National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) is a national entrance examination for taking admission to MBBS courses at various medical colleges all over the country. NEET 2020 has finally got clearance from Supreme Court to be conducted on 13th September as per schedule. Post the examination for the year 2020, the NTA is likely to release the notification for the following year.

The exam will be held in offline mode and the pattern is likely to have 3 sections - Physics, Chemistry, and Biology. But with the reduction of the CBSE syllabus in 2021, there can also be a reduction of the syllabus in NEET 2021. To be confirmed on the exam syllabus, students have to visit the official website on a time to time basis. Here we will discuss no NEET 2021 and the latest updates on the same.

NEET 2021 Dates (Tentative)

Here we will share with you the tentative dates of NEET 2021; these dates may be changed based on the COVID-19 situation.

NEET 2021 Important Updates

Listed below are the highlights on NEET 2021, let’s check them out:

Aspirants will have the liberty to take the exam in any of the 11 languages as mentioned here - Assamese, English, Hindi, Tamil, Oriya, Kannada, Bengali, Marathi, Gujarati, Urdu and Telugu. There will be a reservation for applicants from economically weaker sections of the society, like the SC/ST, OBC, and PwD category. The distribution of reservation will be 10%, 15%, 7.5%, 27%, and 5% respectively. Also, a plea demanding 27% reservation for the OBC category in NEET is filed in Delhi High Court. The plea has been filed by S. Geetha, Secretary of the National Union of Backward Classes. On 3rd July 2020, Sonia Gandhi too raised the issue of providing reservations to the OBC category at medical colleges. An official update is yet to come on any changes. NEET 2021 is likely to be conducted in 155 cities which include Ladakh as well. The exam will have 2,546 test centers as per the latest updates.

NEET 2021 Syllabus

With the CBSE syllabus for 2020 - 2021 reduced because of the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a perception among many that NEET 2021 syllabus will be reduced as well. The syllabus of NEET is based on CBSE class 10th & 12th syllabus. Hence, many are predicting a reduction in the CBSE syllabus will impact the exam too. Many teachers believe that if CBSE syllabus is reduced, then it will affect the student’s understanding of basic concepts, which in turn will affect their performance in the exam.

List of Deleted Topics from CBSE 2021 syllabus

Some of the major topics remove from next year CBSE syllabus is as follows:

Some of the topics which are mentioned above are very important. CBSE has removed the anatomy and morphology of flowering plants from the Class 11 Biology syllabus. The chapter on environmental issues is also removed from the Class 12 syllabus.  Other critical chapters that are important in the exam are also removed like the Doppler’s Effect, Newton’s Laws of Motion, Kepler’s Law of planetary motion, chemical substances — metals, and non-metals, etc. Important questions are asked in the exam from these chapters. There is no official notification on the reduction of NEET 2021 syllabus yet; hence the syllabus looks somewhat like this that is mentioned here below:

Physics Syllabus -

Chemistry Syllabus -

NEET Biology Syllabus will include - Genetics and Evolution, Ecology and Environment, Reproduction, Biotechnology, and Its Applications, Plant Physiology, Human Physiology, Structural Organization in Animals and Plants, Cell Structure and Function, Diversity in Living World, and Biology and Human Welfare.

As of now, there is no indication of a change in the NEET 2021 syllabus yet, so the deleted chapters of the CBSE syllabus are still figuring in this syllabus.

NEET Exam Pattern for 2021

The questions will be in MCQ format, and aspirants will have 180 minutes to attempt 180 questions. In Physics & Chemistry, there will be 45 questions, respectively. In Biology, students will have to attempt 90 questions. In Biology, there are 2 sub-sections which are Zoology & Botany. The 90 questions will be divided equally between these 2 sub-sections. The applicants will be awarded 4 marks for each one of the correct answers, and there will 1 mark as negative marking for each incorrect answer. The maximum number of marks to be allotted is 720, and the exam will take place in pen & paper mode. As of now, this is going to be the exam pattern next year too.

Preparation Tips

Students must not be bogged down with confusion arising in syllabus reduction of CBSE and must cover all critical topics of the NEET 2020 exam. Students must prepare from scratch to understand the concepts in-depth. Also, regular practicing of the mock tests will give a better understanding of the pattern of exam, question trends, the strengths and weakness areas. Time Management is essential, so create one which is best suited for you and follow the same earnestly.

In this pandemic, concentrate on your health as well and utilize the social media & online platform for study purposes. Also, stay updated on the latest events with regards to NEET 2021 via official and verified channels. Gear up with the preparation and all the best!