“National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test – Undergraduate”, also known as “NEET-UG” or “NEET” is a major medical entrance exam conducted in India. It tests the eligibility of students for undergraduate medical programs across various recognised medical universities/institutes in the country. It is one of the most important examinations in the country. It is through this exam that the country gets new, talented and passionate doctors who are crucial for the welfare and well-being of this country.

Doctor is going to examine his patient using his stethoscope over sitting people in modern hospital background

NEET, 2020

From 2020, NEET conducted by NTA (National Testing Agency) will be the single major entrance test for admissions to AIIMS and Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education & Research (JIPMER) in addition to other premier institutes. Admissions to popular medical courses like MBBS, BDS and Ayush courses such as BAMS, BHMS, B.V.Sc, and AH will be made through NEET, 2020. 

NEET 2020 exam has now been rescheduled due to the nationwide pandemic situation occurred out of COVID-19. The exam will be conducted on Sunday, September 13, 2020, from 2 pm to 5 pm. 15 days before the exam, dates of downloading the admit cards mentioning roll numbers and examination centre will be displayed in the official sites of NTA.

Medical Council of India (MCI) will be conducting the first round of counselling for 15% all India quota seats. The state admissions counselling shall be conducted following that.

Number of seats available for admissions through NEET 2020 are:

  • 75893 seats for MBBS in 529 colleges
  • 26693 seats for BDS in 313 colleges
  • 200 seats in JIPMER (Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research
  • 1205 in 15 AIIMS across India

Eligibility Criterion

NEET 2020 is open for all Indian Nationals, Non-Resident Indians (NRIs), Overseas Citizens of India (OCI), Persons with Indian Origin (PIO), and Foreign Nationals who will be at least 17 years of age as of December 31st, 2020. The Supreme Court verdict is still waiting for the upper age limit in NEET, and hence, there is no upper age limit for taking the exam as of now. If the verdict passes, then the upper age will be 25 years with five years of relaxation for SC/ST/OBC NCL and PwD candidates. There is no limit on the number of attempts to take NEET. 

Candidates appearing for the exam should have qualified Class 12 or equivalent examination with Physics, Chemistry, Biology/Biotechnology and English as main subjects. Candidates appearing for class 12 or equivalent in 2020 also fit the eligibility criteria for NEET. Students who might have opted for Biology as an additional subject in class 12 are also eligible to take the exam. Open school students who have completed classes 11 and 12 can also appear in NEET 2020. The general category candidates should have scored at least50 % in each subject and aggregate. Qualifying marks for PWD (Persons with Disabilities) candidates and SC/ST/OBC NCL candidates are 45 % and 40 % respectively.

Exam Pattern

The three-hour paper in offline mode will be available for candidates in 11 Indian languages: English, Hindi, Tamil, Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Oriya, Urdu, Marathi, and Telugu. The preferred language must be selected during the application process. The exam papers in regional languages will be available only in the respective regions. There will be multiple-choice questions in four sections: Physics, Chemistry, Biology (Botany and Zoology) with each question holding four marks each. Wrong answers will have a deduction of 1 mark per mistake. The exam pattern for NEET will include 45 questions and will consist of 180 marks. Physics and Chemistry carry 25 % weightage each while biology carries 50 % weightage.

Dress code and barred items during the exam

NTA has advised the candidates to follow a dress code during the exam. Dresses with long sleeves are not permitted. Similarly, shoes are also not permitted, but slippers and sandals are allowed. NTA had advised the candidates to reach the exam centre at least an hour before in case they chose to wear a traditional dress for the exam to allow enough time for the frisking of the candidates without causing any inconvenience.

NTA has also issued a list of barred items during the exams. Items like printed textual material or bits of paper, pouches, geometry boxes, calculators, log tables, etc. are strictly banned. Mobile phones, earphones, Bluetooth devices, health bands, wallets, goggles, handbags, belts, wristwatch, camera, bracelet, ornaments, opened/packed food items or water bottles are barred from the exam hall.

Syllabus for NEET 2020

NEET 2020 will have questions from Class 11 and 12 syllabi prescribed by the NTA. A detailed syllabus is available on the Medical Council of India website. A brief overview along with the respective weightage for each topic for NEET 2020 syllabus is given below:

Physics ChemistryBiology
Work, energy, and power -6%Thermodynamics – 9%Diversity in Living World – 11%
Motion of System Of Particles and Rigid Body – 4%Equilibrium – 6%Biology and Human Welfare – 5%
Properties of bulk matter – 14%Solutions – 5%Structural Organisation in Animals and Plants – 10%
Thermodynamics – 9%Alcohols, Phenols, and Ethers – 8%Plant Physiology – 8%
Electrostatics – 9%Electrochemistry – 4%Human Physiology – 12%
Current Electricity – 8%Chemistry in Everyday Life – 4%Reproduction – 11%
Optics – 10%d and f Block Elements – 4%Genetics and Evolution – 12%
Electronic devices 14%Coordination compounds – 4%Biology and Human Welfare – 5%
Magnetic Effects of Current and Magnetism, Electromagnetic Waves – 5% eachChemical Bonding and molecular structure – 5%Biotechnology and Its Applications, Cell Structure and Function – 7% each
Dual Nature of Matter and Radiation – 6%Chemical kinetics, Classification of elements and periodicity in properties, Hydrogen, Aldehydes, Ketones, and Carboxylic Acids, Polymers, Biomolecules – 3% eachEcology and environment – 13%

Counselling

NEET 2020 will have two rounds of counselling after the results for written exams have been declared. The qualifying candidates can appear for:

  • All India counselling for 15% of seats in government colleges of the country and 100% seats in deemed universities.
  • State-wise counselling for 85% for the remaining seats and 100% seats in private colleges.

According to the reservation policy of the government, 10% of the seats are reserved for the category General-Economically Weaker Section (GEN-EWS). 15% of the seat counselling for the category Scheduled Caste (SC), 7.5% for the category Scheduled Tribe (ST), and 27% for the category Other Backward Classes belonging to the Non-Creamy layer (OBC-NCL).

All the best for the exam!