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What Is NEET?

NEET or National Entrance cum Eligibility Test is an entrance exam for medical courses like MBBS, BDS, and Post Graduation in both government and private medical colleges. The NTA – National Testing Agency, the regulatory body for NEET UG Exam,  conducts it every year in various parts of India. This objective question based (MCQ) entrance test is carried in an offline mode with nearly 11-13 lakhs candidates applying every year. The latest news indicates that the number of applications received for NEET 2020 is nearly 15.93 lakhs. On April 28th, 2016, the Honourable Supreme Court approved the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test(NEET) as a single-level examination. This developed three days before the AIPMT 2016 exam had created havoc amongst medical aspirants who were studying for different medical entrance exams throughout India.Here are the important highlights of NEET 2020.

Table of Contents

• NEET 2020 Eligibility Criteria
• NEET 2020 Syllabus
• NEET 2020 Application Form
• NEET 2020 Exam Pattern
• NEET 2020 Preparation Tips

1. Candidate should be an Indian citizen.
2. If the candidate does not reside in India then he or she should be an OCI (Overseas Citizen of India)
3. Non-Resident Indians(NRIs)
4. Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs)
5. Foreign Nationals
6. The minimum age limit is 17 years as on December 31, of the year of admission or candidates belonging to all the categories.
7. The maximum age limit is 25 years as on December 31, of the year of admission for students belonging to general category.
8. The maximum age limit is 30 years as on December 31, of the year of admission for students belonging to reserved category.

Qualification and Qualifying Percentage

1. Students must have passed the class 12 board exam or any equivalent exam from a recognized board with at least five mandatory subjects like Physics, Chemistry, Biology, English and an elective subject.
2. Candidates must have obtained the required aggregate marks in the qualifying examinations:

• General category – 50% marks in the qualifying examinations
• SC/ST/OBC category – 40% marks in the qualifying examinations
• Physically handicapped: General category – 45% marks in the qualifying examinations
• Physically handicapped: SC/ST/OBC category – 40% marks in the qualifying examinations

NEET 2020: Important Dates

The important dates for NEET 2020 are mentioned below: The NEET syllabus 2020 will be based on the common syllabus which is prescribed by the Medical Council of India (MCI). The NEET syllabus will include topics from Zoology, Botany, Physics and Chemistry subjects. The syllabus will be published after the review of different state syllabi as well as NCERT, CBSE, and COBSEW and will be based on the syllabus of Class 11 and 12. The Medical Council Of India shall release syllabus for NEET 2020 by 2nd December 2019.

NEET 2020 Highlights

NEET 2020 Application Process

NEET aspirants can get access to the application form for NEET UG 2020 on December 2nd, 2019. Candidates can apply for NEET 2020 only through the online process. Following are the simple steps:

1. Go to the official website.
2. Register by giving the name, mobile number, email id and other details.
3. Fill in the registration form.
4. Upload the scanned copies of the required documents in the prescribed size and format only.
5. The important step which is the payment of the application fee, the fee payment can be done in online and offline mode.
6. The confirmation page will be displayed, and the candidate needs to take the print out of the duly filled application form for future reference.

Documents Required To Apply For NEET UG 2020:

1. Photograph of the candidate with these specifications – File size 10-100 Kb in JPG format. The photograph should be of postcard size with a white background along with the name of the applicant and the date printed just below the photograph(compulsorily)
2. Signature of the candidate with these specifications – File size 3-20 Kb in JPG format. Signature should be in upper case with black ink on a white background

The NEET 2020 application fee amount is mentioned below: Application Fee for NEET 2020 The application fee can be paid either through online process or offline process

1. Online method – Credit card/Debit card/Paytm/Net banking
2. Offline method – Bank Challan

NEET 2020 Admit Card

Initially, the NTA was to release the NEET 2020 Admit card on March 27, 2020, but the release has been delayed. The admit card release date and the NEET exam date shall be announced soon. The following table renders details regarding the admit card: Steps to download the admit card:

• NEET aspirants can download the admit card from the official website (http://www.ntaneet.nic.in/)
• Select NEET admit card 2020
• Fill the required details – application number, date of birth, security pin
• Check for details entered and click on submit
• The screen displays your admit card for NEET
• Verify details
• Download your admit card

Listed below are some important dates related to NEET 2020 Application form:

• Aspirants will be able to fill NEET 2020 application form through the online mode
• The NTA shall release the application form on 2nd December, 2019
• You can fill the form only once. Filling up more than one application form can cause forms to get cancelled
• Please fill the form before 31st December 2019
• Please keep the documents ready before filling the application form. Candidates will have to submit signature and recent passport size photos in the suggested format only to avoid any disparity. (Please check our section – Documents Required To Apply For NEET 2020 for more details on this)
• At the time of registration to get the login credentials, candidates must provide a working mobile number and active email-id.

The NEET UG 2020 Exam Pattern is as mentioned below: The conducting body for NEET, the NTA (National Testing Agency) will release the code-wise question paper during the offline entrance examination. NEET question papers will be available in two national languages and nine regional languages. While filling the application form, candidates will be asked to select their language of preference for the question paper. List of languages are as given below:

1. English
2. Hindi
3. Marathi
4. Bengali
5. Gujarati
6. Assamese
7. Tamil
8. Telugu
9. Oriya
10. Kannada
11. Urdu

NEET Trends

NEET exam is considered to be one of the biggest and the most sought after exams for medical aspirants with the number of applicants increasing every year. This year it is anticipated to be around 1.6 million candidates. As there is ultimate competition in the number of candidates applying this year, naturally the difficulty level is ought to be high. Hence, this time around applicants should concentrate more on conceptual based questions compared to practice-based. Also, one should not forget that the answer may be simpler than the way questions are framed(tricky questions). All in all, aspirants are required to focus more on their preparation by referring to previous years’ question papers, sample papers, being well-versed with mock tests and having a clear idea of the syllabus.

NEET 2020 Participating Institutes

NEET, conducted by the NTA is a national level entrance examination for medical and dental aspirants taking place annually. NEET replaced AIPMT in the year 2016. NEET 2020 shall see around 114 colleges participating which includes both private and government colleges. All of these colleges abide by the regulations set out by the Medical Council of India (MCI). Listed below are some of the medical colleges participating in NEET 2020.

NEET 2020 Exam Centres

Aspirants choose their exam centre when filling the NEET application form. Out of the 100+ options, they get to pick three cities from the list of exam centres in decreasing order of their preference.

NEET 2020 Common Service Centres

Common service centres help candidates who do not have internet access or who require any help filling out the NEET Application form. These centres are set up by the NTA throughout the country. The common service centres are equipped with high-speed internet, serving aspirants residing in remote areas. These centres charge a reasonable fee for the services they provide. The fee chart is as given below: To avail the facilities offered by CSCs, locate the nearest centre by visiting their official website(csc.gov.in). You can even call on this number -18001213468 to locate a centre near you.

Dress Code For NEET 2020

The National Testing Agency (NTA), conducting body for NEET exam has released specifications regarding the attire on the day of examination. It has also released a list of items that are prohibited in the exam hall. Any case of negligence with regards to dress code will lead to disqualification of the candidature and will hence not be allowed to appear for the examination. NEET 2020 Dress code for males:

• Try wearing simple and casual pants/shirts
• Full-sleeves shirts are not allowed
• Clothes should not have pockets, zips, big buttons, layers etc
• Avoid layering your clothing
• Kurtas and pyjamas should be avoided
• Footwear should be simple. Boots, shoes or any concealing/covered footwear are not permitted
• You can opt for light slippers/sandals

NEET 2020 Dress code for females:

• Wear half-sleeved Kurtis/shirts
• Long and fancy sleeves of any design are not allowed
• Keep it simple. Avoid embroidery, frills, layering with different pieces
• Avoid all jewellery both metallic and non-metallic
• Fancy footwear is not permitted in the exam hall. Avoid boots, heels, stilettos, shoes
• Opt for slippers or open sandals

Aspirants who cannot follow these rules due to religious commitments are expected to mention the same while filling out the NEET application form, under option “Customary dress”. Such candidates are required to report at least one hour prior to get through proper security and frisking procedures.

NEET 2020 Exam Day Guidelines

The NTA has released NEET exam guidelines which are to be followed. These include necessary information about the strict dress code, documents to be carried to the exam hall and the items that are barred from being carried in the hall. Please be present at the venue, 45 mins prior to the commencement of the examination. Candidates are strictly expected to abide by the guidelines to avoid any disruption and for the smooth conduction of NEET 2020 exams. The table below depicts the timeline to be followed on the day of examination. Following are the list of items that are barred in the examination hall:

• Any kind of paper or stationery items other than admit card and ID proof is not allowed
• Calculator, geometry box/pencil box, scale, pen, writing pad, pouch, eraser, pen drives etc are not allowed
• Strict prohibition of communication devices such as mobile phones, Bluetooth, pager, headphones, health bands or any such accessory
• Aspirants cannot wear wristwatches nor can carry any wallet, scarves, belts, handbags, caps or any such accessory
• Other commodities such as  Bluetooth, camera, chips or any such items are not permitted

Instructions To Be Followed In Exam Hall

• Candidates are expected to be present 45 minutes prior at the venue
• Invigilators announce the time in the beginning, halfway and towards the end of the exam for students’ convenience
• Aspirants sign the answer sheet towards the beginning of the exam and then once after the examination concludes
• Finger impression of the candidates are taken on the attendance sheet
• Candidates are provided with the test booklet 15 minutes prior to the commencement to fill out particulars
• Invigilators provide candidates with a ballpoint pen in the exam hall
• Candidates are provided with the booklet to check the number of pages with five minutes to unseal the booklet right before the examination
• It must be ensured that the code that is written on the booklet is similar to the one provided on the answer sheet that is enclosed within the test booklet
• Details on both sides of the OMR answer sheet is to be filled by candidates
• Before leaving the hall, candidates must ensure that the OMR sheet is compulsorily submitted to the invigilator

NEET Cut-off

The cut-off is the least score required to qualify for the entrance examination. The cut-off for NEET Exam will be published by the NTA  along with the result declaration. The list will contain the All India category wise ranks of the qualified candidates. According to that, all the participating states will prepare their own merit list for the process of counselling. The NEET cut off for each category this year has shot up by 15 marks. The NEET cut-off percentile will be declared on the scorecard in addition to the cut-off score and the number of applicants. The candidates who have cleared the cut-off will be required to then register themselves for the NEET 2020 Counselling process which is scheduled to take place a few weeks after the results are announced. Listed below are some of the statistics from NEET 2019: Get complete insights into NEET 2020 Cut-off here.