Most Common Mistakes to Avoid During NEET Preparation 2026

Most Common Mistakes to Avoid During NEET Preparation

One of the most common mistakes aspirants make during NEET preparation is not focusing on NCERT books. It has been repeatedly said by NEET toppers every year, experts, and faculty that studying NCERT books line by line is a must for cracking the NEET-UG exam. Previous year NEET topper Guthi Chaitanya Sindhu AIR 6, NEET said, "My suggestion to the future aspirants is to first study from the NCERT books and complete the syllabus for all the subjects.” Candidates should not limit the use of NCERTs to just completing the NEET 2026 syllabus, but should also revise the books multiple times to become thoroughly familiar with the concepts.

In the list of best books for NEET preparation 2026, NCERTs are always placed at the top. NCERT books for all three subjects in the NEET syllabus 2026, that is, Physics, Chemistry, and Biology are equally important. NCERTs are the best source of clearing NEET concepts. Aspirants should refer to any other books or study material only after they have finished the syllabus of the NEET exam from NCERTs.

NEET 2026 Concepts

Students are often found practicing questions directly or taking mock tests before studying the concepts completely. It must be noted by aspirants that completing the NEET 2026 syllabus but not having a crystal clear understanding of the concepts will do more harm than good. Candidates should thoroughly study all the topics included in the syllabus and understand all NEET concepts. Bhavik Bansal AIR-2 of NEET, who obtained 700 out of 720, said, "When I used to revise the chapter-wise subjects, I used to do it in an intense manner that it builds up my concepts."

While preparing for NEET Physics, students often focus more on solving numerical problems than understanding the concepts. It should be understood that to solve both theoretical and numerical problems asked in NEET 2026 exam, candidates need to have clarity in the concepts. As aforesaid, the best NEET 2026 books to understand and clear the concepts are the NCERTs.

NEET 2026 Timetable

NEET AIR -3, Himanshu Sharma said, "I had a clear plan in my mind from the very beginning as to how I will study for the exam.” While preparing for any exam, candidates tend to prepare a timetable as the first step towards preparation. However, an impractical timetable can be one of the most common mistakes students commit during NEET preparation. Having a timetable for NEET 2026 preparation is a more complex task than before.

To make the best use of the time at hand, candidates should plan a NEET preparation timetable that has realistic goals and frequent small breaks. The method of 45 minutes of study and 15 minutes of break would work well for students who face difficulty in studying for long hours in one go. NEET 2026 timetable should give equal importance to all subjects in the syllabus. Additionally, students must keep slots for practising NEET mock tests as well as past year question papers of NEET. After completing the syllabus, candidates should update their timetable and dedicate time to thorough NEET revision.

NEET 2026 Difficult Topics

There are certain topics in the NEET-UG syllabus that are difficult to understand when compared with others. Candidates often leave difficult NEET topics to be covered later. This is a very common mistake that students make in NEET preparation. The topics students leave carry a certain weightage in the exam and leaving them can cost a good number of marks in the NEET 2026 exam.

Kalpana Kumari, AIR 1 of NEET 2018, said it is important to give time to each section. “I won’t say tough but Physics used to be lengthy so I tried to give more time to this section, especially to chapters like Rotation.”

Students should go through the NEET chapter-wise weightage 2026 to understand the importance of each topic in the medical entrance exam. It is advised to candidates to not leave any topic. However, if candidates are unable to complete the syllabus, they must choose the topics to leave smartly as per their weightage in the NEET 2026 exam.

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NEET 2026 Negative Marking

It is repeatedly advised to candidates to go through the NEET exam pattern before starting their preparation for the entrance test. According to the exam pattern of the NEET exam, candidates will be awarded four marks for every question they answer correctly. However, for every question that candidates will get wrong, one mark will be deducted. Negative marking in the NEET 2026 exam plays a crucial role in the success of candidates in the exam. Due to negative marking, the difficulty level of NEET UG increases manifold. Thus, to crack NEET 2026, candidates are required to do hard work along with smart work.

One of the best ways to get familiar with the negative marking is by practising NEET 2026 mock tests. Candidates should practice a good number of mock tests of NEET 2026 to understand the nature of questions asked in the exam, the marking scheme, and the difficulty level of the entrance test. Expert Anand Nagarajan, “Taking a good number of mock tests and model exams based on NEET 2026 will give students the feel and the ‘pinch’ of negative marking.”

While practicing mock tests, candidates should focus on learning how to choose which questions to attempt and which to leave in the NTA NEET exam. In a spree to answer all the questions, candidates often face the brunt of negative marking which adversely affects their NEET-UG percentile.

NEET 2026 Mock Tests

Practising sample papers, mock tests, and NEET previous year question papers is undoubtedly an important part of preparation. However, candidates often focus only on attempting the NTA NEET mock tests. Analysing the mock test of NEET is an equally important part of NEET-UG preparation. Bhavik Bansal AIR-2 of NEET 2019, said "For most of the time, I took the mock tests and previous years' question papers.”

By analysing the performance in NEET 2026 mock tests, candidates can judge their level of preparation, identify their strong and weak areas, learn time management in the exam, and also recognise the silly mistakes they make. While practising mock tests is a must for NEET preparation 2026, candidates should not get demotivated or overconfident on the basis of their scores on the mock test.

These are the six most common mistakes that candidates should avoid during NEET preparation in 2026. By working on these mistakes, students can bring significant improvements in their NEET preparation and crack the medical entrance exam.

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