National Eligibility cum Entrance Test - Undergraduate (NEET UG) is one of the most competitive examinations out there. And it makes one wonder, for how long has it been this tough and this cut-throat?
What has the experience of candidates who have attempted it been? How was the All India Pre-Medical Test (AIPMT), the exam which preceded NEET. Was it tough? When NEET was introduced, was there resistance? Now, what is the situation like?
We ask a few individuals who have given the exam from back in 1998 to now, to understand how the exam came to be this competitive. Doctors and medical students weigh in on medical entrance exams during their time, the competition around them, the prevalence of coaching centres, and their mental state while appearing for the exam:
“I wrote my medical entrance exam in 1998. Back then, the entrance exam for MBBS was the All India Pre-Medical Test (AIPMT), conducted in two tiers – the objective AIPMT Prelims and the subjective AIPMT Mains.
There was intense competition for medical admissions even back then. For 700 seats, you had six lakh students competing with one another. Moreover, the cutoffs were also on the higher side. For general-category students, the cutoffs were around 60%. There were very few government medical colleges, and hardly any private colleges either.
We also did not have a counselling round. We simply had to fill out application forms from the university of our choice, fill them up, and send them by post. In return, the universities would send us the admit cards.
When I was preparing for AIPMT, we had coaching centres – but the coaching industry was not as organised as it is today. We also had guides and question banks, but nowadays, they are included in the coaching package. However, as organised as it is, coaching today has also become more expensive. Where I only spent Rs 300, students are spending Rs 15,000.
This added expense is an added pressure. While there was always anxiety among medical students, it is more so because of the cost factor as well. Nobody wants to spend lakhs on coaching just to fail. The anxiety was because of limited seats, but the stakes for students are much higher today.”
Dr Sharad Agarwal, National President, Indian Medical Association
“When I wrote my medical entrance exam in 2010, there was no NEET. We had the All India Pre-Medical Test (AIPMT) and State-level PMT. I qualified in the State PMT and secured my MBBS admission.
Medical entrance exams have always been competitive. When I was an aspirant, there were only about 8,000 to 9,000 medical seats. Even a 5,000 rank would not fetch you a seat. Moreover, the PMT had two rounds – objective and subjective. The cutoff was also very high.
Now, the number of seats has drastically increased, and the examination is also comparatively easier. Due to this, the number of aspirants has also increased. Hence, the competition remains the same even today.
Coaching centres and institutes existed – but the industry was at a very embryonic stage. Institutes like Allen and Akash have been present since back then as well. Even I received coaching from Akash. Moreover, we had to study at offline centres and physical classrooms, as online classes were out of the question. Coaching was not the multi-crore rupee industry it is today.
One thing that really has a lot of scope for improvement in the current system is the counselling process. It was never this hectic or time-consuming. Back then, the deadline to finish all UG medical admissions was September 31, and the deadline for PG admissions was May 31 – and this was mandated by the Supreme Court. Now, the process gets delayed every year.
I think there is a higher level of anxiety among today’s aspirants than it was for us. Today, there seems to be more pressure on the aspirants and they are not able to handle it well. As a result, they are adopting a lot of unhealthy coping mechanisms like substance abuse. We are treating children in a softer manner than we were treated by our parents and grown-ups; and while that is certainly a good thing, we also need to teach them how they can handle stress better.
Dr Rohan Krishnan, Chairman, Federation of All India Medical Association
"I was a part of the first batch of students appearing for NEET in Tamil Nadu in 2016. However, I had to give the exam twice that year as there was a paper leak and the exam had to be conducted again. Despite clearing NEET, I did not get a very high rank, which prevented me from entering a national medical institute. The Tamil Nadu government was not recognising NEET, and this delayed the counselling round. As a result, I had to appear for NEET in 2017 again.
The competition was as high as one would expect. However, there was always a lot of uncertainty among students in my batch because of the political tussle around NEET. We used to follow the news frantically to know if there would be any discrepancies in the exam.
Moreover, students who were used to the previous exam found the shift to NEET difficult. In some cases, students who would be eligible if they topped their XI and XII board exams, now had to appear for a new entrance exam. Because we were the first batch of a new entrance exam, it was jarring for us. Personally, I approached it like it was just another exam.
I only took coaching for NEET once – in my Class XI and XII. When I attempted in 2017, I studied on my own. However, the coaching industry, so to speak, was really starting to boom. Every institute started offering NEET coaching – and some even made it their entire USP. Even schools and colleges started offering NEET coaching to their students. People around me started signing up for coaching, just because everyone else was doing it. Nothing much has changed in this regard if you ask me.
Our counselling was not conducted in 2016, and I lost my chance at securing my admission. So, I decided to prepare well and have backup options as well. I chose not to take coaching this time, as I did not want to go through the experience of spending about 12-18 hours in a coaching centre all day, studying. Sure, some found it helpful, but not me. As a result, I studied at home. I would occasionally go out to meet friends and even took up dancing to relieve stress. However, I was only studying the rest of the time.
As a backup, I even applied to a liberal arts college in Gujarat and cleared the admission process. In the meanwhile, I also cleared my NEET, and with a higher rank than last time. As I was in Gujarat at that time to secure my admission at that college, my mother had to attend the counselling round in my stead. I finally got admitted to the college I wanted to – Madras Medical College.
A lot of medical aspirants prepare and appear for NEET because of the prestige that comes attached to being a doctor, or because they are pressurised into it by parents and peers. Moreover, nobody wants to be stuck preparing for an entrance examination while their friends are already in college, enjoying college life.
In this case, clearing an entrance exam takes precedence over following their passion. Nobody wants to pursue medicine to serve people, or because they are interested in it.
Moreover, after they enter their course, they realise that the road ahead is much more difficult. In the third year, we all realised that we had to appear for a postgraduate entrance exam as well, which meant that we would fall back into the same cycle of coaching and entrance exams again. All this can get extremely stressful for us. Now that I graduated, I have to start preparing sooner or later.”
Rhea Rajkumar, National Exchange Officer, Medical Students’ Association of India
“I appeared for NEET-UG in 2016. I had also appeared for the State Pre-Medical Test that year, which was much more simple in comparison to NEET-UG. It was based on the NCERT syllabus and did not require specific coaching. However, NEET was a separate exam altogether, with a new pattern – and called for coaching.
NEET was very competitive, as aspirants were applying for the exams en masse in hopes of securing admission to a medical college. Adolescents, who are hardly 17-18 years old, academically gifted and studied biology are told that only one option lies ahead of them – becoming a doctor. The profession also carries a lot of prestige with it, which obviously attracts them.
As a result, these students are in a mad rush to clear NEET. This has not changed. Once they clear NEET and get a good rank, the counselling process is also a smooth ride.
However, when they finally enter a medical college, they eventually realise how much work it takes to pursue medicine – the hours they have to put in, the studying they have to do, and the work in their internship.
I have seen this happening to my peers as well. We all entered med school thinking about becoming surgeons and cardiologists. However, after our internships, that excitement had come down as we had seen first-hand what working as a doctor would be like. Even my parents, who encouraged my cousins and all other children to prepare for NEET and pursue medicine a few years ago, are now shying away from doing it.
Many of my batchmates decided to switch careers and ventured into management and pure sciences, as they were not prepared to cope with the stress of medicine again. It is only after looking at them that I am realising that my options as a biology student were not limited to just medicine. Now, I am preparing for NExT, and I am in the same place I was when I was preparing for NEET-UG.
Coaching has certainly become more prevalent today. For example, I only started coaching when I came to Class XI, but my cousins in Class VII and VIII started preparing for JEE already.
More than coaching, students must be given made to know what they must expect in Medicine. If they are keen to pursue medicine, it should be made clear to them that their course would be extremely stressful and tiring, and that it would continue throughout their careers.
If not, they must also be made aware of all the academic and career options they can pursue as biology students. I certainly wish that I got this advice when I was preparing for NEET.”
Soumya Thomas, Medical Graduate (2022), Mysore Medical College
“I appeared for NEET-UG in 2018, and the competition was extremely high. About 14 lakh students appeared for the exam along with me, Even the paper, which was set by CBSE, was very tough. Ever since the National Testing Agency took over, it has become much easier.
I was originally from Haryana, and I came to Delhi specifically to receive coaching. I cleared NEET with an AIR 433. The counselling process was also very easy and happened online. Post-counselling, I joined the Maulana Azad Medical College in Delhi.
NEET-UG was very tough, and the two years of coaching leading up to it were extremely stressful. When I finally got into MBBS, I felt like a huge weight got lifted off my shoulders.
However, I should also start preparing for NEET-PG, and it would be difficult to do so as I am also doing my internship currently. I also realised that the two years of preparation and stress that I went through during those two years was just a phase and that more stress is to come.”
Dr Shubkarman Singh, Medical Intern, Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital, Delhi
“When I wrote NEET-UG in 2020, I secured an All-India 3rd Rank.
The exam was more difficult when I appeared for it, as only two people could secure a perfect 720 out of 720. Now, however, the paper has become easier and more people are able to score full marks. The exam syllabus is not deviating from the NCERT syllabus, which no longer warrants special coaching. As a result, the competition has certainly gone up.
Almost everyone who wrote NEET in 2020 attended coaching, as far as I know. I was one of those students too. I felt that the coaching centre put unnecessary pressure on the students at times, but it is easy to navigate if you take it in a positive light.
The counselling session was how it is right now – there has not been a lot of change. I simply gave my preferences, attended counselling sessions, and got admitted to the university of my choice, which was AIIMS Delhi.
When I joined coaching, they conducted tests every week. It was quite overwhelming initially, but I got used to it eventually. I started taking the pressure in my stride and began preparing seriously. I realised that my scores would be based not only on what I studied but also on how I performed in the exam. I made a note of common silly mistakes and made sure to avoid them in the exam. So, it was relatively less stressful for me.”
Snikitha Tummala, Medical Student, AIIMS Delhi
