PG NEET was easier than last year, say candidates

“Unlike last year, where 300 questions were asked based on the subjects, this year, the questions were divided into three sections – Parts I, II and III. Part I (with 50 questions) covered portions from first year, Part II (100 questions) had questions from second and third-year MBBS syllabus and Part III had 150 questions from final year,” said Sriram, a student who gave the exam at a centre in Tiruchy.

Stating that the question paper was still challenging, Arun R, who wrote the exam in the city, said, “Most questions were based on General Surgery and Dermatology. Besides, there were a lot of image-based questions.”

The National Board of Examinations (NBE) had drawn flak from the Directorates of medical Education of different states, including Tamil Nadu, last year for the insufficient number of centres available and the challenges faced by many in getting a centre within their state. This year saw no such problems. “We had planned the process better this year and ensured that the majority of candidates get centres within their own state,” said Dr Rashmikant Dave, Honorary Executive Member, NBE.

It may be noted that there were 64 centres distributed across 16 districts in Tamil Nadu this year and 20,000 students of the total of 1,43,000 who appeared for the exam were from Tamil Nadu, making it the largest number from any state. ‘The results will be out on or before January 31,” he added.