Is There a Negative Marking in NEET?
With a maximum of 720 marks awarded, the NEET examination consists of 180 questions. Each correct answer is awarded 4 marks while for an incorrect answer 1 mark is deducted. However, there is no negative marking in the NEET exam for questions left unanswered.
Marks can be calculated by counting the number of correct answers, multiplying those by 4 and then deducting 1 mark from the total for the probable number of incorrect answers. Candidates must always be aware of the marking scheme in the exam so that they may be careful and not indulge in any activity that could lead to negative marking in NEET.
Here are a few common errors and incorrect practices that students indulge in while attempting the NEET exam and some tips to prevent these;
Summary
- Is there a negative marking in NEET?
- How to avoid negative marking in NEET?
The National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET), which was previously known as All-India Pre-Medical Test (AIPMT), is an entrance test conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) for admitting students into MBBS and BDS courses in Indian medical and dental colleges.
How to Avoid Negative Marking in NEET?
1. Keep up Positive Confidence, Avoid Panic
While attempting any exam, confidence is the key factor that influences the performance of the candidate. Confidence boosts the candidate to be calm, composed and relaxed while attempting the test and one can read, understand and effectively solve the questions.
However, there is a thin line between being confident and exuding a sense of overconfidence. Candidates who are pretty overconfident tend to get careless while reading questions, fail to understand them and make mistakes by opting for the wrong alternatives. This sense of overconfidence can lead to excitement followed by the urgency that can in one fleeting moment ruin all the hard work and effort put in by the student.
This can cause a lot of harm to the overall scorecard of the candidate, as negative marking can primarily affect ranking. As this examination is crucial in shaping the career of one’s life, it is very important to be rational and not get overwhelmed while attempting the exam.
There are few students who would in a first response panic upon taking a look at the question paper in the exam hall. However, this kind of panic can lead to the candidate losing focus and having a higher possibility of making mistakes while solving questions and creating a chance of negative marking in NEET.
Reading the question paper clearly and telling oneself that everything will be alright, keeping positive confidence in oneself can help the candidate crack the NEET examination.
2. Consider Before Attempting Doubtful Questions
There would always be a few questions that the candidate is unsure or doubtful of. One may not have clarity about the concept from which the question has been asked from or may not know the answer to the particular question. Thus, in such times it is always advisable to skip those questions and move on to the others.
Trying to attempt doubtful questions has primarily two disadvantages – it wastes precious time that is always a scarcity in such competitive exams and secondly, it lowers the level of positive confidence that the candidate might otherwise have. Being stuck on a question does not help and so, one must either skip it or try and solve it in the end after answering everything else.
It is best not to try and guess the answers to these questions just to try one’s luck. Therefore, in such confusing scenarios the candidate must make a wise choice. Answers to doubtful questions always run the risk of being wrong and so, might lead to negative marking in NEET. And this could be a major setback for the candidate.
3. Read Each Question Carefully
The first thing that a candidate must do is to read the question paper thoroughly and very carefully at the beginning of the examination. This action should never be avoided. The candidate must very well know the importance of reading the question paper carefully and the various benefits of the same.
One must not immediately jump into solving and answering even before reading the entire question paper. The candidate will thus, get an elaborate idea of how the question paper is set and how much time needs to be devoted to which section. One might also find questions that are similar to previous question papers that one has thoroughly practiced. And this could definitely be an added advantage.
However, there could be certain minute changes that could skip the eye if one doesn’t pay full attention while reading the question paper. Thus, this sort of carelessness can lead to negative marking in NEET.
4. Manage Time
Time management is a crucial factor to crack the NEET exam and to avoid negative marking in NEET. Many candidates tend to begin by solving the toughest questions first and then going about with the easier questions.
This practice often wastes time and leads to a poor, slow start and later on results in unnecessary panic, delay and shortage of time. Thus, the overall performance of the candidate suffers and there is an inherent risk of not being able to finish the entire paper. Instead of letting oneself fall into that risk, one must indulge in the opposite way of attempting questions. Go for the easiest to toughest.
This exam is very crucial for a student as it is the gateway into prestigious medical colleges and can shape an individual’s medical career. There might always be some questions that are unanswered due to time constraint, them being doubtful, lack of clarity and so on.
But it is never advised to try out one’s luck by randomly guessing possible options in the last minute. This carries the highest risk of negative marking in NEET and there is a greater chance that one might lose a possible rank and a seat.
5. Refrain From Oral Calculations
NEET examination aims to test a candidate’s in-depth subject knowledge and not IQ level. This is a common misconception among candidates that the NEET examination is meant to test one’s IQ. And so, many make the mistake of indulging in mental calculation and often make errors that cost them time, energy, marks and also risk them for negative marking in NEET.
Another disadvantage of mental calculation is that at a point, due to some disturbance or block the candidate is likely to lose track of all the calculations made mentally. And this can prove to be a huge loss for the candidate as he or she might have to begin calculations all over again and waste a lot of time.
So, it is always a safe option to use a pen and paper for calculation as one can always go back and refer to the values derived and solve all kinds of confusion that may arise further. Moreover, calculations made with a pen and paper are concretely written down and so, are less likely to be incorrect as one can always identify any potential errors in the same.
6. Do Not Choose Multiple Options
It is always advised to read the NEET guidelines clearly so that one may be able to give their best in the examination and avoid unnecessary mistakes that could cost a lot. It must be remembered that negative marking always aims to select the best from the rest and so to be the best, one must avoid all sorts of errors.
One such frequent error that leads to negative marking in NEET is caused when while filling the OMR sheet, students exude carelessness. There is no provision to select more than one option and if done so, such questions will only be disqualified and this can lead to negative marking in NEET. Same is the case when there is overlapping or haphazard filling of the OMR sheet.
The attempt should be to fill out the OMR sheet in a neat, clean and clear manner. One can never afford to be negatively marked in such examinations as they are determinant of one’s future.
Conclusion
These are some of the key guidelines that students need to follow to avoid negative marking in NEET exam and that they may be able to crack the NEET effectively, secure a good rank, a seat in a prestigious college and excel in their medical career. These common errors students indulge in are quite silly and can be avoided if one makes a deliberate effort to avoid them.
NEET is indeed a tough and testing exam. However, with the right kind of preparation, following of these tips and the right amount of confidence, one can definitely crack the exam and pass with flying colours.
