The National Testing Agency is established by the HRD department of the Government of India. It conducts the National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test (NEET) for admission into MBBS /BDS courses and other undergraduate medical courses, recognized by Medical, Dental, and other Colleges/Institutes of India.
In short, it can make your dream come true as a doctor. Every year lakhs and lakhs of aspirants wait for this test to get admission into the best medical institutes and courses. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the exam date of NEET2020 had frequently been shifting. Finally, the exam has been scheduled for July 26 across the country.
All the candidates for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test can download admit cards with details around two weeks before the exam. Hence, the candidates should focus on their studies and use the lockdown period for preparation wisely. But, still, there is uncertainty and anxiety among the NEET aspirants about the Examination during this Covid-19 situation. So, there is stress and turmoil in the mind of most of the candidates.
- NEET is among the toughest competitive exams in the medical field, and the success rate is merely about 15 percent.
- The minus marking for each incorrect answer is the main obstruction for the candidates to secure a seat in any medical colleges by scoring the minimum cut off mark fixed by the NTA.
- Hence, if they are not prepared properly, they may not be able to secure 50 percentile, which is the cut off for the unreserved category and 40 percentile for the reserved category. So these thoughts again put the candidates under mental pressure.
Before the Examination, every student should keep themselves in a stress-free and tension-free environment. But the present scenario of the world due to COVID-19 and daily updates about the impact of the pandemic on humankind put the situation in a disturbed state. So, all the medical aspirants must know how to manage this stress from their minds so that they can perform well in the NEET Exam. There are various ways to manage stress and anxiety during the NEET Preparation.
Eight Ways To Manage Stress
1. Identify Your Goals And Set Your Priorities
Every medical aspirant should identify his goal and Set up his priorities and adhere to a fixed time table. It makes a person more disciplined and to face a stressful situation. One should understand all the aspects of the NEET examination. Accordingly, he should go through all the crucial chapters having high weightage and follow a fixed time table to prepare the topics. Set the goal for the priority topics. Hence, a medical aspirant, during the lockdown period, candidates should use his time correctly in studies, set up priorities, follow it strictly, and make it happen.
2. Giving Frequent Mock Tests Enhances The Level Of Preparation
Mock tests help one to learn new ways so that they can manage time and help to evaluate themselves from time to time. During COVID -19 pandemic, the NEET aspirants are in the midst of uncertainty. So, during the lockdown period, by giving mock tests frequently, a candidate will be able to judge his level of preparation. It also helps him to eradicate his anxiety and stress. Mock test analysis helps the candidates to analyze his mistakes and make him more confident and develop awareness.
3. Take A Balanced Diet
NEET syllabus is very vast and tough. Most of the students, to prepare for the Examination, work hard without taking a proper diet in time. A healthy, balanced diet in time is essential for a healthy mind. Hence, a student should take care of his diet properly at the right time. Fast food is indirectly a factor to create stress in students because these foods are rich in carbohydrates and fats but have less in proteins and hence, avoid fast food and take a protein-rich diet throughout your NEET Preparation journey.
4. Remain Always Calm And Positive
In the COVID-19 lockdown period, various negative thoughts may come due to frequent changes in Examination Date because this situation creates a negative impact on the mind of the students. But, every student should adopt the trick on how to turn a bad situation to his / her favor. Creating negative thoughts and believing it is the single most significant obstruction to success. While a positive mindset not only enhances the confidence level but helps in studying. Believe yourself and always visualize you are going to crack the exam, and nothing can go wrong till the end of the exam.
5. To Minimize Stress And Anxiety, A Candidate Must Practice The Breathing Techniques
Inhale slowly and deeply and exhale slowly for a few minutes. Concentrate on your every movement of breath. Several thoughts may visualize the mind. Only visualize the thoughts as a witness manner. After some time, the mind will gradually calm down. When one feels angry and irritated, calming the mind is possible by counting back from 100 to 1. A candidate can incorporate Yogasana and Pranayama and meditation in his lifestyle, at least for 30 minutes in the morning, to start every day with positivity. It helps him to minimize stress and easily take the problem. Adopting morning walk for 30 minutes is also helpful to remain with nature and brings peace in mind and generates positivity.
6. Spend Some Time With Family And Friends
Sharing your thoughts, problems with your closure circle makes you tension free. It boosts your performance. One can feel calm and relaxed by sharing his feelings and thoughts with their parents, sisters, brothers, and friends; this thing helps in reducing the stress level to a certain scale. So taking small breaks will help in maintaining the right level of confidence and reducing stress. And discuss your subjects, preparation, life, and many more things with your close friends over phones.
7. Remain Focused And Avoid Causes Of
Disturbances Created Through Social Media
Social media nowadays plays a vital role in every student’s life. But during the Examination, remember one thing, excess of everything is bad. One can rescue stress while spending some time on social media, but this needs to be limited. Spending more than a limited time on social media daily is not a bad thing. Still, if you spend more than that, it is a waste of time as it distracts you from your target in many ways and creates a negative impact and stress in mind, so better to use that time efficiently and effectively. But, if you can control your daily usage up to a specific limit, then it can be a mode of refreshment, and it also acts as a stress reliever.
8. Get More Sleep And Rest
Last but not least, positivity also depends on the quality of sleep. A healthy mindset needs at least 7 hours to keep energetic and calm. Hence, a body should not compromise on his sleep as it helps in rejuvenating his mind and makes it active to work properly. So every NEET aspirant has to maintain a healthy lifestyle and get at least 6-7 hours of sleep every day. Sleep keeps your mind calm and relaxed and provides the right kind of rest to your body, and also allows you to stay alert while studying during the day. When you are well-rested, you are more likely to perform better on examination day. Going to the exam without sleep or very little sleep can only hamper your progress and chances to achieve your goal.
Also, considering the current situation, please take all the precautions against coronavirus. Try to maintain social distancing and the right sanitization of your hand and face. Anxiety and stress will hamper your performance, instead of improving it. So try to practice these tips that are mentioned above to release the unnecessary stress and enhance your learning productivity and remain calm and composed during the lockdown period.
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