The National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) has introduced a significant change to the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test for Masters of Dental Surgery (NEET MDS) 2025 examination pattern, with time-bound sections that will lock after the allotted time expires.
While this update isn’t entirely new, as NBEMS had earlier implemented it in other medical entrance exams like like Institute of National Importance Combined Entrance Test (INI-CET), NEET Super Speciality (NEET-SS), and Foreign Medical Graduate Examination (FMGE), this is the first time the board has clearly laid out how it will work in NEET MDS.
The change has sparked anxiety among dental aspirants, especially since the update comes close to the examination date, which is to be conducted on April 19, 2024.
To better understand how this impacts students and how they can adapt, we spoke to Dr Sundari Durairajan, Faculty at MDSPrep, who offered a detailed analysis and key advice.
No change in the syllabus, but big shift in strategy
“The portions remain the same,” reassured Dr Durairajan and added, “Students can't prepare anything new specifically for this exam at this minute. The only thing they have to do effectively is manage time.”
She explains that those who have taken INI-CET before may be familiar with this locked-section format, where students are not allowed to go back to previous questions once the time is up.
In previous NEET MDS exams, students had the flexibility to navigate between sections, tackling clinicals before basics, for example. That flexibility is gone now.
“You don’t have a choice anymore, but in a way, it’s simpler. You just have to focus on that particular 75 minutes to complete Part A and then the remaining time for Part B,” she added.
No room for reserved questions
One key downside, according to Dr Durairajan, is that students who are used to marking questions for review can no longer do so.
“Some students who think slowly or like to reserve questions for later can’t do that anymore. They have to complete everything within that time slot,” she notes.
The pressure of a rigid time frame may be particularly tough for those who typically rely on pacing themselves slowly in the first round and returning to tough questions later, she added.
Last-minute advice for students
With less than two weeks left for the exam, Dr Durairajan urges aspirants to stay calm and focused on revision.
“There’s no point stressing out because of the new pattern. The more you stress, the less time you have to revise. It’s the last stretch, nothing else matters now,” she emphasises.
She adds that this isn’t a shocking move from the NBEMS, which is infamous for introducing last-minute changes in exam patterns.
“This is not a big surprise. They’ve been dropping all the bombs at the last minute. I think students shouldn’t think too much about the change and instead focus on revision. Every minute lost is time wasted,” says Dr Sundari.
What’s coming NExT?
For now, NBEMS has only announced this single change. However, experts believe that this shift could be a part of a larger transition in medical entrance exams. Something that has been long expected — the National Exit Test (NExT).
“Maybe it’s just to create confusion, or maybe they’re slowly progressing towards the NExT pattern. In another two years, the pattern might change more drastically,” she speculates
Notably, the INI-CET has been following this time-locked format for the past two years, which could indicate the direction in which NBEMS wants to move.
So, how should students spend the crucial final days before the exam?
Dr Durairajan advises focusing on what matters most.
“Students should revise from their master notes, especially volatile topics. I’d suggest keeping a separate note for those,” she said.
She also strongly recommends going through previous question papers, saying they’re likely to repeat.
With the NEET MDS exam approaching fast, aspirants have little time to adjust to the new changes. But with the right mindset and strategy, the new format can be tackled effectively.
