Are you planning to pursue a career in Medicine and enrich the lives of people? The right path for medical aspirants is to study MBBS abroad.
The world is a global village now. Studying medicine abroad has become simple and cost-effective than ever before. There are several premier MBBS colleges in Russia, Ukraine, Philippines, China, etc. that impart high-quality education amid world-class infrastructure, and safe and healthy environment. They have a low fee structure and admission to these colleges does not require capitation fees or donation. Additionally, students get international exposure which can be crucial in shaping their personality and career. Students who wish to study abroad in Ukraine or such other countries, the cost of living can be relatively cheaper.
NEET 2018 to NEET 2019
India offers only around 60,000 medical education seats for both private and government colleges. This has made it even more imperative for numerous students to study MBBS abroad. However, getting admission to MBBS colleges – in India and abroad – is going to be tougher this year. As amended by the Medical Council of India in February 2018, qualifying NEET 2018 was made mandatory for students applying for MBBS in India. It was also made compulsory for aspirants who were keen to study MBBS in the best medical universities abroad.
This came as a major setback to the students as they were not prepared for the same. As such, the Delhi High Court allowed one-time exemption even to aspirants who failed in NEET 2018 to study MBBS abroad. However, in 2019, qualifying NEET will be enforced for every student who dreams to become a doctor. As a matter of fact, all those students who were exempted from clearing NEET to study MBBS in China or other countries will also have to sit for this all-India medical exam conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA).
Qualifying NEET 2019 – An Advantage or Curse?
Right after NEET 2019 eligibility criteria was mandated by the MCI, many candidates protested against it as being unfair for aspirants applying to study MBBS in Philippines & USA or other overseas countries. This is because as per the current amendment, they have to undergo double screening tests – NEET when applying to study abroad and Foreign Medical Graduates Examination (FMGE) as exit examination if they plan to return to India to practice medicine.
While this may seem unfair or impractical to the aspirants, it has its own pros. The objective is towards creating excellent quality doctors that is the need of the hour for India. According to studies, the country not only has a major shortage of doctors, but it also faces a severe lack of exceptional skill and competence. This additional pressure on the aspiring MBBS students will only hone their knowledge and expertise in the field, making high-quality doctors and medical practitioners for the future.
At the same time, it is not essential that those aspirants who do not qualify NEET are not suitable to study medicine or become a future doctor. There are many instances of candidates who are academically brilliant but could not qualify NEET due to several reasons. Those students can apply at overseas MBBS colleges without NEET. There are several educational institutions abroad where you can seek admission even if you are have not qualified NEET. For instance, you can study MBBS in Kyrgyzstan without NEET.
This provides a good opportunity to the students who have excellent academic skills but could not succeed in NEET.
NEET Eligibility Criteria 2019
The National Testing Agency has set the eligibility criteria for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test. The application form was made available from 1st November 2018 until 7th December 2018. However, the correction window of NEET UG application will remain open till 31st January 2019. The NIT’s eligibility criteria are mentioned below for reference of candidates who wish to apply in the coming years.
- Students who are citizens of India, OCIs, NRIs, PIOs and foreign nationals are entitled to take NEET 2019.
- The minimum age requirement for appearing in NEET to study MBBS in Russia or other top countries is 17 years as on 31st December 2019. The maximum age requirement is 25 years or more for general category candidates and 30 years of age for students under quota.
- The candidate must pass 10+2 or equivalent with English, Physics, Chemistry, and Biotechnology/Biology as core subjects in Classes 11 and 12 from a recognised university or board.
- The NEET qualifying marks to get MBBS admission 2019 is 50% for unreserved candidates, 40% for SC/ST/OBC and 45% for PWD candidates.
NEET 2019 Exam Pattern
If you want to study MBBS in Ukraine or any other overseas medical college, you have to appear for NEET to be conducted on 5th May 2019. It will be held in offline mode, i.e. pen-and-paper based and will comprise of 180 questions equally divided among three subjects – Physics, Chemistry and Biology. The total duration of NEET 2019 is 3 hours. There are +4 marks for every right answer and -1 negative marking for every incorrect answer.
According to the latest NTA guidelines, the question paper will be available in 11 regional languages – English, Tamil, Hindi, Bengali, Assamese, Marathi, Oriya, Urdu, Kannada, Gujarati and Telegu. The examination paper will have only multiple-choice questions (MCQs) and candidates have to mark the answers on an OMR sheet.
NEET Average Score = (Correct answers x 4) – (Incorrect answers x 1)
If you aspire to study medicine in some of the best medical universities abroad, some prominent countries to choose are Russia, Ukraine, China, Philippines and Kyrgyzstan. Considering the poor scenario of medical education in India, more numbers of students are keen to study MBBS in China or other countries owing to affordable tuition fees, no reservation quota and no donation. However, they have to qualify in NEET to pursue their dream of studying MBBS abroad. Take this is a special initiative to improve your knowledge and skills in becoming a highly qualified doctor that our country needs.