Memory Hacks for NEET Biology: Important Topics You Must Not Miss
Biology covers 50% of the NEET exam; therefore, it is important to master the subject and boost your ranks. Though it looks theoretical to study, it requires an in-depth understanding of the topics and repeated visits to remember the typical terms. The total marks for biology in the NEET exam are 360 out of 720, and 180 questions are asked on the subject to assess understanding and conceptual clarity.
In this article, we have covered memory hacks for NEET biology to help you master the subject and learn the important topics to improve your overall performance.
Memory Hacks for NEET Biology
NEET Biology is fact-based, NCERT-driven, terminology-heavy, and diagram-oriented. It requires a different learning approach compared to physics and chemistry. Around 85 to 90% of the questions in the NEET exam are based on the NCERT books; therefore, they are considered one of the most important study materials for the subject. Here are a few hacks that can boost your NEET biology preparation:
- Active Recall
Most of the students just read the books several times for preparation. But it is of no use until you remember the keywords. It is important to have an active recall of the subject to boost your memory. Read the chapter, revise it in your mind, and write the details about the topics in your own words. Find the gap and revisit to remove them.
- Use the “Teach to Remember” Technique
If you can teach it, you surely can remember it for a longer duration. Read the topics and explain them to yourself, pretending you are teaching someone else in an easy language to remember for a longer time.
For example, instead of learning the process of respiration, learn that “Glucose is broken down like fuel to release energy step-by-step.”
This builds concept-linked memory, not rote learning.
- Prepare Mind Maps
Most of the topics in biology are interconnected. When you prepare a topic, find all the interconnected topics and make a chart of where and how they are linked to each other. This will help you to create a visualization of the topics and make easy recall. Some of the chapters that can be studied by this method are Genetics, Evolution, Ecology, and Plant Kingdom / Animal Kingdom.
- Mnemonics: Turn Difficult Lists into Easy Codes
When you are stuck learning some typical biological taxonomy, use a funny sentence or phrase to remember it. For example, King Philip Came Over For Good Soup (Kingdom → Phylum → Class → Order → Family → Genus → Species) to study the taxonomy. Create your own funny phrase for better retention.
- Focus on Diagrammatic Representations
Biology is all about visualization. When you draw, you can easily identify where to label the diagram. It helps in easy recognition of the key terms especially for human and plant physiology, where we study the different organ systems.
- Use Flashcards for Rapid Revision
Flashcards are powerful for:
Scientific names
Plant families
Hormones & functions
Diseases & pathogens
Regular revision with flashcards is effective for preparing such topics. Just 15 minutes of daily revision can double your retention power.
- Memory Consolidation Hack
Neuroscience says that if you study before sleep, it will remain with you for a longer time. Therefore, NEET aspirants should revise the biology concepts before sleep to improve memory and retention. A nighttime study schedule should include diagrams, tables, terminology, and NCERT facts.
- Focus on NCERT Line-to-Line Encoding
Words like “most,” “only,” and “primarily” and examples given in tables and boxed information are generally asked in the NEET exam. Therefore, highlight definitions, examples, diagrams, and tables more often. Treat every line as a potential MCQ.
Check Out: Top 10 Mistakes to Avoid During NEET Preparation
Some Common Mistakes That Reduce Your Memory
- Rereading without testing
- Ignoring diagrams
- No revision schedule
- Studying too many chapters together
- Avoiding written practice
- Depending only on coaching notes
- Lack of revision
- Not using the previous year’s exam papers
Conclusion
Success in NEET Biology is not about how many times you read a chapter; it’s about how effectively your brain encodes and retrieves information. If you use the memory hacks given above, you can easily boost your memory and perform well in the NEET exam. At Chaitanya Academy, we offer NEET classes for 11th and 12th graders and repeaters to help them ace the exam under the guidance of an expert team.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are mnemonics useful for NEET preparation?
Answer: Mnemonics help in learning the touch words or sequence in easy-to-remember words so that the students can easily recall them while they solve the exam paper.
How to memorise biology for NEET?
Answer:Biology seems to be easy to study, but the keywords and hard topics make it difficult to remember for a long time. To easily remember the biology, NEET aspirants should make an active recall and use diagrammatic representations, flowcharts, use mnemonic technique, and practice using past year exam papers.
What are the most important topics in biology for NEET?
Answer:The most important topics in biology for the NEET exam include human physiology, plant physiology, genetics, and molecular biology.
Is biology tough for NEET?
Answer:The biology exam paper in the NEET exam varies from easy to moderate difficulty level; however, the exam is challenging due to its high level of competition. A rigorous preparation and thorough understanding of the subject are important to score more.
