You have taken that big step. The step which your family was apprehensive about. The step you feared would make your friends jeer at you.
You dropped a year to appear for NEET again.
Here you are now – at the precipice of another year with nothing to do but study for NEET 2019. You have a lot at stake, and a lot to gain as well. You want to score a whole lot more than you did last year and get into your dream institute. You have promises to keep – to yourself and to your parents.
However, you are afraid too. Several thoughts plague your mind ‘what if I dropped for nothing? What if I score worse than last year? What if I fail again?’
These words hum a constant anxiety-inducing tune in the back of your mind.
We believe you have no reason to feel anxious. No matter what people (including you) think, being a dropper has its advantages and you have it in you to be a NEET topper and get into the medical institute of your dreams.
How to do that, you ask? We tell you some NEET 2019 preparation tips below:
Before you begin, fix your mindset
Drop the fear of failure. Drop the insecurity you might have around being a dropper. Since you are a dropper, you now know first-hand how the final exam actually is and how to tackle it. You have a lot more self-knowledge than someone who is appearing for NEET for the first time. This is a powerful position to be in.
Take an inventory of where you are now and where you want to go
This means evaluating how you prepared for NEET 2018, what your strong and weak points were, and setting a goal for this year. It might be a definite number or it might be a range you want to score in. Write all of this down.
Evaluate last year’s mistakes
This is a very crucial step. Here are the possible mistakes you might have made:
- Not being enthusiastic/ motivated/ serious enough
- Focusing too much on one subject at the cost of others
- Not practising enough difficult questions
- Randomly studying with no plan
- Being too distracted by social media and using it while studying
- Not solving online mock tests until the last minute
- Neglecting NCERT because it is ‘too basic’ or ‘too simple’.
- Neglecting 11th-grade syllabus
Be brutally honest with yourself and admit to all the ways in which you messed up. That is the only way you can improve this year.
Make a study plan
A solid study plan with deadlines written on paper where you can track your progress.
- If you did not study NCERT thoroughly last year, include it in your plan along with one advanced book.
- If you did not solve enough mock papers, solve 2-3 each week and solve them twice.
- If you focused too much on one subject, allocate enough time for all subjects.
Be consistent
Stick to your plan with no excuses. Include hours for rest in your plan and stick to those as well. Do not abandon your plan at any point. Say no to social engagements if they collide with your schedule. Make a simple policy of ‘no excuses’ when it comes to studying.
Say the strongest ‘no’ to all forms of negativity
Get rid of your own mental chatter that includes self-doubt and the concerned looks of others. This is your year because you are preparing thoroughly for it.
Ditch your phone
Reduce the amount of time that you spend on the phone. If you need to relax, choose to exercise, dance, or participate in outdoor activities which will benefit you once you come back to your study desk again.
Be your own cheerleader
Before you sit down to study, spend 2-3 minutes amping yourself up. Read Zig Ziglar quotes. Repeat mantras to yourself. Sentences like ‘I am capable’ and ‘I am a winner’ will sound hokey in the beginning. But they will get you in the right frame of mind to study with enthusiasm and motivation.
Most of all, remind yourself why you are doing this. Because once upon a time, your parents and you dreamed a dream for you. Now, you owe it to yourself to make it come true. And truthfully? It ain’t that hard.
You can absolutely do it. All the best!
