Study Plan for the NEET PG 2022

The NEET PG exam is a dream that many aspirants need dedicated effort, and proper planning, to prepare for and hit the bullseye on the first go. The NEET PG is one of the country’s most challenging competitive exams, where millions of medical students create study plans and strategies to ensure their preparation helps them grab seats in the top government and private medical institutes of the country, and even, across the world. Even though cracking the NEET PG on the first go isn’t an easy feat, it’s not impossible either. 

Preparing for the NEET PG is not everyone’s cup of tea because the process requires proper planning, analyzing concepts, understanding complex topics, and most importantly, applying what one has learned, and answering questions on the D-day. 

In keeping with the above, through this article, we will help you prepare a well-thought-out study plan to ease your learning process for the NEET PG 2022. This study plan will guide you through the learning process, and answer all your queries and doubts regarding the NEET PG exam. 

Let’s take a quick glance over the agenda of this article to kickstart your preparation for the NEET PG – 

1. Start early 
2. Plan and schedule time wisely
3. Understand the NEET PG syllabus 
4. Go over the NEET PG entrance exam pattern 
5. Focus on core concepts 
6. Hurdles to avoid while prepping for NEET PG Exam 
7. Prioritize topics 
8. Recommended books for NEET PG 2022 
9. Self-evaluation process 
10. Keep a positive mindset 

Start Early 

A lot of planning goes into preparing for the NEET PG exam. Students who start early typically have the upper hand, as they get enough time to explore maximum areas of the syllabus and understand each concept in detail. 

Starting early allows ample time to determine your core concepts, weak areas, and strengths, which can further help you crack the NEET exam and score a higher rank. Students must note that starting early involves focusing on core concepts and understanding the basics of each topic. Starting early also helps aspirants to draw out a proper study plan, focus on the syllabus, collect reference material, and clear doubts. It helps set the pace for a longer period of study. 

Another reason many aspirants prefer to start their NEET preparation early is so they can devote maximum time to mock and practice tests and solve past years’ question papers. 

Plan and schedule time wisely

While preparing for the NEET PG exam, what’s the worst thing you can do? Not having a proper timetable. 

As the NEET PG is a challenging exam, it is important to have a robust timetable and stick to it. Timetables help students ensure their preparation time is being spent wisely, and they are allocating scheduled time only, for breaks. 

Reasons why framing time table is vital

• Establishes a natural rhythm and routine. 
• Reduces confusion and stress while learning. 
• Allows students to prioritize topics.  
• Prevents wasting time and energy. 
• Enhances learning efficiency. 

The day you decide to give the NEET PG a shot, ensure that you first design a well-defined timetable, which includes a proper study plan and schedule. The NEET PG is one of the toughest competitive exams – not having a proper timetable in place can be dangerous and lead you to fail. Tip: Make monthly strategies and weekly targets as part of your timetable so you can prepare well in advance. Remember, timetables can make or break your exam. 

Understand the NEET PG syllabus 

Imagine having a study plan without knowing the syllabus? Isn’t that a recipe for disaster? 

The NEET PG syllabus is something that candidates should know, even with their eyes closed! Knowing the syllabus in and out is extremely helpful to help candidates decide their priorities in terms of the study plan. Knowing the NEET PG syllabus well will give students a fair overview of various concepts, their areas of difficulties, and their strengths and interests. Having a clear understanding of the syllabus promotes easy time management and scheduling. 

Go over the NEET PG entrance exam pattern 

Understanding different aspects of the entrance exam pattern are very valuable for aspirants. To create a proper exam strategy, schedule, and timetable, it is vital to understand the exam pattern prior to beginning the preparation for the upcoming exam. 

Please see below some important details of the NEET PG entrance exam pattern – 

• Exam mode: Online computer-based.  
• Exam duration: 1 day, single shift, 3 hours, and 30 minutes. 
• Language: English. 
• Type of questions: MCQs. 
• The number of questions: 200 questions.  
• Marking scheme: 4 marks for every correct answer and 1 negative mark for every incorrect answer. 
• Sections: Part A & Part B are divided into Pre-Clinical, Para-Clinical, and Clinical subjects. 

For any student preparing for the upcoming NEET PG exam, a clear understanding of the entrance exam pattern helps in understanding the paper thoroughly. 

Focus on core concepts

Before diving straight into the NEET PG 2022 preparation, plan your goals well and build a robust strategy to focus on core concepts, which hold more weightage in terms of the questions in the question paper, than other topics. The NEET is all about working smart, as opposed to hard; hence, it’s important to analyze various core concepts. 

Paying little attention to books, especially NCERT books which are considered as the bible for this exam, can lessen your chances of cracking the exam. The NEET questions are mostly directed towards biology, taken from the study material provided in the NCERT books. Studying this thoroughly helps in ensuring good outcomes. Remember, treating NCERT like all other books might have a terrible impact on your NEET score. 

The core concerts build a robust understanding of crucial concepts that eases out the problem-solving task. NEET PG is not everyone’s cup of the team but whosoever Putin their 100% during the preparation process surely strikes the goal rightly. So, if you are thinking of giving this a sure shot, focus on building core concepts rather than memorizing chapters. 

Avoid hurdles while preparing for NEET PG Exam 

Exams create a different environment altogether that sometimes becomes overwhelming. There’s a feeling of stress and anxiety among candidates that might overpower their confidence and knowledge. Considering the NEET PG is one of India’s most challenging exams, facing hurdles cannot be avoided. However, through proper planning and strategizing, hurdles can be minimized. 

When we talk about competitive exams, stress, anxiety, and pressure automatically add to the list and can cause a candidate to become nervous and fumble during the final exam. Therefore, it’s important to prepare beforehand, to avoid last-minute issues. 

Some of the hurdles or challenges a candidate typically faces in their preparation for the NEET PG 2022 include – 

• Lack of knowledge of core concepts, leading to issues in understanding topics 
• Not planning tasks in advance, leading to poor time management
• Not sticking to the timetable, leading to wastage of precious time 
• Neglecting the self-assessment process, leading to poor performance in the finals 
• Ignoring complex concepts, leading to not understanding tougher questions
• Memorizing rather than understanding, leading to a lack of application of mind
• Unaware of the syllabus, leading to poor navigation of topics 
• Pilling up too many reference books, leading to too many study materials to study from
• Avoiding mock exams and previous years’ question papers, leading to poor exam preparation

When you prepare for competitive exams like the NEET-PG, hurdles automatically add to the preparation process. However, it is important to focus on preparing oneself for the upcoming exam, rather than focusing on hurdles, as every mark matters. 

Prioritize important topics 

For any student aiming to crack national-level examinations like the NEET, where all medical graduates compete with each other to grab seats, it’s needless to say that one needs to have in-depth knowledge of each concept, as every mark matters. 

While it is important to study each concept thoroughly, it is even more important to pay close attention to sections and concepts that hold larger weightage in the syllabus or are considered important. A smart candidate is expected to study these concepts well, so that not a single question remains unanswered, or is answered incorrectly when they take practice tests, or the final NEET PG 2022 exam. 

According to the previous years’ NEET PG question papers, the following topics have been flagged as important topics that every NEET candidate should spend a considerable amount of time studying – 

• General medicine 
• General surgery 
• Obstetrics & Gynaecology 
• Pathology 
• Pharmacology 

These topics have higher weightage as per the syllabus, as compared to other topics. Ideally, a candidate should spend 5-6 days on topics that have a smaller course load, and allocate 1-2 weeks for larger topics. This will help in better preparation. Tip: Prepare the more difficult topics first, as they consume a larger part of your preparation time. Follow this up with the easier topics, in order of how unclear your concepts are.  

Recommended books for NEET PG 2022  

Books help the candidate build the foundation for their preparation for the NEET PG exam. For any student aiming to crack the national-level NEET-PG exam, books are bound to become their best friends. Candidates need to develop a robust understanding of various concepts from the books and ensure in-depth knowledge of each chapter, topic, and section. 

To make the learning process easier, please see below a list of the top NEET PG preparation books which most candidates typically refer to – 

Subjects	Name of the book	Authors
Anatomy	Self-assessment and review of Anatomy	Rajesh Kaushal
Pharmacology	Review of Pharmacology	Gobind Rai Garg and Sparsh Gupta, Ranjan Patel
Medicine	Complete review of medicine for NBE	Deepak Marwah or Mudit Khanna
Pathology	Review of Pathology and Genetics	Sparsh Gupta & Devesh Mishra
Surgery	Surgery essence	Pritesh Singh SRB
Biochemistry	Self-assessment and review of Biochemistry	Rebecca James
Physiology	Review of Physiology	Dr. Soumen Manna Dr. Krishna Kumar

Rather than piling up books, the aim of a candidate should be to choose books that provide a clear understanding of the topic, so that preparation becomes easy. It should be noted that referring to more and more material may end up confusing a candidate, so try to earmark specific books for your studies, instead of purchasing and referring to all of them. More books and reference material will only give rise to uncertainty and more doubts. Try getting one or two reference books on each topic – this will enable you to allocate proper time to each section. 

Self-evaluation process

NEET PG exam preparation is undoubtedly a challenging task that involves understanding and learning each and every concept. In fact, the ability to tackle challenges and hurdles while studying such a vast number of topics prior to the final examination is what sets candidates apart from each other and multiplies one’s chances of passing with flying colors. In the process of learning and clarifying doubts, self-evaluation is a necessary step that no individual should skip. Evaluating oneself allows candidates to ensure success in the future. 

Self-evaluation allows candidates to track their progress, improve with revisions and practice, and even calm their nerves from all the exam pressure and anxiety. Through self-evaluation, students are able to better assess themselves, their preparation, and give themselves a realistic view of how well they are prepared for the final exam. 

Keep a Positive mindset 

When it comes to the NEET-PG, having a positive mindset is extremely important as stress, anxiety, and pressure automatically add to a candidate’s mental state. Since the NEET PG is considered one of India’s toughest exams, candidates end up devoting all their energies and efforts to try and crack the exam. In this process, many times, they end up losing their positive mindset.

Through the course of their preparation, candidates end up gaining a negative headspace as they begin to doubt their abilities – this often leads to straying from the timetable, spending time worrying, and studying half-heartedly, leading to a lack of clarity in the preparation. Ultimately, a negative mindset leads to loopholes in the overall study plan. 

As part of your study plan – 

• Choose your study priorities rightly – whether it’s the chapters you study, reference materials you use, or how you spend your break time. 
• Try to invest maximum time in your studies rather than getting distracted – remember, it’s a matter of time, just until the final exam. 
• Set aside time to solve past years’ question papers and practice tests. This will help you go through the exam pattern several times. 
• Make sure to maintain a balanced diet with appropriate nutrition, during your preparation process. 
• Keep yourself fit and fine – both mentally, and physically. This will help you give your 100% on the D-day. Follow an exercise ritual or go for a 10-minute walk to boost your energy levels, on a daily basis.  
• Developing a “can do” approach, when it comes to learning tough topics. 
• Try to keep your mind calm while taking practice tests, so you are better prepared for the final exam.  
• Spend time with people who are supportive and encouraging of your study plan and journey. 
• Ensure you get quality sleep. This will help keep you refreshed and energized, and ensure that your brain is actively working and delivering results. 

Anxiety and pressure have the tendency to hamper your performance, and that is why keeping a positive mindset in the days leading up to the NEET PG exam will help you perform better on the final exam day. Try to adopt these tried and tested methods in your preparation journey, to keep the stress from overpowering your knowledge. 

Final Thoughts 

The NEET PG is an important exam and requires a strong study plan to crack. The preparation leading up to the exam requires 100% dedication and focus; else, the chances of clearing it becomes weak. Success and failure are a part of life and don’t decide a student’s future, however, it’s important to put in one’s best during the study and preparation period. Remember, your scorecard is the mirror image of your preparation, so prepare yourself for the upcoming NEET PG exam in a way that reflects your hard work and effort. You can either follow the study plan provided above for the NEET PG 2022 exam or draw up your own study plan and strategies, which will ultimately help you secure a high rank.  

These steps above are tried and tested strategies that have helped candidates and aspirants in the past to crack this tough medical exam. We suggest that you prepare a well-defined strategy – part of which could also include enrolling in e-gurukul, where we provide candidates with the right support and guidance to achieve their dreams. Use e-Gurukul’s tips, videos, and teaching methodologies to clear doubts, solve papers, and clarify concerns. 

We hope these tips help you to perform well in the upcoming NEET PG exam. Click Here to boost yourself with our packages.