PSM for NEET PG 2026

Time budget

• Allocate 6–8 weeks of dedicated PSM time if you are starting from scratch, or 3–4 weeks if you have a solid MBBS base.
• Daily target: 1.5–2 hours — 45 minutes of new reading + 45 minutes of question practice + 20 minutes of formula revision.
• Weekly target: complete one full domain (e.g., all of Biostatistics in Week 1, Epidemiology in Week 2).

Primary textbook

• Park's Textbook of Preventive and Social Medicine (26th Indian edition, K. Park) — this is the single most-tested source for NEET PG PSM. Read Chapters 4 (Epidemiology), 5 (Biostatistics), and the NTEP/RNTCP chapter in full; skim the rest.

Supplementary source

• Mahajan & Gupta's Textbook of Preventive and Social Medicine (5th edition) for concise tables on Vital Statistics (IMR, MMR, CBR, CDR) and National Health Programme targets — faster to revise than Park's for these sections.

High-yield topic tactics

• Biostatistics first: Build a single A4 formula sheet covering — mean/median/mode, SD vs SE, t-test assumptions (normal distribution, continuous data, homogeneity of variance), chi-square conditions (expected cell frequency ≥ 5), and the 2×2 table formulas for Sensitivity, Specificity, PPV, NPV, LR+, LR−. Practise at least 30 calculation-based questions before moving on.
• Study Designs: Draw the Cohort vs Case-Control vs RCT vs Cross-Sectional comparison table from memory. Know that Cohort gives RR directly; Case-Control gives OR; Cross-Sectional gives Prevalence. NEET PG 2026 will test the direction of inquiry (exposure → outcome vs outcome → exposure).
• NTEP/RNTCP: Memorise the four treatment outcomes (Cured, Treatment Completed, Treatment Failed, Lost to Follow-Up), the definition of sputum conversion at 2 months, and the current DRTB regimen (BPaLM — Bedaquiline, Pretomanid, Linezolid, Moxifloxacin). These are frequently updated and frequently tested.
• Vital Statistics: IMR (Infant Mortality Rate) = deaths under 1 year per 1,000 live births; MMR = maternal deaths per 1,00,000 live births. Know India's current NFHS-5 figures (IMR ~35, MMR ~97) and the NHP 2017 targets.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Confusing Prevalence (existing cases / total population) with Incidence (new cases / population at risk per unit time) — this distinction appears in at least 3–4 questions per paper.
• Using OR when RR is calculable — OR is used in Case-Control studies where you cannot calculate incidence; do not apply it to Cohort data.
• Ignoring Bias and Confounding — these are conceptual but high-yield; know the difference between Selection Bias, Information Bias, and Confounding by definition and by example.
• Skipping the Epidemiologic Triad and Web of Causation — these appear as single-best-answer theory questions and take only 30 minutes to master.

Revision rhythm

• Week 5 onward: shift to 70% question practice, 30% reading. Use NEETPGAI's 812 PSM questions in subject-filter mode — attempt topic-wise first, then mixed.
• Final 2 weeks: two full-length timed PSM mock sets + daily 20-question rapid-fire on formulas and programme statistics.