‘To crack NEET, repose your trust in NCERT books’

Soon after acing the CBSE Board Exams, Apeejay School, Nerul student Deepshna Panda has now cracked the coveted NEET 2021 examination. She has secured an impressive All India Rank 143 with 700 marks. Revealing her NEET preparation study strategy, Deepshna says, “For all the three subjects, Biology, Physics and Chemistry, I strictly followed the NCERT Books. For Biology, I learned the book from cover to cover. I also made sure to solve all the exercise questions and solved examples. It’s important because most of the NEET questions are direct from NCERT books. In addition, I also solved questions from the NCERT Exemplar Book that included extra questions of a higher level and are meant for aiding in-depth learning.”

Deepshna, who is aspiring to pursue a specialisation in cardiology after her MBBS, pointed out that it’s important to have a clear understanding of all concepts, formulae as well as the application of the formulae. “I made notes for last-minute revision as well as created Physics Formula Sheets and Organic Chemistry Reaction Sheets. I revised these daily without fail as it helped in remembering key concepts and formulae.” She further said, “When I was preparing for my NEET, there were days when I felt low and unmotivated. But talking to my parents, friends and teachers helped me sail through this time. Dancing and listening to music have been my biggest stress-busters during this preparation phase.” 

Awaiting her admission counselling, Deepshna has already chalked out her preferences for medical college admission. Although her first choice was AIIMS Delhi, which she won’t be able to get, her preferences go in this order: Maulana Azad Medical College, Delhi, Vardhman Mahavir Medical College (VMMC), Delhi and AIIMS Bhubaneswar. “I am confident of getting through VMMC for sure,” she declares.

For those who want to emulate her career trajectory, Deepshna has a word of advice: “Keep working hard and putting in your honest efforts,” she recommends.

Another NEET topper from Apeejay School, Nerul, Krrishna Juneja, echoed her batchmate Deepshna’s thoughts about NCERT books being imperative for NEET preparation. She said, “I did not skip a single revision class even if we were revising the same topics again and again. Simply because, revision classes help in understanding complicated concepts, clearing doubts, and remembering the important topics. Plus, creating a summary for each chapter helps in last-minute revision. I also solved mock test papers and previous years’ question papers.” 

Krrishna scored 672 out of 720 in NEET 2021 and she mentions that NCERT books are ideal for preparing for the exam and she strictly followed them. As her next step, Krrishna, with AIR 1421, is first aiming for top medical colleges in Mumbai followed by colleges in either Jaipur or Ahmedabad.

Devraj Kumar, who secured AIR 1966 with 666 marks, firmly believed in maintaining a healthy everyday routine while preparing for NEET. He said, “I was persistent with my timetable during my whole NEET preparation phase and that helped me strike a balance between my studies and other unexpected plans. Besides the coaching modules, I primarily followed NCERT Books. NCERT exercises given at the end of chapters, along with the additional questions are very important.” The NEET topper is taking a step at a time as he plans to take admission in one of the medical colleges in Mumbai to pursue his MBBS.