“All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them.” Akanksha Singh scored 720 out of 720 Marks with AIR 2 in NEET 2020. Akanksha joined Aakash Institute in Class IX for a 4-Year Classroom Program. She believes starting your preparation early lays a strong foundation for a stronger future. She not only succeeded in many national level Olympiads but also has been a KVPY and NTSE Scholar.
Aakash conducted a Live Webinar with Akanksha Singh to discuss her preparation strategy for NEET 2020. Here are ten key takeaways from the webinar for you.
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
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Scoring 720/720 in NEET
In order to score a perfect 720 out of 720 in NEET, you need to have a preparation strategy that suits you. Learning from others is great but always follow your own path. Parental support plays an important role in mental and emotional well-being. Apart from that, your concepts should be crystal clear. Once you understand a chapter completely, only then move on to the next chapter. Practice plays an important role, so solve as many as 300-400 questions of different varieties on every chapter. In case of doubts, reach out to your teachers and resolve all your doubts.
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Reading and Preparing NCERT for all Three Subjects to Crack NEET
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Biology:
Biology is completely based on the NCERT textbook. Hence, it is important to read and understand every line of the NCERT textbook. You need to make short notes on every line. These can be in the form of bullet points or question-answer form. As you progress, you can gradually condense these notes and revise them again and again rather than studying from the NCERT. Once a chapter is complete, discuss it with your friends, ask each other questions as this will enhance your knowledge base.
Chemistry:
The strategy for preparing Inorganic Chemistry from NCERT is similar to that of Biology. Prepare short notes on every line of the NCERT. Make sure that you don’t go beyond the NCERT syllabus. Revise your notes again and again and once a chapter is complete, discuss it with your friends. This will help you learn in a fun way.
For Organic Chemistry, make notes of all the data given in the NCERT textbook. You can make a table of reactant and product to learn the mechanism used. This method will help you learn Organic Chemistry from NCERT in an easy way.
For Physical Chemistry, just highlight the data provided in the NCERT textbook. Practice as many questions as possible from Physical Chemistry to crack NEET.
Physics:
To master Physics, you need to first go through your Aakash Module, second your Study Notes, and then practice lots and lots of questions. Only after that, go through the NCERT. Highlight the important information and points in the NCERT textbook itself. Doing NCERT at the end for Physics will provide you with an edge over others.
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Study Pattern for NEET and Managing Preparation During Lockdown
Choose your study time and learn when you are most productive. Start your preparation with the easy topic, then moderate and later difficult. Once you start a chapter, complete it and do not leave it in the middle. Practice as many questions as possible to strengthen your learning. Always have a strategy regarding which book to study, what to study and how to study. For example, in Physics, start studying from your Module, go through your study notes, solve questions from relevant sources and then read the NCERT textbook. If you have doubts, reach out to your teachers and get all your doubts resolved.
During the lockdown, Akanksha Singh solved at least 1 Mock Paper daily as the syllabus was already covered and her revision was also done. Initially, she too was stressed but she put the lockdown period to good use. She adopted a solution-centric approach. If she took 2 hours 45 minutes to solve a mock paper, she revised her speed and as the day approached she could easily solve the mock papers in 2 hours. Additionally, it is important to stay connected with your friends and form a peer group. Together, you can find ways to solve a question.
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Coping up with Stress and Anxiety and Managing Your Preparation
In order to cope up with stress and anxiety, it is important to be self-motivated. If you score low in tests conducted during your preparation journey, you need to remember that it is the courage to continue that matters and not small successes and failures. In the longer run, it is your hard work and dedication that will bear fruits. You need to focus on your goal – NEET. If you score low in your tests, try to find out the reason behind the same. Analyse your mistakes and improve upon them. Instead of feeling demotivated, try to rectify the problem.
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Preparing for AIATS & Predicting Your NEET Rank basis AIATS
The All India Aakash Test Series or AIATS according to Akanksha Singh is a perfect way to determine your rank in the NEET exam. In order to prepare for AIATS, read your notes properly, prepare from your study package, go through the important points, practice all the questions and last but not the least, thoroughly read the NCERT textbook. Two days before the AIATS exam, just revise what you have already prepared and skip the unread portions.
To crack NEET, Akanksha Singh believes that your NCERT textbooks and Aakash Modules are sufficient. However, you need to revise them again and again.
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Managing School and Coaching
When it is about preparing for NEET, Akanksha Singh feels school and coaching perfectly complement each other. You can use your travel time to go through your notes. As NCERT is followed in schools, so whatever chapter is being taught in the school, utilise it to strengthen your NCERT. Make notes of the chapter in the school itself. Other than that, you can use your free classes such as games or library period to study and revise what is taught in the class. As far as the other subjects are concerned such as English etc. going to school helps a lot as you can prepare for these subjects in the school itself. All you need to do is focus in the classroom and pay attention while your teacher is teaching. This will save time and you can use it to prepare for NEET.
Moreover, focussing on NEET and Boards is not a problem as both are based on the NCERT syllabus.
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Scoring Full Marks in Physics
Good conceptual and application-based knowledge is the key to success in Physics. To understand the concepts, go through Aakash Module and the Study Package. Make notes and practice as many questions as possible from relevant sources. If you have any doubts, reach out to your teachers and get all your doubts resolved. Instead of memorizing a formula or concepts, you should know how it was derived. Good books and teachers play an important role in making Physics easy to understand.
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Preparing Organic Chemistry
The best way to prepare Organic Chemistry is by taking the NCERT textbook as a base. Do not go beyond the reactions mentioned in the NCERT. The mechanism for some reactions is already explained and for others, take help of your notes. While preparing Organic Chemistry, make your own notes. You can make a table by writing the name of the reaction, the reactant and the product.
Thoroughly read your notes, Aakash Modules and practice as many questions as possible. This will help you understand the variations. If you have any doubts, get them resolved. Additionally, whatever is taught in the class, revise it the same day. Practice previous year questions of Organic Chemistry as this will help you understand the periphery within which you need to study. Also, keep in mind the data given in NCERT.
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Tackling MCQs with similar options
The best way to handle the multiple choice questions with similar options is to get into the examiner’s head. Try to analyse what the examiner’s thought process would have been while preparing the question. Then read the question for 4-5 times. Pay attention to the keywords in the question. Then think from the point of view of the NCERT textbook. Most of the time when the question or the options seem confusing, NCERT can come to your rescue. If you have read the NCERT textbook thoroughly, you’ll be able to find out the right answer.
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Exam-taking Strategy
You should plan in advance how you want to attempt the paper. Also, divide your time for Biology, Chemistry and Physics. In the first round, attempt the questions that you are confident about and circle the ones you are doubtful about. Now mark your answers on the OMR sheet and come back to the questions you were not sure of. In the second round, try solving these questions one by one. If you are unable to solve 2-3 initial questions, do not get demotivated and start solving questions in the reverse order. This will help relax your mind and ensure continuity. Whenever you are stuck, do not waste your time and move on to the next question.
In tricky questions, pay attention to the keywords and circle them. Using the elimination method, first eliminate the wrong options. This will bring you to the correct option. You can also try error-analysis method for the same.
