To be a doctor is one of the most sought-after and prestigious professions in India. NEET exam is the mandatory entrance test in India for pursuing a career in the medical profession. While MCAT is considered for admission to medical colleges in the United States, Canada, Australia, and the Caribbean Islands. To be a doctor is one of the most sought-after and prestigious professions in India. NEET exam is the mandatory entrance test in India for pursuing a career in the medical profession. While MCAT is considered for admission to medical colleges in the United States, Canada, Australia, and the Caribbean Islands.

Due to the current COVID-19 crisis, the exam dates of both these exams have been changed. NEET is postponed till 13 September 2020 and MCAT is scheduled for June 28, September 27 & 28. Also, the conducting body of MCAT, the AAMC has shortened the MCAT exam to increase capacity and follow social distancing practices in all test centers.

Candidates who have passed or appearing 10+2 or any equivalent examination with Physics, Chemistry, and Biology as core subjects, are eligible to appear for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test, NEET. The detailed eligibility and other news on NEET can be checked from the official website of NTA.

For MCAT, if one is looking for a lucrative medical career in Allopathic, Osteopathic, Podiatric, and Veterinary Medicine from a health professional school in Canada, US, Australia, or the Caribbean Islands, then they must have completed or pursued an MBBS degree course. For the in-depth details of the MCAT examination, visit the official website of AAMC.

But if you have plans to study Medical Science in the USA, then it is better to plan for MCAT. Let’s explore each of the exams and plan accordingly.

What is the NEET Exam?

NEET exam previously termed as AIPMT is an all-India level entrance examination conducted by National Testing Agency (from 2019) for candidates who aspire to apply for undergraduate MBBS and dental courses in Indian colleges.

The examination is conducted to admit students to more than 75,000 MBBS and BDS seats across India in offline mode. The exam can be given in 11 languages like English, Hindi, Urdu (Which are available at all centers), Kannada, Marathi, Oriya, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu, Gujarati, Assamese, Bengali, and other state languages. The application fees are 1500 INR (General) 800 INR for ST/SC.

NEET exam is offered to students at two levels - UG and PG. The students must be from the science stream to appear for NEET-UG, while for NEET PG, the students must be a medical graduate. Admissions to Undergraduate courses at All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research (JIPMER) will also be through this exam from the academic year 2020.

The exam encompasses questions from Physics, Chemistry, Botany, and Zoology. Each section has 45 questions in it. Similar to MCAT, there is negative marking. Four marks are given for every correct answer, and one mark is deducted for every incorrect answer. Students who want admission to medical colleges in India are required to excel in the NEET exam. Some of the best colleges in India that accept NEET scores are:

5 Top Medical Colleges accepting NEET Exam Scores

Please find the list of some top medical colleges with their closing ranks in 2019 for NEET Exam.

Maulana Azad Medical College, New Delhi

Seats - 250

Closing Rank - 32

2. VMMC & Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi

Seats - 150

Closing Rank - 157

3. University College of Medical Sciences, Delhi

Seats - 150

Closing Rank - 171

4. Seth G. S. Medical College, Mumbai

Seats - 180

Closing Rank - 638

5. Madras Medical College

Seats - 250

Closing Rank - 501

Now, what is MCAT?

MCAT is an international standardized computer-based examination conducted by the Association of American Medical Colleges. This is one of the oldest competitive examinations.

The exam’s aim is to check the skills of students in physical sciences, biological sciences, and verbal reasoning. This test is conducted in the English language only. The application fees are 23,621 – 26,996 INR, (depending upon the region).

The test pattern was updated in 2015 and consisted of four sections:

1. Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems

50 Questions

95 Minutes

2. Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills (CARS)

53 Questions

90 Minutes

3. Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems

59 Questions

95 Minutes

4. Psychological, Social and Biological Foundations of Behaviour

59 Questions

95 Minutes

Best Med schools in the USA accept MCAT scores as mentioned below:

• Harvard University
• John Hopkins University
• University of Pennsylvania (Perelman)
• Stanford University

A Comparative Analysis between NEET Exam and MCAT

Important Points on NEET exam and MCAT

Candidates must be an undergraduate to apply for MCAT. Whereas, for the NEET exam one has to be from the science stream. For NEET-UG, 10+2 is required and for Postgraduate courses, an undergraduate degree in the related field is required.

If we compare the college fees, there is a stark difference. Students in India opting for government colleges have fees ranging from 1,628 - 14,40,000 INR annually. where universities in the USA have fees 16,50,187 - 46,43,276 USD annually.

In terms of salary, the average salary of a doctor in the USA is up to 46,00,000 Lakhs INR yearly on an average However, there is a variation with regards to specialization, qualification, experience, and locality. In India, the average salary of a doctor is 35,000 - 2,00,000 Lakhs INR per month based on experience and qualifications.

The success rate to clear MCAT in the first attempt is 78.2% whereas the percentage of NEET exam is 42%. For NEET, the candidates need to remember every little detail, but for MCAT, the candidates have passages to find answers.

Conclusion

So, this is a brief overview of the NEET Exam and MCAT which will help you to decide on choosing a particular exam to fulfill your dream to pursue the medical profession. We would suggest you take NEET and pursue a medical professional course from a prestigious medical institute and on completing the degree, try for MCAT.