I gave my first National Eligibility cum Entrance Examination - Undergraduate (NEET-UG) attempt in 2019. Although I was ill-prepared, I secured a rank of over one lakh. Many of my classmates opted for private college at that time, and the fees was over one crore in India.
I didn’t want my parents to lay the carpet out for me; therefore, I wanted to earn that seat. If I recall, only three of my classmates from Class XII bagged government medical college seats.
I asked only one question to myself that time: “ Did I prepare to my potential?” And that was enough for me to take another crack at NEET. Following this, I enrolled in a coaching centre and started to prepare.
In my first attempt, I fell short of my state college cut-off by only 10 marks. On the first day of joining the coaching centre, I went back home teary-eyed, realising that I had to go through this all over again. But my parents supported me throughout.
My routine for the first few days was:
I studied six to seven hours daily along with coaching. Working out in my colony gym two to four times a week also helped me maintain my fitness levels. Solving MCQs (multiple choice questions), giving mock test series, and reevaluating the results.
Unfortunately, then COVID hit us in February. Exams kept getting postponed, resulting in complete uncertainty. Many of my friends gave up studying because they were exhausted by that time. But for me, this was the most crucial time of my preparation. I had to step up my preparation.
The exam date was finalised on September 13, which also happens to be my dad’s birthday. Once I appeared for my exam, I knew I would get a score over 620. The results were announced a month later, and I secured AIR 7713 with a state rank of 10.
For counselling, I got into Armed Forces Medical College Pune, but due to medical reasons, I could not clear it. Finally, I enrolled in Goa Medical College.
The picture below is my first mini-achievement in my hometown:
(This article was written by MBBS student Anshul M Sadhale)
