For every medical degree aspirant, the NEET exam is a crucial one. It is the only exam which offers admission to dental and medical courses in India (except AIIMS and JIPMER). Right from getting the syllabus, to creating a study plan, and getting the right books for NEET preparation, applicants ensure that they get everything right to crack the exam. Today, we will offer a compiled list of the best books for NEET preparation for your benefit.
Source: Pexels
NEET is undeniably one of the most competitive exams in India. After all, it determines the next generation of doctors in our country. Usually, students spend 1 year+ preparing for it. While the syllabus covers the topics from class XI and XII, the objective-type questions demand a deeper understanding of the topics. This is different from the cramming approach which most students deploy for their academic exams. Therefore, the choice of study material plays an important role in your success in the NEET exam.
The books for NEET preparation that we recommend are written keeping the competitiveness and the exam pattern in mind. Also, these books cover the complete syllabus as per the MCI (Medical Council of India). Before we look at the recommended books, let’s take a quick look at the NEET exam details.
NEET 2019 Exam
NEET or the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test is an entrance exam for admission to BDS and MBBS courses in India. Further, from 2019, candidates seeking admission for UG courses in AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and Homeopathy), will have to take the NEET exam. This is a pen and paper exam and covers three subjects – Physics, Chemistry, and Biology which included Botany as well as Zoology. The exam has 180 questions for 720 marks. These are divided equally among Physics, Chemistry, Botany, and Zoology (45 questions each). Further, every right answer fetches you 4 marks and an incorrect answer deducts 1 mark from the total.
The date of the exam is 5 May 2019 (Sunday).
The best books for NEET preparation
First things first – your NCERT textbooks are your bible for NEET. These books will help you understand all the concepts required for the exam. In fact, even the tiny little boxes in your NCERT textbook under the heading ‘Points to Ponder’ are important. Therefore, these books are the first ones that you must have before you start preparing for NEET. However, sometimes you need to understand the concepts in more detail than is provided in the textbooks. This is where the reference books come handy. Here is the list of recommended books for NEET preparation.
Physics
There are 45 questions from Physics which means that you can score up to 180 marks if you get all the answers right. However, the popular opinion about this subject is that it is tough since you need to have in-depth knowledge about all topics. Over the years, most questions were asked from Mechanics, Electrostatics, and Electronics. Further, you will need good practice in solving numerical problems. The NCERT Physics book offers many numerical questions which you can practice too. Additionally, you can refer to these books:
| Name of the book | Author(s) |
| NCERT Physics Textbook for Class 11 and 12 | |
| Concepts of Physics | H.C. Verma |
| Objective Physics | D.C. Pandey |
| Fundamentals of Physics | Halliday, Resnick, and Walker |
| Fundamental Physics | Pradeep |
| Problems in General Physics | I.E. Irodov |
Chemistry
Like Physics, there are 45 questions from Physics which means that you can score up to 180 marks if you get all the answers right. Within Chemistry, you have three sections – Inorganic, Organic, and Physical. Of these, the Inorganic section primarily has memory-based questions, Physical section has numerical questions, and Organic section has knowledge-based questions. Here are some recommended books:
| Name of the book | Author(s) |
| NCERT Chemistry Textbook for Class 11 and 12 | |
| Physical Chemistry | O.P. Tandon |
| ABC of Chemistry for Classes 11 and 12 | Modern |
| Concise Inorganic Chemistry | J.D. Lee |
| Chemistry Guide | Dinesh |
| Practice Books: Inorganic Organic Physical |
V.K. Jaiswal M.S. Chauhan N. Awasthi |
Biology
There are 90 questions from Physics which means that you can score up to 360 marks if you get all the answers right. Therefore, you must pay more attention to this subject. You need to understand the concepts, memorize a bit, and also prepare for the objective questions. Also, being the most important topic, it is critical that you read additional books and gather as much knowledge as possible to give you a better chance of cracking this section. Here are some recommended books:
| Name of the book | Author(s) |
| NCERT Biology Textbook for Class 11 and 12 | |
| Biology Vol 1 & Vol 2 | Trueman |
| Objective Biology | Dinesh |
| Objective Botany | Ansari |
| Guide on Biology | Pradeep |
| G.R. Bathla publications for Biology | |
Summing Up
Once you have your syllabus in hand, ensure that you mark the chapters that you might want to refer to for each topic. Include this in your study plan too. Remember, you are going to compete with lakhs of applicants for a very limited number of medical seats in India. Don’t leave any stone unturned and give it your best shot. Good Luck!
