NEET PG delayed- Strategies and timelines

The official news is in. NEET PG has been delayed to May 21^st, 2022.

Article by Dr Sumer Sethi, Dr Deepti Bahl

And yes! We are well aware of the ramifications of a such a decision. It may seem like a trance for now but do not let it faze your sight. It is a lot to process and eventually you will need to snap out of it.

First, lets address a few common issues and queries before we can guide you through this drastic change.

Q. Will I be liable to apply for NEET PG again?

Yes.

Candidates can reapply. The editing window will be open as well. Students can make any changes they wish to in the application. However these changes can only be made on particular dates mentioned on the site.

 

Q. Will INICET happen?

Yes.

 It is , till date, scheduled to occur in May and November.

 

Q. When will the DAMS CBT be held?

The DAMS CBT is being rescheduled to April, 2022. There will be two of those. The registration window will also be open. If anybody wants to change anything editing window is open too. Every month a new grand test will appear.

 

Q. What is the status of short term subscription on the app?

1 and 3 month subscription options are introduced on the EMEDICOZ app. Students can enjoy its services  as a short term subscription.

 

Q. Is AIIMS Capsule suitable for INICT?

The AIIMS capsule is an absolute gem of a revision tool and students are encouraged to use it. Its utmost utility is around 7-10 days prior to the exams.  The DBT focuses primarily for NEET PG aspirants.

 

Q. Will the internship cut-off reduce?

Yes.

The whole point of the delay was to reduce and thus inculcate more internship opportunities.

 

 

 

Strategy

There is no doubt that the postponement of NEET PG spoils meticulously chalked out plans for many aspirants. It is indeed history repeating itself since last year’s NEET PG. It would be wise on our part to learn from 2021 aspirants, their coping methods and mistakes so that we do can perform to our fullest potential and face this challenge head on.

 

Dealing with anxiety

Anxiety and stress are natural phenomena . Anxiety stems from overthinking about the outcome and stress induces because of futile attempts of controlling the uncontrollable. Both will turn out to be your doom if you let it consume your mind. While it is absolutely fine to worry, it is unwise to let it control your actions. Many aspirants from previous year succumbed to the anxiety and stress and it affected their scores radically. Most of it is self-inflicted and hence it is in your hands to stop it. Do whatever that calms you down and get out of this toxic headspace. It is the foremost and most important step.

 

Loss of momentum

The other end of the spectrum contains students who relax a little too much for their own good. It is imperative to take a break once in a while but in the case of some students the breaks often stretch too long. This makes you lose your well-built momentum and you get disconnected with your curriculum. To regain that momentum back is a herculean task and requires a very strong will. It is, therefore, my humble advice to all the candidates to be mindful of your liberty breaks. Your break times should not seep into your study hours. Neither should your leisure time allow any thoughts about the exam.

 

Re-align to new date

In accordance to the exam previously scheduled on March it is only logical to assume candidates must have burnt the midnight oil and stretched themselves as much as possible. But due to the postponement you people might infer that all these efforts will yield no useful outcome. Besides you cannot stretch yourself further, let alone three whole months.

So what should be your new course of action. We need to treat this as a marathon, not a sprint. Aspirants should simply take a day off to process this information and chart out another plan. A major pre-requisite of a good doctor is perseverance in adverse conditions. I am certain all of you will persevere and treat this setback as an opportunity. Here is a blueprint which we advise our students to refer.

To realign effectively to the new dates students should divide their time into two phases:

1.     Mop-up revision

2.     Multiple revisions

 

Tying loose ends

Like we mentioned, the best can be made out of this situation if you have the correct mindset. It is a great chance to mop up all your unfinished topics and chapters. Students, as a priority, must cover all their pendencies by the end of February. This will give you a satisfaction of having covered as much area as possible and you can move on to the next phase smoothly.

Multiple revisions

Once you have finished your pending topics you can start with multiple revisions. This phase can be divided into three distinct timelines.

Ø Revision 1-  This is for revising your bottom few topics first and then finish the rest by the end of March

Ø Revision 2-  This is for revising all the ground that you have decided to cover for your exam by the end of April

Ø Final push-  This is the last lap of the marathon. Here on you speed up and push yourself with constant tests and self-evaluations. The grand tests and the CBT will be of immense help to correspondingly assess your knowledge and stress handling capacity. This period will span over May till the date of the exam.

 

However, students should note that appearing for these tests during revision 1 and 2 is ineffective.

This blueprint will act as a rough guide to not only those who have been preparing all this while but for also those who want to appear and start from square one.

For aspirants starting their preparation now the following tools will help

-          Crash course in E-Medicoz app

-          Fast track TND

-          Online test series / CBT’s

If you have lost touch or had a big gap and need to a thorough revision use crash course and the online test series.

IF you are confident in your theory knowledge and only want a concise recapitulation then use Fast track TND and online tests.

 

For aspirants already on target the following tools are a must

-          Fast track TNDs + class notes

-          DVT’s

-          Online test series

-          CBT’s

 

A golden opportunity

Many students had planned to appear for the INICET in April. Postponement of NEET PG must have caused hinderances for INICET aspirants. For all those students who have aspired for both it is indeed difficult to shift gears. Preparation for both require different mindsets and strategies. But then again, this setback can also be exploited in your favour. As long as you know your theory and your foundation is strong the following resources will assist you in cracking both tests-

-          INICET TND + class notes

-          DVT
CBT

-          Online test series

-          Fast track

 

A gentle reminder

All of you are the cream of society. You have the potential to rise and shine out of this mess. Stop stressing about implications of this change and accept with zero resistance that change is the only constant. The dates might change but your dreams have not. It is time to think about the ambitious teenager who aimed to be something that you are in the threshold of becoming. Give all your energy into this, but wisely. If you love medical science this change is trivial in YOUR grand scheme of things.

Believe in yourself, because we most certainly do.