NEET UG 2021: All you need to know about new exam pattern

NEET DATE 12 SEPTEMBER

NEET UG 2021: All you need to know about new exam pattern

The medical entrance examination paper pattern has undergone a significant change for the first time since it was instituted, writes Amit Gupta

The National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test (undergraduate), NEET UG, will be conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) on Sunday, September 12, 2021. It is a national-level exam meant for admission to MBBS, BDS, BSMS, BAMS, BHMS, BUMS and other undergraduate courses in medical and dental colleges across India. Students will need to take the test at the designated centers in person. The NEET UG question paper will comprise of Multiple-Choice Questions (MCQs). A total of four marks will be awarded for each correct answer and one mark will be deducted for each incorrect response. The NEET UG examination paper pattern has undergone significant change, for the first time since it was instituted.

Listed below are the changes that students need to be aware of before appearing for the exam:

 Question paper format: The paper will consist of 200 questions of which the candidate needs to attempt 180. As per the pattern, the paper will consist of the respective subjects i.e., Physics, Chemistry, Botany, and Zoology. It will be in MCQ format and each question will have four optional answers. Every correct answer carries four marks and every incorrect answer carries a negative marking of one and the exam duration will be for three hours.

Section-wise division:

 Each of the four subjects consists of two sections, A and B respectively. Section A consists of 35 compulsory questions. For section B, candidates will have an option to attempt any 10 questions among the given 15. In the light of the decision to reduce the syllabus by various boards, the NTA has decided to give choice in section B for all four subjects. If a candidate attempts more than ten questions for section B, only the first ten attempted questions will be evaluated. It is essential to exercise caution while attempting questions in Section B.

Increased language options: 

The medium or choice of languages has been increased from 11 to 13 this year, enabling more candidates to take the test in their regional languages. This year, the languages that candidates can choose from include: English, Hindi, Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu. As the syllabus remains the same, the candidate should continue with the same study pattern he/she has been following and give equal importance to all the given topics of the respective subjects. Students must not change their study plan at this point as it is important to give equal importance to all the topics within the set syllabus. Keep in mind that NEET UG is a competitive examination with a limited number of available seats.

(The writer is a NEET UG educator at Unacademy)