What Everybody Ought to Know About NEET Exam

The word NEET has been ringing in the academic circles for quite a while now. We gathered little bits of information from varied sources to form a complete picture of the examination and here it is.

What is NEET?


National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Shortly, NEET) is a single examination for admission into colleges approved by MCI and DCI for UG and PG courses.

Why do we need NEET?


Students who aspire to become doctors or pursue higher studies in medical sciences have to appear for a number of entrance examinations like All India Pre Medical Test (AIPMT) and other State PMTs like EAMCET, AFMC etc.

To avoid stress on students and thereby streamlining the admission process with a single examination, the Medical Council of India (MCI – the body that governs all medical institutions in India) has introduced National Eligibility cum Entrance Test for Under Graduate and Post Graduate students.

It not only saves time but also reduces the financial burden on a student due to multiple examinations.

When will the exam take place?


NEET UG examination will take place on 5th May, 2013 (Sunday).

Can I have the list of colleges participating in NEET?


Admission to MBBS and BDS courses into colleges approved by MCI (Medical Council of India) and DCI (Dental Council of India) will be done through NEET.

The official notification (which will be published around December) is expected to come with an elaborate list of colleges that accepts NEET scores.

Who is conducting NEET?


Central Board of Secondary Examination (CBSE) is conducting NEET for Under Graduation.

National Board of Examinations (NBE) is conducting NEET for Post Graduation.

What is the eligibility criterion for NEET?


For Under-graduate students (NEET UG)

50% for General category candidates and 40% for SC/ST/OBC category students in Physics, Chemistry and Biology/Biotechnology (all taken together). The student must also pass in Physics, Chemistry, Biology and English individually and should be at least 17 years old at the cutoff date (the upper age limit is relaxed by 5 years for students belonging to backward classes).

For students with locomotory disability of lower limbs, the eligibility percentage is set at 45%.

For Post-Graduate students (NEET PG):

To be eligible, students should have:

  1. MBBS degree (final or provisional pass certificate) from an institution recognized by the Indian Medical Council Act
  2. A registration certificate issued by Medical council of India (MCI) / State Medical councils
  3. Completed or are likely to complete one year of internship before the cutoff date.

What will be the pattern of the Examination?


For NEET UG

The examination would be conducted both in online and offline format.

In total there will be 180 Multiple-choice questions (45 each for Physics, Chemistry, Botany and Zoology) to be solved in 180 minutes, there will be negative marking of ¼th of the total mark allotted to a question for incorrect response.

The paper will be in English and Hindi.

For NEET PG

This would be an online examination and the test would be having 240 multiple choice questions with single correct type questions with no negative marking.

The paper will only be in English.

What is the syllabus of NEET?


For NEET UG

Physics: Work, energy and power, gravitation, properties of bulk matter, thermodynamics, behavior of perfect gas and kinetic theory, oscillations and waves, electrostatics, current electricity, magnetic effects of current and magnetism, electromagnetic induction and alternating currents, optics

Chemistry: structure of atom, chemical bonding, molecular, structure, equilibrium, organic chemistry, basic principles and techniques of hydrocarbons, coordination compounds, bio molecules, polymers and surface chemistry

Biology: Structural organization in animals and plants, cell structure and function, human psychology, genetics and evolution, biology and human welfare, bio technology and its applications.

You may find the complete list of syllabus here

For NEET PG

The syllabus will be the subjects as per graduate medical education documents released by Medical Council of India (MCI). Please refer to the MCI website for more details.

What is the entrance-qualifying criterion?


Here are the percentile requirement in the NEET examination for students belonging to different categories:

General Category students – 50 Percentile
SC/ST/OBC – 40 Percentile
Physically Disabled (Locomotory disability of lower limbs) – 45 Percentile

If in some specific year, sufficient number of students in respective categories fail to score the minimum eligibility marks, then the Central Government (In consultation with MCI) will lower the cutoff and that’ll be only applicable for the particular year.

How will I be judged under NEET?


The result of a candidate will have two ranks – AIR and State rank. There will additionally be a benefit to state medical colleges for students belonging to the same state.

What is the reservation policy for NEET?


The existing reservation policy will remain. The authorities would circulate the state wise merit list so that state governments can fill seats according to their local policies.

What is the expected level of participation?


For NEET UG the expected turnout would be between 8 to 11 Lakh students for NEET PG there is no estimations available at present (please note these are only expected figures).

As there’s a growing confusion among different states backing out of NEET, this article might be revised from time to time to accommodate important changes. We’ll keep you posted on everything related to NEET. Keep checking this space.