NEET SS 2025: Common Mistakes Made During The Exam

Common Mistakes Made During NEET SS Exam: NEET SS is for students aspiring to pursue advanced knowledge in neurology, oncology, gastroenterology, and more specialisations through DM (Doctorate of Medicine) and MCh (Master of Chirurgiae). To get admission in top colleges for the course, students need to understand which mistakes to avoid in the exam to maximise their score, as given in the article below:

The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test Super Speciality (NEET SS) is a national-level examination conducted for admissions into Super Speciality courses in India. 

Top 5 Common Mistakes to Avoid During the NEET SS Exam

Students often make mistakes like lacking a proper study plan, not having a time management strategy, or lacking skills that result in low performance on the exam. Listed below are the top 5 common mistakes during the NEET SS exam that students should avoid:

Inadequate Exam Preparation

Students often make the mistake of not understanding the exam pattern and syllabus, their weak and strong topics, and not preparing well by practising mock tests or sample papers, which leads to not having a clear understanding of key concepts and topics. It is important to create a comprehensive study plan and cover the subjects thoroughly.

Not Reading Questions Carefully

Students during the exam tend to rush to complete the paper due to the time limit. They do not read the questions carefully and skip the important keywords mentioned in the questions, which leads to incorrect answers. It is important to read each question carefully, noting keywords and specific instructions for the correct interpretation of the questions.

Giving More Time to Weak Topics

Students often give more emphasis on weak topics in the exam and dedicate more time to resolving them, which leads to gaining more marks from high-yielding topics. Students should have a clear strategy for attempting the paper; they should first focus on questions they have more confidence in and then gradually go to questions they lack confidence in. 

Neglecting Instructions

Students are in a hurry to attempt the paper without reading the important instructions required to attempt it and gain more marks, like how to answer questions, manage the answer sheet, utilise the provided materials, negative marking, etc. Students should allocate 5-10 minutes of their time to going through all the instructions given to familiarise themselves with the pattern, marking scheme, etc., so no unnecessary mistakes are made.

Not Being Able to Manage Stress

Due to competition and exam difficulty levels, students have a lot of anxiety and stress, which sometimes leads to panic attacks, increased heart rate, sweating, difficulty recalling information,  changing answers without proper explanation, etc.

Students need to have a proper preparation strategy so they are familiar with the pattern, practice relaxation techniques and have a calming pre-exam routine to crack the exam.

Read More: How to Crack NEET SS? Check Preparation Strategy & Tips

NEET SS Eligibility Criteria

Candidates need to fulfil specific requirements such as merit score, qualifying degree, and cut-off. The following are the eligibility criteria for colleges that accept NEET SS scores 2025:

• Candidates must hold an MD/MS/DNB degree or equivalent from a recognised institution in the relevant speciality to enter DM/MCh courses with a minimum of 50% marks in the qualifying degree. A relaxation of 5% is provided for SC/ST/OBC candidates.
• The candidate must qualify with the required cut-off in the NEET SS 2025 exam.
• There is no upper age limit for appearing in the NEET SS exam.

Read More: NEET SS Exam: A Step-by-Step Guide to the Application Procedure

NEET SS Exam Pattern

The NEET SS exam contains two papers, A and B. Paper A has 40 questions based on all eligible feeder broad courses. Paper B has 60 questions with all PG exit-level questions and will cover topics based on the selected super speciality course.

Listed below is the exam pattern:

Pro Tips to Maximize Your NEET SS Marks

Listed below are some additional tips for students to maximise their NEET SS marks:

• Students should focus on creating a personalised study plan and understand their weak and strong topics so the proper allocation of time can be done.
• Students should understand the exam pattern and pay attention to the topics that have consistently shown up in prior NEET SS exams for the last 5-10 years.
• In order to recall complex information, such as medicine names, classifications, or illness patterns, use mnemonics.
• Students should examine their scores after every mock exam to determine their weak points and modify their study schedule as per the analysis.