Lighter Syllabus for NEET-UG 2024 to be Notified Next Week
With the online registration process for the entrance test for admission to undergraduate medical, dental, and allied courses slated for January, the National Testing Agency (NTA) is poised to release a rationalized syllabus for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test-Undergraduate (NEET-UG) 2024 next week. The exam is scheduled to be held on May 5 next year.
A rationalized syllabus refers to a simplified and streamlined version of the existing syllabus. Consequently, the 2024 exam is expected to be “lighter” compared to previous years.
According to NTA, the new syllabus has been prepared based on recommendations received from the National Medical Commission (NMC) and various boards. This move is in line with the changes made to the syllabus for classes IX to XII due to academic disruptions during the pandemic. The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) were compelled to reduce the syllabus for classes IX to XII due to the pandemic-induced lockdown.
However, the National Testing Agency (NTA) had not changed the NEET-UG and JEE (Main) syllabus with respect to the changes made to the classes IX to XII syllabus. The current class XII batch was in class IX in 2020 when the syllabus rationalization process began.
“NTA will notify the NEET-UG syllabus next week to aid students in their preparation. It will be a reduced syllabus. Students will have over six months to plan their studies for the entrance exam,” stated NTA Director General Subodh Kumar Singh.
Students will be eligible to apply for 1.04 lakh MBBS seats, of which government medical colleges hold more than 54,000. BDS holds 27,800 seats, and the AYUSH program has 52,700 seats, while veterinary sciences and animal husbandry seats remain at 603. NEET-UG scores will also determine eligibility for admissions to homoeopathic and Unani medicine courses.
In government medical colleges, there are two categories of seats available: All India Quota (AIQ) and state quota. MBBS government colleges are entitled to reserve a maximum of 15% of seats for AIQ each year.
NEET-UG is one of the largest entrance exams in the world, with registrations reaching 20.87 lakh in 2023, an increase of over 2 lakh compared with 2022.
