NEET PG - Introduction
NEET-PG or National Entrance cum Eligibility test is for students wanting to pursue postgraduate degrees in medical fields. The exam is not just any entrance test it is an important step for MBBS graduates who want to excel in a specific field of medicine, NEET-PG allows the students to delve deep into different angles of a specific field and students get in-depth knowledge about their field. The exam is a pathway to life-saving circumstances, where the medical experts perform surgeries and many more critical tasks. The courses offered after passing NEET-PG are Doctor of Medicine (MD), Master of Surgery (MS), Diplomate of National Board (DNB), Doctorate of National Board (direct 6 years course in the field of Neurosurgery, Cardiothoracic Vascular Surgery, Plastic Surgery, and Pediatric Surgery) and diploma courses, in government or private medical colleges. The conductor of the exam is NBE, students who have completed their MBBS degree and one year of internship are eligible for this exam. The exam takes place once a year, the exam centers are in 267 cities in India, students who have Indian citizenship but completed their MBBS degree from foreign colleges must take the Medical Council of India Screening Test. Every year approximately 45,000 seats are offered for the qualifying students.The 3.5-hour exam provides 200 multiple-choice questions, the competition is high and intense, and the exam is an immense event that celebrates the knowledge, integrity, dedication, and resilience of ambitious students who wish to excel in their chosen fields. So NEET-PG is not just an exam is it a catalyst for transforming the future and a pathway brimming with excellent possibilities in medicine.
NEET PG - Eligibility
The eligibility criteria:
- Students who have completed their Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) degree are eligible for the exam.
- The students must have completed their one-year internship.
- The students must have a probational registration from the Medical Council of India.
NEET PG - Dates
Here are some important dates of NEET-PG:
- The registration will start from January 2024.
- The admit card will be uploaded in February 2024.
- The exam date is 3rd March 2024.
- The results will be out in March itself.
NEET PG - Exam Structure
- The exams happen in an online process, students are given 3.5 hours to complete the exam.
- There are 200 multiple-choice questions to attend.
- The total marks of the exam is 800.
- Every correct answer carries 4 marks and every wrong answer carries -1 marks.
- There are 3 sections in the question paper.
- No marks are given for the unattempted questions.
- The medium of the exam is only English.
- Section A consists of clinical questions, section B consists of pre-clinical questions and Section C consists of para-clinical questions.
- The whole syllabus includes topics such as Anatomy, Physiology, Biochemistry, Pathology, Pharmacology, Microbiology, Forensic medicine, and Social and Preventive medicine.
NEET PG - Cut-off
- The cut-off releases along with the result.
- The cut-off depends on a few factors like the number of candidates, seat availability, and many other factors.
- The cut-off varies in different categories.
- The cut-off for unreserved category students is 50 percentile, the sc/st/OBC category cut-off is 40 percentile, and the cut-off for the UR PWD category is 45 percentile.
NEET PG - Application process
The application process:
- The application has a few steps.
- First the students have to register on the official website of the NBA.
- After that an ID and password will be generated.
- After that students can proceed to fill out the application form.
- Students have to carefully upload the documents asked by the NBA, and a scanned signature is also important.
- And after filling out the form students have to pay the non-refundable application fee.
- The application fee for the general/OBC category is around 5000 Rs.
- The application fee for SC/ST category students is around 3,500 Rs.
NEET PG - Preparation Tips
Here are some tips for NEET-PG aspirants:
- Students must have a clear idea about the syllabus and the topics.
- A timetable must be ruled out for each subject.
- The student must choose reliable study materials like textbooks, reference books, and online sources that align with the latest NEET-PG syllabus.
- The students should use different study techniques to enhance the learning and memorizing game, like using flashcards, summarizing, blurting the topic, etc.
- The students must practice MCQs from the previous year's question papers.
- Analyzing the mistakes and focusing on solving the paper more correctly will help the students reach their goal easily.
- The preparation is time-consuming so the student must make a study routine.
- The students must maintain a healthy study routine that will help them manage stress and it will help them be consistent in their preparation journey.
- If needed one must join a coaching center to have more routine and effective study.
- Forming a student group and discussion topics and helping each other learn will also add fun elements to the preparation.
- Overall the students must understand consistency is key so the students must stay focused, start early, and enjoy while they prepare to achieve their goals.