NEET UG 2024: The NEET UG topper now in AIIMS, New Delhi says that his desire to clear NEET UG got a boost after he joined the coaching classes.
NEET UG 2024: Soumyadeep Manna bagged the 37th all-India rank in the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test Undergraduate (NEET UG) 2023 by scoring 710 marks out of 720. Manna is now pursuing his MBBS from AIIMS, New Delhi.
The 19-year-old Manna from Kolkata, West Bengal scored 94 per cent in Class 10 (WBBSE) and 96.6 per cent marks in Class 12 (CBSE).
The NEET UG all-India rank holder wanted to become a doctor ever since he was a child. His decision influenced by his father who is a doctor and his sister who is doing her MBBS from a medical college in Kolkata. His mother also wanted him to be a doctor. Manna took a two-year-long coaching course from Allen, Kota between 2021 and 2023. Speaking to the indianexpress.com, Manna shares how he prepared for NEET UG.
How did you prepare for NEET UG?
My NEET UG preparation started when I was in Class 11 and I enrolled in the coaching classes of Allen. Although I enrolled in an offline classroom coaching programme, the classes were initially held online amid Covid and later from September 2021, it switched to the offline mode. My mother also accompanied me to Kota to look after me during my coaching and NEET preparation.
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I mostly relied on the coaching materials, NCERTs and the timetable given by my coaching institute. After my classes in coaching, I made notes for all topics, revised the topics and read NCERTs. I used to go through the notes prepared by me and NCERTs for revision.
After my coaching classes ended in September 2022, my day used to start at around 7 am. I had divided my day into three slots. In the first slot, I used to study from the 7:30 am till 10 am. After taking a break for about 30-45 minutes, I used to sit again for the second slot to study till 1 pm. Next, I appeared for tests from 2 to 5:20 pm. And in my third and final slot, I studied between 7:30 pm and 10:30 pm.
What would you recommend to NEET UG 2024 aspirants?
– Do not regret after getting poor marks in mock tests. It is better to overcome those failures and plan a better strategy for the future.
– Do not stress your body. It is not that students should study 18-19 hours a day.
– Give importance to mock tests.
Click Here | NEET Mock Tests & Practice Test
– Analyse the tests and check the mistakes made. If a student analyses the mistakes, what options were involved, and what each option says then there will be no scope for errors in the same area in future.
– Read NCERTs without ignoring anything.
Do you think coaching is important to ace an exam like NEET UG?
I would not say that coaching is the only important thing but yes, having someone as a mentor is important. My motivation to clear NEET UG boosted after I joined the coaching classes. I knew I could do well in NEET and get myself enrolled in a state medical college in West Bengal but with coaching and the right guidance, I am now at India’s best medical college, AIIMS, New Delhi.
Also Read | NEET UG 2024: How to retain better, practice questions and learn NCERT?
Did you get nervous during the NEET UG preparation?
I did not get nervous however, I used to feel low whenever I obtained less marks in my mock tests. But then we conditioned to appear for tests almost every day of the week so my fear of appearing for tests was gone.
How was it like preparing for board exams and NEET UG simultaneously?
My entire focus was on NEET UG, and therefore I was not stressing about the board exams. I studied all the parts – the rationalised syllabus and deleted syllabus of CBSE. For physics, chemistry and biology, it was all similar, however for other subjects, I devoted a month before the CBSE board exam. I appeared for Class 12 from a school in Kota in 2023.
I am thinking of doing a postgraduate programme after my MBBS is over. I would be interested in taking up neurosurgery as my specialisation in PG. But, if any other subject interests me during my MBBS, I might check those options as well.
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