It’s that time of year again. Across the country, students are hunched over their desks, fingers tracing formulas, eyes glued to diagrams, each page stubbornly hoping to don a white coat. The rooms glow under dim lights, the walls are lined with review sheets, while the ticking clock grows louder with each passing hour. A student pauses over a biology diagram, ready to memorize it.This is not a quota factory scene. This is real life.For millions of NEET aspirants, the days leading up to the exam are less about learning something new and more about sticking to everything they already know. And in this relentless rush of what to do and what not to do, many people begin to feel overwhelmed by hope. With the exam due on May 3, 2026, the pressure is on, and for many, the battle is now as much mental as it is academic.In an exclusive talk, Rohit Gupta, Chief Academic Officer Physics Wala (PW), offers a deeply human lens into this crucial phase. Having spent years closely observing the pressure and performance of aspirants, Gupta’s insights go beyond textbooks—he speaks directly to the fragile, determined mind of a student standing on the brink of one of India’s most unforgiving exams.
“This is the last minute, don’t start anything new”
The apprehension and desire to do more to squeeze in one last chapter, one last concept, one last formula can shatter possibilities.As Gupta advises students, “This is the last moment for students to prepare. I would say at this point, you know, they shouldn’t start anything new. They should focus on what they’ve already learned. They should spend a good amount of time revising.” At this stage, preparation shifts from expansion to consolidation. The familiar must become flawless.“NCERT should be their bible now, especially for biology, they should read every line of NCERT once again.”There is something almost ritualistic about this advice, a return to basics, grounding oneself in what is known rather than chasing what is not.
Hidden Weight: Expectations, Fears, and the ‘Blank Moment’
Ask any NEET aspirant what they fear the most, and it’s rarely a tough question. This is the moment when the mind goes blank after the question paper. They see their hopes of a white coat sinking. Gupta calls it what it is, a classic sign of stress. “This happens mostly to good students because they have high expectations for themselves. His target is to score 700 out of 720.This is a paradox. The better prepared you are, the heavier the load will be.“When they go into a test with these high expectations and if they don’t get two questions in a row, they’re deflated. Now they feel like whatever goal they’ve set, you know, it’s not going to happen.”At this point, the exam remains about knowledge. It becomes a battle against one’s own thoughts. So, it’s important to stay calm, and focus on what you know rather than calculating your score.
Brain rehabilitation: From stress to performance
So how does one fight something intangible like panic? The answer, Gupta suggests, lies in imitation and simplicity.“They should definitely attempt at least one paper every day, so that they are in the habit of simulating that final exam environment.”Mock tests, in this sense, are not just exercises, they are emotional exercises. But perhaps the most surprising piece of advice is this: “They shouldn’t go in with a lot of goals in mind. They should go and just attempt the paper.”
The first 30 minutes that decide everything.
Inside the exam hall, strategy becomes survival. Gupta points out a subtle, often overlooked detail, the time it takes for the mind to heal.“Even the brain takes time to get used to that particular environment. So if you pick up something difficult in that first 15-20 minutes. It is very natural that you will not be able to solve it effectively.”His advice is clear, almost paradoxical in its simplicity: “You should try biology first. In the first 20–30–40 minutes, you will be able to solve biology and gain a lot of confidence.”
The art of letting go
One of the biggest mistakes aspirants make is to hold on to a question too tightly. “If they find something difficult, they should mark it and then move on. Sometimes it happens that a student takes a lot of time to solve two questions due to which he does not complete the paper.”And then the most dangerous race begins, the race against time. “Once they spend 10-15 minutes on a question, the stress sets in. And then the race against time starts, and in that case they make more mistakes.”In an advanced exam, knowing when to move is just as important as knowing the answer.
Yesterday: Silence on the Struggle.
If there is one moment that defines the emotional arc of a NEET aspirant, it is the day before the exam. In a culture of relentless study, Gupta’s advice is almost fundamental: “Before the exam, the day before, you shouldn’t study anything. You should sleep well. You should eat healthy. You should meditate a little, keep your stress level down.”It’s a reminder that the mind, like any instrument, needs rest before performance.
Topic Strategy: Where Marks Win and Lose
Guidance on the cognitive front is quick and specific. For Biology: “Read NCRT line by line, practice questions based on assertion reason and statement, students make more mistakes in these.”For physics, the warning is clear – don’t ignore the “easy” chapters. “Units and Measurements, questions come from this section every time. Advanced Physics, Optics, and Thermal Physics are important chapters.”And perhaps the most practical strategy: “Play to your strengths, try to keep at least 80-85% of the chapter in your confidence zone.”It’s not about perfection. It’s about improvisation.
