NEET UG (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test) is conducted by National Testing Agency (NTA), which is a self-sustained testing organization that conducts entrance exams for admission in the top medical colleges in India.

The NEET-UG exam is not a walkover and proper planning and preparation are required to crack it. However, there are some common mistakes that students perform during applying for the exam, preparing for it and appearing on the exam date. Here, in this blog, all the common mistakes during NEET exam will be highlighted so that you don't let them become a hindrance in your success.

#1 Filling Online Form

Talking about just the mistakes performed by neet UG aspirants during preparation may not be enough. The sequence of committing mistakes starts with filling the neet application form. It is better to have an idea of the common mistakes during the NEET application process so that you can avoid it and concentrate on your preparation properly. The followings mistakes are generally committed by NEET UG aspirants during filling the online application form:

  • Not checking and matching the spelling, details and credentials of the sections filled in the form with the Aadhar Card
  • Filling wrong postal (PIN) address and contact details
  • Improper size or format of the digital image
  • Trying to make offline payment only online modes of NEET UG application payment are valid
  • Filling incorrect qualification code on form

#2 Preparations: No Pressure or Seriousness During 11th Grade

Grade 11 is the phase when you start reinforcing your base for NEET preparation. The neet syllabus includes topics from both 11th and 12th grade and leaving everything related to the exam preparation for the final year may not be a good idea. Doing this will make you end up getting stressed and fall prey to mistakes. The topics from 11th Grade carry a huge weightage. Hence, starting your NEET preparation will make this viscous cycle of preparation smooth and lessen the pressure during the Grade 12th.

#3 Distractions

Becoming a victim of distractions is the common story of many NEET UG aspirants. During this age, getting distracted by gadgets, television, internet, social media and other external factors is quite normal but focus and dedication are what matters at the end of the day. You can set a specific time frame for your studies and then participate in the activities of your interest. But, make sure in the meanwhile nothing can distract you.

#4 Preparations: No Strategy or Improper Study Plan

The NEET UG exam is undoubtedly enigmatic and requires a hell of preparation and planning and just a few prime mistakes can spill water on everything. So, it is better to avoid these mistakes during your preparation. One of the most common mistakes during NEET UG preparation is not sticking with a proper study plan or making an effective preparation strategy. Many aspirants have a misconception that memorizing the topics and covering any topic anytime will make them crack the entrance exam. But unfortunately, this is not the case. Make an early plan and dedicate a specific amount of time or hours to each topic so that in the end you will have enough time remaining for revision.

#5 Preparations: Giving Importance to Strengths and Overlooking Weaknesses

The second biggest mistake that NEET UG aspirants commit is focusing just on the topics they are good in and leaving the topics for later that are difficult for them. This is a very serious mistake and the consequences can be regretful. You never know questions related to which topic in the NEET exam question paper will pop up on the exam day. Shilly-shallying the weaker subjects or topics is not at all recommended. All the subjects possess equal importance in NEET UG. Just sticking with Biology or your favourite subject and ignoring the other ones is definitely not the key to success.

#6 Preparations: Digging into too many reference books

This is not just about NEET UG, but for many entrance exams, the aspirants go for multiple reference NEET books and ignore the core books. Too many references may lead to too much confusion. The NCERT textbooks cover everything that can be asked in the NEET UG exam. For extra depth, you can refer to the best biology book for neet or books available for neet physics books by Target Publications.

#7 Preparations: Mugging Up and Not Going to the Depth

Learning by rote is not a good idea for the preparation of such a tough exam like NEET UG. Aspirants should understand that in-depth knowledge is something that they can count on to crack the exam. Questions may be tricky sometimes and understanding the concept will only do the trick. You can make short notes of your understanding that will aid to your preparation during revisions too.

#8 Preparations: Giving Least Importance to Mock Papers

Usually, NEET UG aspirants refer to mock question papers or sample papers of previous years for a better understanding of the question patterns. NEET UG aspirants should set a timer and solve the questions to get a fair idea about their performance, speed, accuracy and understanding. This will highlight the strong and weak areas of the specific subject. Solving mock papers regularly is a healthy practice as it helps in keeping a track of performance.  

#9 Stress, Endurance and Overconfidence

As discussed above, not starting preparation from Grade 11th may build up stress and cut down your confidence and morale. You will be under severe pressure and dealing with everything at the eleventh hour can be hectic. Taking the exam too seriously forgetting that you got a world outside and a social circle to causes stress. A balance between your personal and academic life is one of the keys to success in NEET. Avoid other factors as well that let you get stressed. Also, endurance is a factor that matters a lot during NEET UG preparation. If you dedicate so much time and energy for the first few questions, you may not endure the same focus till you reach the last few questions. Hence, taking care of your endurance is a must while solving mock test papers. Last but not least is overconfidence. Some NEET aspirants think that they have covered all the topics and they don't need to revise or have a look again on those topics even if there is enough spare time. This is a wrong decision and risky for the exam as well.

#10 Preparations: Exam Day Mistakes

Finally, the exam date has arrived and you can't guarantee that you will not commit any mistakes now. There are some common mistakes during the exam time too that may affect your performance and hence the result. Below are the common mistakes made by NEET aspirants during exam time:

  • Misinterpreting the question out of nervousness
  • Silly mistakes related to marking or writing the wrong sequence of numbers
  • Preparing any left topic on the day of the exam
  • No track of time

Preparing for NEET is not an overnight miracle. You need to reinforce your base from the very beginning to avoid the mess and stress later. You can take notes of every topic, take help from your friends or teachers, highlight the important sections in the books, keep tasting your skills and performance frequently and maintain a balance between personal life and academics. These are useful tips for a successful NEET UG exam preparation that reduce the possibility of mistakes.

Get your preparation for NEET-UG started with Target Publications' NEET 'Absolute' and 'Challenger' series of handbooks that are compiled for preparing students in an overall manner. The series is curated in a way to ease the stress related to the exam. The 'Absolute Series' is an all-inclusive guidebook for beginners with additional features of 'Knowledge Bank' and 'Googly questions' aiding students to raise their curiosity levels. Whereas, the 'Challenger Series' takes students an extra mile through a range of features including shortcuts, formulae, Problems to Ponder and Mind over Matter preparing them to master the subject in entirety and thereby score higher. Also, there is NEET UG Online Test Series for testing one's skills and bettering their chances of grabbing great scores in the entrance. So, grab your copy now and enrol to online test series to smoothly crack the NEET-UG.