can interpret from the students who pass through and get to a conclusion that it is not the number of days they prepare for that matters but a number of ways they try to retain what they’ve prepared that makes them succeed.  So it is also true that it is not just hard work that brings success. While hard work is mandatory, smart work is also equally necessary to help you achieve your goals.

Also Read: NEET 2020 postponed by HRD Minister, New exam date is September 13

The hard work here is your struggle in school and your discipline towards studies both in your past and future while the smart work is the number of strategies you apply to revise and retain the subject you’ve studied all this way.  

The biggest secret or truth about NEET 2020 revision is that no two people have the same way of revising stuff. Thus, it is subjective and varies with every student right from the way they study, to the way they present their answers in a paper. But since this a multiple choice question based examination, it is your memory and the presence of mind that is put to test and not your skills to express your knowledge about the subject. But the biggest mistake most of the students make is that they tend to copy or apply someone’s strategies which not only seems tough to follow but will also deteriorate and discourage the students. So the first and foremost point to remember is that one should never compare themselves with his peers nor apply their methodologies. One should always know one’s strengths and weaknesses and make one’s own strategies accordingly.  

The three main important points to remember while preparing for an examination is:

1. One should always remain calm and focused
2. One should never doubt oneself nor compare with others
3. One should never fail to put his best efforts

But many students tend to panic and do not make strategies and thus tend to lose more time preparing for one. So the basic idea behind the revision for NEET is that it is just the recollection of the concepts and questions of NCERT 11 and 12 grade Biology, Physics and Chemistry.

This is one of the commonly suggested and adopted strategies by the students which has known to have helped many of the students. Unfortunately the fresh applicants have less than a month to prepare for NEET while those who have given their boards already in the previous years need to take out a decent three months time to revise for the exam.

The freshers have equal merits and demerits. While they have very less time, they are fresh with the topics and can revise faster. In the first week, they can brush up with the 11^th standard topics which they might struggle with and in the remaining weeks, they can solve at least 2 full model papers a day and evaluate them. They should analyse and study from their mistakes on the weekends.

Three-Month NEET 2020 Strategy

Those who have time, can spare a minimum of three months for their revision. They should prepare a schedule for everyday and a timetable to keep track of time and their subjects. Never start in a haphazard manner. Doing things in an organised way adds to the positivity and helps to motivate every day on achieving the short term doable goals. Set your goals according to your strength. Don’t over expect or underestimate. This also saves a lot of time.

First Month Strategy: The first month, you need to cover the topics from 11^th grade that you are weak in and the volatile topics. Study different topics of two subjects everyday, if possible all 3 subjects. Choose one subject you’re strong in and the other being a difficult one. Alternate every day making different combinations. While you’re busy studying the concepts and theory, write down and practice certain basic things like answers having a list using mnemonics, basic values that need to be remembered, workout reactions and formulae etc. These things need to be repeated in order to remember them.

Revise the concepts at least thrice. The next day after studying it, the weekend and the month end. This way it will become a long term memory. Use the weekends to revise the concepts and work out at least 2 model question papers every weekend.

Second Month Strategy: Analyse mistakes from the first month, learn from them. Study concepts of 12^th grade similarly. They are easier and try to focus more on topics that carry more weightage in your exams and skipping a few topics is fine. Trying to complete everything is being overambitious. It’s okay to be slow but don’t make the mistake of overburdening yourselves, it will only put you down.

Third Month Strategy: One needs to stay calm throughout. Being anxious is fine and panicking will only make you forget things. Never study anything new in this month. Revise the topics you already know. Focus more on working out multiple model question papers, at least two papers daily. Try more of the full models. Evaluate, analyse and learn from mistakes, know your weaknesses and correct them.

Utilise the last week to remember volatile stuff. Repeat problem-based questions and memorise the formulae and values. Stay calm throughout and avoid using media during this period. This strategy might help you add to your efforts and get you a good score. Always believe in yourself and hope for the best.

About the Author:

Adarsh Rajvir V. is pursuing MBBS from IRT Pendurai Medical College and is a final year student. He is a Bollywood fanatic who loves to socialize and dance. He takes interest in doing chores and cooking.