NEET 2021: Application, Exam Date, Eligibility, Syllabus, Pattern

NEET 2021: NEET exam for the year 2021 is expected to be conducted in the first week of May 2021. The exam shall be conducted in the offline mode only. NTA [National Testing Agency] conducts the national level exam every year for providing admission to MBBS/ BDS courses. The application process is going to commence from the first week of December 2020. This article gives detail information about NEET 2021 notification that includes exam date, eligibility criteria, application process, admit card, exam pattern, syllabus, result and more.

NEET 2021 Exam Dates

Candidates can understand the complete notification about NEET exam dates from the table given below:

NEET 2021 Eligibility Criteria

Candidates must follow the complete details regarding eligibility criteria explained in this section:

• Nationality:
  • Indian citizens/ persons of Indian origin (PIO)/Non-Resident Indians (NRIs)/ Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) can apply for NEET exam.
  • Foreign nationals can also apply, provided they satisfy necessary clauses extended from the respective state medical and dental colleges.
  • Migrants from Jammu and Kashmir can apply under 15% reservation through All India Quota.
• Age Criteria:
  • Minimum 17 years as on December 31st, in the year of admission.
  • No restriction in upper age limit.
• Number of Attempts:
  • No Limit in the Number of Attempts
• Education Qualification:
  • All applicants should have passed class 12th/ equivalent from a recognised board/ university.
  • Physics, Chemistry, Biology/ Biotechnology with English (Compulsory) in class 12th are the qualifying subjects to apply.
  • Candidate should have scored minimum 50% marks as aggregate in PCB [General Merit] and 40% [for SC/ST/OBC/ unreserved categories] and 45% marks for persons with disabilities.
  • Foreign nationals should have passed class 12th with Physics, Chemistry, Biology/ Biotechnology and English with 50% marks recognised by Association of Indian Universities (AIU).
  • Candidates appearing in class 12th exam can also apply for NEET.

NEET 2021 Application Form

Details regarding NEET application form are provided below:

• NEET Exam shall be conducted in ONLINE mode.
• Applicants need to submit only one application per head and multiple applications shall be rejected.
• All applicants need to furnish valid e-mail ID and mobile number in their application form.
• The application process includes candidate registration, online form filling, uploading relevant documents,
• payment of application fee, submission and printing of submitted form and fee receipt.
• Candidates who desire to make corrections in their submitted application form can do so between the third week of January to last week of January 2021.
• Candidates need not mail hard copies of submitted application forms to the concerned office.

NEET 2021 Application Correction

• NEET applicants can make changes in their application form even after submission.
• Corrections can be made in the online mode between the third week and last week of January 2021.
• The application form displays fields that can be edited and not edited.
• Candidate can make changes to editable fields only. Changes made on the form shall be communicated to the candidate over e-mail ID or mobile number also.

Application Fee

Candidates can pay NEET exam fee in both ONLINE and OFFLINE modes. For Online payment, candidates can use debit cards/ credit cards or net banking procedures. For offline payment, candidates can use the SBI E-Challan facility at any recognised SBI branch.

NEET 2021 Exam Pattern

The full details about NEET Exam Pattern is provided below:

• Exam Mode: NEET exam shall be held in the OFFLINE mode. Candidates have to manually answer the exam using pen and paper.
• Language of Instruction: NEET exam paper will be published in multiple languages – English, Hindi, Gujarati, Tamil, Marathi, Odia, Assamese, Kannada, Telugu and Urdu.
• Duration: Exam shall be conducted for 3 hours duration.
• Question Paper Type: Objective type paper.
• Total Questions & Marks: Exam will contain 180 questions for 720 marks.
• Marks Distribution: Every right answer will carry 4 marks. A wrong answer will lead to 1 mark deduction.

The break-up of marks, according to subjects, is given below:

NEET 2021 Syllabus

The MCI (Medical Council of India) prescribes the required syllabus for NEET exam. Candidates should thoroughly prepare for Physics, Chemistry and Biology subjects from their 11th and 12th class curriculum.

• Physics: Laws of motion, electromagnetic waves, electrostatic nature, behaviour of perfect gas, kinetic theory, electronic devices, dual nature of matter, radiation, properties of bulk matter, etc
• Chemistry: Hydrogen, equilibrium, alcohols, electrochemistry, P-Block elements, Surface chemistry, Phenols and ethers, etc
• Biology: Human physiology, Reproduction, Plant physiology, Cell structure and functions, Ecology and environment, Diversity in living world, Biology and human welfare, etc.

NEET 2021 Admit Card

• From fourth week of March 2021, the admit card shall be available online for download on NTA website.
• Candidates can download by entering valid login credentials.
• Candidates shall receive admit card to their e-mails Ids in PDF format.
• Candidates should check the accuracy of details and report any discrepancies to concerned officials immediately.

NEET 2021 Answer Key

• By the second week of May 2021, the provisional answer key shall be published on the NTA website.
• Candidates can download provisional answer key and respective OMR answer sheet.
• Candidates can challenge answers in provisional answer key by paying the online fee of INR 1000 against every question.
• IF the challenged answer is accepted by the officials, candidates shall receive a refund of paid fees.
• Final answer key shall be published later on the NTA website.

NEET 2021 Cut Off

• The cut-off factor for NEET exam is based on many factors like the toughness of exam paper, number of candidates attempting exam this time, overall candidates’ performance, etc.
• Cut off range shall be displayed on the website after result announcement.
• For NEET 2021, the expected cut off range for various categories is: for General Merit – 50%, for physically disabled candidates- 45% and for reserved categories – 40%.

NEET 2021 Result

• Candidates can check their results by entering the date of birth and roll number details.
• Results of NEET 2021 are expected by the first week of June 2021.
• Results will be available ONLINE, taking into account the final answer key.
• NEET exam results shall not be published category wise on the website. No other mode of result communication shall be made to the candidate.

NEET 2021 Merit List

• After the NEET exam result announcement, the merit list shall be displayed online on the website.
• Merit list is prepared jointly by Directorate General of Health Sciences (DGHS), Dental Council of India (DCI) and Medical Council of India (MCI).
• NEET Undergraduate (UG) All India rank list enables students to get admission into MBBS and BDS courses.
• NTA displays separate merit list of successful students under 15% All India quota reservation.

NEET 2021 Reservation

• Category based reservation system is available for NEET exam.
• Under 15% All India quota reservation, the availability of seats for different categories are:

NEET 2021 Counselling

• Online Counselling begins from the second week of June 2021.
• NEET counselling is jointly organised by Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) and Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MOHFW) and centralised counselling by Medical Counselling Committee (MCC).
• The counselling process involves candidate registration, selecting and locking preferences, seat allotment and reporting to allocated college.
• Submission of original documents and copies for verification is mandatory. List of documents:
  • 10th and 12th mark sheets
  • NEET Scorecard & Admit Card
  • Category certificate
  • Passport size photos – 8
  • Birth certificate
  • Allotment letter(Provisional)
  • Any identity proof

NEET 2021 Preparation Tips

• Candidates can use these useful tips to crack NEET exam with confidence and attain high scores:
• Understand exam pattern and stick to the syllabus. Analyse the answer marking scheme followed in NEET.
• Crack mock test papers and previous year question papers to understand the type of questions that appear in NEET exam.
• Study well through highly recommended textbooks and study materials to aid effective studying.
• Use visual aids and write down notes for good preparation. Revise notes from time to time.
• Prepare an effective time table to strategically plan your studies.
• Identify your strengths. Work on improving in your weaker areas.
• Opt for personal or online coaching if necessary.