Hello future doctors. It is no secret that mock test practice is one of the most important aspects of NEET preparation especially during the last few days. Why mock tests are important is an entirely different story. There’s question practice, feedback for what you have studied, refining your exam strategy and what not. One important problem that most aspirants don’t know how to deal with, even while solving mocks regularly is the problem of speed. How to increase speed with the help of mock tests?
I have always been very fast at solving mock tests. I used to complete my mock tests within 2 hours most of the time. This helped me complete my lengthy NEET 2021 paper. A lot of students were unable to complete it on time which gave me the competitive advantage that I needed. Let’s understand how I developed this speed.
Solve extra questions
As per the NEET pattern, while solving a 200 question paper, you only have to attempt 180 questions. This means that you are solving 180 questions in 200 minutes. (More than a minute per question) I would suggest keeping an aim of completing the entire question paper, that is, 200 questions within 200 minutes while solving NEET mock tests.
Obviously this is an unnecessary waste of time during the actual paper and it is also not advised as you will only be graded for the first 10 questions that you solve in section B. But, following this practice while solving mock tests will help you increase your speed.
Besides, it will also test your accuracy more efficiently. You never know when a question that you left as extra during the NEET mock test will show up in the actual paper. You do not want to take a chance. So, I hope you know that you must always solve the extra questions during mock tests. If you have passed the time limit then take extra time and solve the questions regardless.
Read more mock test practicing rules that you must follow.
If you are not able to solve the extra questions within the time frame, aim for 1 extra question every mock test. Over time you will easily be able to accommodate 20 extra questions. You can do this Or-
You can solve with the mindset of solving a 200 question paper.
If you keep the extra questions as a luxury, an ‘okay to solve if possible but not necessary’ then you will never be able to solve them within the given time.
When you sit for the mock test, sit with an intention of giving a 200 question paper. This will make it a rule, an obligation that you have to complete instead of an add-on. This will help you step out of your comfort zone. And, stepping out of your comfort zone is the first step of improvement.
Time every session and make a good paper attempting strategy.
By session I mean every subject separately. Note down the time after finishing Biology, once after Chemistry, and once after Physics. Then you can try to improve your time by 2 minutes in every subject. This will result in a decrease in your solving time by 6-8 minutes every mock test. Which is a really good decrease.
You also need to have a definite paper attempting strategy. We recommend starting with biology, then going on to chemistry, and solving physics in the end. Biology should be completed 45 minutes- 1 hour. So, if you are completing biology in 1 hour now, aim for a 2 minute decrease with every mock test. Remember, small and achievable goals.
Write notes by hand
All the above tips are from the perspective of giving the mock test. But what are you going to do to actually improve your writing speed?
Answer: Write more. You can take notes every time you attend a lecture or watch it online. And while taking notes make sure to use a book and paper and to write it down instead of typing it. Try to match the speed of the lecturer talking. Initially you will find it impossible but over time it will become easier. This habit of writing down notes has helped me even in my MBBS exams. It will increase your speed for the better and will also make sure that you are engaged in a lecture instead of just passively listening to it.
Ultimately in the NEET exam, you will be faster in your rough work, this will help decrease the time you take to solve a mock.
Calculations
Calculations take up most of the time of an average NEET aspirant. We need to cut the time involved in math so that we can focus more on physics and chemistry. To do so, you should have some basic tables, squares, square roots and log values memorized. Have the values of the constants at the tip of your tongue so that you do not waste time trying to remember them during the exam.
When you save time on calculation, you are reducing a lot of panic in the last hour. Memorize these now.
Calculate after assessing the Options
This is a hack that has helped me a lot. You must only start calculating after you have seen the significant figures and the accuracy of the options. If your options are accurate up to the 2nd decimal point, for example, 6.21, 6.22, 6.23, and 6.24, you do not check it before solving and start solving by rounding off all values. Your answer will be 6. Then you will go back to the options and realize that you have wasted your time.
To avoid this, always solve after checking options.
Skip and come back
If a question is taking over 5 minutes and you still feel confused, just skip it for the meanwhile. You are wasting time trying to figure out something that you don’t remember, you can very well put this time into solving the other questions instead.
Stop obsessing over the difficult to solve questions, there are no extra marks for them. Solve the easiest ones, secure a safe score and then brainstorm on the difficult ones. So, just put a star next to the questions that have to be revisited and then go ahead with the rest of the questions. When you are done with the rest of the paper, come back to these questions.
Who knows, maybe the answer will strike you when you are solving other questions?
Knowing the material thoroughly
If you know your material by heart, you won’t waste time trying to recall it during the exam. As I usually advise, you guys should first try to understand the concept and then memorize it. Yes, rote learning, ratta marna. You would want to save any second that you can during the exam.
The pressure is only soo much that you can not derive formulae during the paper. Yes, some difficult questions might require derivation of formulas. But, you will be able to derive it only when you have enough time, you will only have enough time when you solve the easier questions faster.
Memorize the entire NCERT. I literally had the chemistry NCERTs memorized word to word. This made solving inorganic chemistry very very easy, you have no idea how much it helped.
Use of Mnemonics and Memory Aids
One easy way to save time during the paper is by using mnemonics. I know most people find it difficult to memorize the books, but mnemonics are simple. They can be funny also, just make up a story that helps you memorize a topic. You can refer to Vipin Sharma Sir for biology, I used his mnemonics, they are very nice. They will help you memorize examples in biology.
Practice practice practice
Honestly this is the most important aspect. The above given tips are useless if you haven’t practiced enough. It is like the golden rule of NEET preparation. Most teachers disagree on a lot of tips given by other teachers, but this one rule is universal. No teacher, no topper, no aspirant will disagree. Practice makes perfect, it will help you increase your speed while solving questions during exams.
Solve at least a 100 MCQs from each chapter, a lot more for physics. Practice bubbling the OMR. Practice mock tests. Keep practicing. This is a rule in MBBS too. You can only understand how to make a smear when you have practiced it a lot of time. You will only be able to hold a scalpel perfectly if you have practiced it enough times during dissection. If you want to be a doctor, be ready to practice your whole life.
That’s it
I request you to try out all these tips and see the difference it makes. It really helped me during my preparation and that is why I decided to share them with you. All the best dear aspirant.
