NEET-PG- Postponed for the Second Time! What Do I Do Now?

Hon’ Dr. Harsh Varadhan (Minister of Health and Family Welfare) on April 15, 2021, said that in the light of the surge in Covid-19 cases, NEET-PG exams will be postponed until further notice.

Highlights:

NEET PG Exam 2021 has been postponed due to Covid-19
India is one of the most affected countries because of the pandemic
Next date of examination will be announced later depending on the rise of cases

The Inevitable news came on April 15, 2021, by a tweet by Hon’ Dr. Harsh Varadhan (Minister of Health and Family Welfare) that in the light of the surge in Covid-19 cases, NEET-PG exams will be postponed until further notice. The decision was taken keeping the welfare of our young medical students in mind and The National Board of Examinations confirmed this decision later by publishing it on their website.

The news was absolutely a relief to many aspirants who were to take the exam on April 18, 2021. It is to be noted that while the registration opened, a considerable number of States were filled within the first 12 hours, forcing many aspirants to travel to nearby or far away States for the examination.

‘Academic calendar has greatly suffered due to the pandemic. Focus on self-study has unfortunately taken a big hit amongst the aspirants due to the prevailing uncertainties.’
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And in this pandemic, travel is a big no hence the tremendous relief for many who felt so unsafe to face the mutant virus. The travel itself was difficult considering many States had night curfews and lockdowns imposed. Needless to say, NEET-PG aspirants who are posted as COVID-front line workers also found relief with this decision.

With all this being said, no one can deny the fact that the academic calendar has greatly suffered due to the pandemic. Morale and determination to be focused on self-study have unfortunately taken a big hit amongst the aspirants due to the prevailing uncertainties.

So, what should now be the strategy in this waiting period?

Covid-19: India is Second Fastest Vaccinating Nation
India has crossed a significant milestone in immunization against Covid-19 with than 10 million people having been vaccinated. The nationwide immunization drive started on January 16 with two vaccines -- Covishield by the Serum institute of India and Covaxin by Bharat Biotech.

1. Take a break and rewire your brain

Yes, you read that right. This exam has been a long, arduous journey so far and comes at very uncertain times. Binge movies, take long showers and eat your favorite cake, but bear in mind that the exam has only been postponed and not canceled. Rewire yourself and get back in the game.

2. Try NEW Content:

If there are concepts that are still hazy, try and get better clarity by switching text-books or notes or all line lessons.

Is Coronavirus Airborne
Transmission rates of SARS-CoV-2 are much higher indoors than outdoors and transmission is greatly reduced by indoor ventilation, air filtration, reducing crowding and the amount of time people spend indoors, wearing masks whenever indoors, attention to mask quality and fit, and higher-grade PPE.

But if you wish to glean through some other textbooks for already revised content, do it with caution. This may work if you are sick of your old notes and your bookmarks. Try some new Integrated Medicine Book like the First Aid or Practise a new question bank or even last-minute revision points. You might notice that sometimes reading new content can give you the adrenaline you might need and brings back the rhythm that you suffered.

Follow this only if you are done with your own set of notes.

3. Join a new revision module:

There are tons of medical platforms out there that are creating new revision modules by the minute to aid students to keep up or pick up the morale. Join such forums and courses. We are social beings; seeing others strive for a common cause, such as an exam in this case, will automatically enrich your momentum. (Simply put: “Monkey see, Monkey do”).

4. Have a changed mindset:

How someone views things can have great input on their result or how they process things.

View this postponement as an advantage; maybe you can now finish up those extra notes that you always wanted to or do extra revision cycles that you always were always inclined towards. Use these extra days to your gain, do new mock tests and work on your weaker subjects. This will definitely help for getting a better rank.

5. Accept the truth:

For the past week, so much anxiety and depression have been brewing amongst the NEET-PG aspirants. It is understood that so many are disappointed that the exam has been postponed; all your frustrations are valid and justified, but this decision was taken to keep the sharpest minds of our country safe, to keep them and their families safe and to avoid a new cluster. Refrain from comparing this event to rallies and religious festivals.

As they say in Hindi – “Jaan Hai to Jahan Hai” (While there's life, there's hope)

When can you expect new exam dates?

There is no official word till date. But speculation is that due to the massive surge of COVID, it is unlikely to happen in the next 30 days.

Notes from the author: “I urge all the aspirants to look at the bigger picture and accept the decision for what it is. Do not be elated or disappointed. Our country is truly in crisis and these are very uncertain times. Take care of yourself physically and mentally and keep your focus.”

Remember - “If you have health, you have everything!”

Take as much break as you need and use this time to your advantage and make your preparation Limitless.

Source-Medindia