How to prepare (with or without coaching)
Self-study is entirely possible for NEET PG — thousands crack it without coaching. Your MBBS textbooks and clinical rotations form 70% of preparation; what you need is structured revision, pattern familiarity, and repeated practice.
Core strategy without coaching:
Start with Marrow/Prepladder free videos or YouTube channels (Dr. Rohan Khandelwal, Medico PG) for quick concept revision. Don't watch passively — make concise notes. Your gold standard textbooks remain Harrison's (Medicine), Bailey & Love (Surgery), Williams (Obstetrics), Ghai (Paediatrics), and Park (PSM), but use them for reference, not cover-to-cover reading.
Shishya's free resources become your exam backbone: free NEET PG mocks simulate actual exam pressure, previous year questions (PYQs) reveal repetition patterns (30-40% questions are direct repeats or variations), and subject-wise notes condense high-yield topics. Solve PYQs from 2010 onwards at least three times — first subject-wise for learning, then full papers for speed.
Download the NBE question bank (free on their website) and practice image-based questions religiously. NEET PG is increasingly clinical-scenario heavy with CT/MRI/X-ray images.
For current guidelines, bookmark ICMR, WHO, and IAP websites. Questions on updated protocols (diabetes management, ANC guidelines, immunization schedules) appear every year. Join Telegram groups where seniors share mnemonics and recent pattern changes — but limit social media to 30 minutes daily.
With coaching: Marrow or Prepladder subscriptions (₹35,000-50,000) offer structured video libraries, adaptive question banks, and Grand Tests (GTs). Worth it if you struggle with self-discipline or need hand-holding. But coaching won't solve anything if you don't solve 10,000+ questions independently.
Key differentiator: Top rankers solve 15,000-20,000 MCQs during preparation. Average successful candidates solve 8,000-10,000. Below 5,000 questions, your chances drop significantly regardless of coaching.
Study plan
For final-year students (12-month prep):
Months 1-6 (Foundation + Internship juggling):
- Daily: 4-5 hours study. Complete 2 subjects per month (Week 1-2: video lectures/reading; Week 3-4: PYQs + notes).
- Sequence: Medicine (2 months) → Surgery (1.5 months) → OBG (1 month) → Paediatrics (1 month) → remaining subjects (1.5 months).
- Weekly target: 500 MCQs, including 100 image-based.
- Sundays: Take one subject-wise mock on Shishya or NBE portal.