Cyclone Vardah posed greatest challenge to NEET PG candidates

Dr Aishwarya Gajendran said, “The exam was a bit of a surprise to me. The NEET PG that was conducted last week was essentially to test the basic knowledge of the applicants. The paper was relatively easy for those who had prepared well. However, I took extra precaution to ensure that I answered every question correctly.” 

The NEET PG became a race against time as most applicants found it challenging to complete the examination within the provided time. 

“The time allotted to us was stringently followed. It was a mammoth task to answer all 300 multiple choice questions within that time frame. Due to the time constraint, the candidates were a bit tense. However, I was able to answer all the questions. I have a feeling that I have done really well, but it is difficult to anticipate my score due to the psychometric software that is used for evaluation,” added Dr Aishwarya. 

For some, Cyclone Vardah played havoc in their NEET life. Due to the power outage in the aftermath of the cyclone, the examination was rescheduled. 

Dr Syed Fasihuddil said, “The examination was scheduled for nine days from December 5 to 13. My examination was to be conducted on December 13. However, due to Cyclone Vardah, the examination was rescheduled to December 16. We came to know about the rescheduling only after going to the centre. Due to power outage, the examination could not be conducted. The exams that were slated for December 6 were also rescheduled due to the death of Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa.” 

After the cyclone, the examinations that were rescheduled were conducted at Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Tiruchy. 

“Luckily for me, my examination centre was in Bengaluru. However, the announcement for the change in the venue was only announced two days prior to the examination. To compound the challenges faced by us, the officials passed on the information through e-mail and SMS. Many people were unaware about the development due to the lack of internet connectivity immediately after the cyclone. A few friends could not attend the examination due to this,” added Dr Syed. 

However, on a positive note, Dr Syed added that the NEET was very accommodating in many ways. He went on to explain that NEET provided candidates with the option to choose the centre, date and the time. No other examination, for medical courses, offers this facility. 

With regard to the question paper itself, Dr Syed said, “The paper was average in terms of difficulty. Each batch had a different question paper. The difficulty level varied with each batch. In total, there were 14 different sets of question papers. Based on what my friends told me, the people who attended the exam on December 10 and 11 said that the examination was a bit tough.” 

A few aspirants raised the issue that the examination could have been a lot easier had they been provided a blueprint of the question paper. 

Dr Kaviya Baskaran, who attempted the examination in Tiruchy, said, “The examination was pretty easy. There are a lot of study material at the disposal of candidates. That said, a blueprint of the examination will go a long way in helping us prepare better. With the aid of a blueprint, we will be able to allot importance to subjects that carry greater weightage. The Tamil Nadu PG Medical examination provides aspirants with a blueprint which is a great boon to them.”

Academicians also shared the notion that the NEET PG 2016 was relatively easy. 

According to Dr Sumer Sethi, Director, Delhi Academy of Medical Sciences (DAMS), “As per discussions with students who attempted the NEET PG this year, the exam paper was well balanced, with a fair representation of all clinical and non-clinical subjects. There were quite a few questions on visual pattern and there was emphasis on integrated questions which require application of the knowledge.” 

When asked what potential aspirants can gauge from the current NEET PG, Dr Sethi said, “The most important message for students appearing next year is to not get misguided by so-called guidebooks available in the market. The examination is concept -based and at DAMS we recommend our students to focus mainly on standard textbooks and concept building in classes. ‘Integrated’ multiple choice questions in a computer based environment is the NEET PG exam in a nutshell.”