National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) is conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) every year for medical applicants. It is an examination for MBBS aspirants planning to take admission in AIIMS, JIPMER, etc. This year the exam will be conducted on May 3, 2020. The registration to appear for the exam this year has already closed. It is almost the time for downloading admit cards that will be released on March 27, 2020.
This year many students have doubts about whether NEET 2020 will be different from NEET 2019? The NTA director, Vineet Joshi has clearly said in a statement that there will be no change in the NEET exam pattern, difficulty level or syllabus of NEET 2020. The doubt among students has risen due to its merger with AIIMS and JIPMER for admission through NEET from 2020. Previously, such institutions used to conduct a separate UG entrance test which will not take place from 2020. Let’s take a look at the questions that NEET 2020 candidates faced.
- Will there be additional sections in the NEET exam to make the pattern similar to UG entrance examinations conducted by various institutions?
Students believed that NTA will include sections for general knowledge, logic and reasoning and English which were common sections in entrance examinations for AIIMS and JIPMER. But analyzing the difficulty that it would impose on students who have been working hard and practising the pattern already, NTA decided not to complicate the situation further and adhere to the same question paper pattern.
- Will the level of NEET 2020 be difficult as compared to NEET 2019?
Due to the inclusion of AIIMS and JIPMER for admission through NEET, the number of students appearing for the exam will increase. But this does not imply that the paper will be more difficult compared to the previous years. However, students will face tough competition due to a sharp increase in the number of aspirants. NCERT will remain the primary source for preparation along with coaching. With the clarity of concepts, students will not find any change in the level of difficulty of papers.
- Is NEET 2020 going to be conducted online?
NTA had planned to make NEET 2020 an online examination for students but looking at the number of candidates and thinking of any shortcoming that would affect the examination, NTA has decided to continue the offline mode i.e. pen and paper test pattern this year.
- Will NEET 2020 be conducted twice a year?
Last year, NTA had announced that NEET 2019 will be conducted twice a year in February and May but after objections raised by students and parents, the decision had to be reverted. This year there is no chance of the exam being conducted twice a year. The exam is scheduled for May 3, 2020.
- Are there any eligibility criteria to appear for NEET 2020?
The eligibility criteria for NEET 2020 are not anything different from the previous years. Eligible candidates for NEET 2020 are those who will attain the age of 17 by December 31, 2020. They must have qualified class 12 in the science stream with a minimum of 50% if they are from the general category. Candidates must have studied Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and English in class 12. If a student has studied biology as an additional subject or has completed class 11 and 12 through open school are also eligible to appear for the exam. There is no restriction imposed on the number of attempts that a student wants to take for NEET 2020 keeping in view the scope of improvement.
NEET 2020 Exam Pattern
From all the above discussions it must be clear now that there is no change in the paper pattern for NEET 2020. The pattern of paper that will be followed in 2020 is provided for clearing any further questions related to it.
- The paper is objective-based with 180 multiple-choice questions.
- The time duration of 3 hours is provided to every student for completing the paper.
- The maximum mark of the paper is 720.
- Questions are divided subject wise as follows:
- Biology – 90 questions (mostly related to Botany or Zoology)
- Physics and Chemistry – 45 questions each
- Students are awarded 4 marks for every correct answer while 1 mark is deducted for every wrong answer. Unanswered questions are not marked at all.
- NEET marks are calculated as 4 x Total number of questions correctly answered – 1 x Total number of incorrect answers.
- The exam is conducted at the national level in 2 national languages i.e. English and Hindi and 9 regional languages i.e. Telugu, Assamese, Gujarati, Marathi, Tamil, Bengali, Urdu, Odia, and Kannada.
NEET is a very important exam especially for the ones aspiring to enter the medical profession. It helps students take admission in more than 500 medical colleges, 300 dental colleges, 15 AIIMS, 2 JIPMER and several other medical institutions including AYUSH, BVSc and AH. The minimum qualifying percentile for unreserved students is 50th percentile which is equivalent to the range of score from 134 to 701. NEET results will be announced in the first week of June. This year it is expected to be released on June 4. The results for examination are accessible by filling log in details such as roll number and date of birth. Following the announcement of results, you will have to apply for the process of counselling. The best way to prepare for such examinations is by solving mock tests, practising previous year papers. Focus on keeping your concepts clear and you will face no difficulty in solving papers.
