A chemistry plan for NEET

Chemistry carries 45 of NEET's 180 questions, 180 marks out of 720, the same as physics. For many candidates it is the most scoreable of the three subjects, because a large part of it rewards close reading and steady practice rather than flair. It is also where marks leak away quietly: a forgotten exception in inorganic, a misremembered reagent in organic, a unit slip in physical.

The key to a good chemistry score is to see that it is really three subjects under one name. Physical chemistry works like physics. Inorganic chemistry works like biology. Organic chemistry is a language of its own. Studying all three the same way is the most common planning mistake.

The syllabus in three parts

The NMC syllabus lists 20 chemistry units. Grouped by the kind of work they need, they look like this:

Chemical bonding sits on the border between physical and inorganic. Study it early, because nearly every other chapter uses it.

Physical chemistry: concepts, then daily numericals

Physical chemistry gives the most predictable marks, because the question types repeat: mole calculations, pH, equilibrium constants, cell potentials, rate laws, colligative properties and enthalpy changes.

• Learn each formula with its condition. ΔG° = −RT ln K holds for standard states; the integrated first-order law needs a first-order reaction; ΔH = ΔU + Δn(g)RT counts gaseous moles only.
• Solve every day. Ten to fifteen numericals a day keeps the methods fresh. Physical chemistry fades fastest when left alone.
• Watch the units. kJ and J in ΔG = ΔH − TΔS, mL and L in molarity, and °C and K everywhere.

Start with the mole concept. A weak mole concept shows up later as errors in solutions, equilibrium, electrochemistry and redox titrations.

Inorganic chemistry: NCERT, tables and exceptions

Inorganic questions often quote the textbook closely: an order of acidic strength, the colour of a compound, the shape of a molecule, the oxidation states of a transition metal, the exception to a trend.

• Read NCERT line by line, including the tables, the in-text examples and the notes in small print.
• Turn trends into tables. For each group, one table: atomic radius, ionisation enthalpy, oxidation states, acidic or basic character of the oxides, and the exceptions.
• Revise little and often. Inorganic facts are forgotten quickly. A short daily revision beats a long weekly one.

Start with periodic trends and chemical bonding, because most inorganic "why" questions come back to size, charge, electronegativity and hybridisation.

Organic chemistry: mechanisms, then conversions

Organic chemistry looks like a list of reactions to memorise. It is easier to learn as a small set of ideas, electron movement, stability of intermediates and the behaviour of functional groups, that explain the reactions.

• Master GOC first. Inductive effect, resonance, hyperconjugation, carbocation and carbanion stability, acidity and basicity. Everything else uses these ideas. See basic principles of organic chemistry.
• Learn each named reaction as a card: reactant, reagent, product, and one sentence on why it happens.
• Practise conversions. "How would you convert A into B?" questions test whether you can chain reactions. Draw a reaction map for each functional group.

Notes to keep

Keep them short. A note you cannot revise in 20 minutes is too long to be useful in the last month.

How NEET asks chemistry

Recent papers have used several formats besides the plain one-line question:

• Statement-based: two or more statements, and you choose which are correct.
• Assertion and reason: decide whether each is true and whether the reason explains the assertion.
• Match the following: two columns to pair up, for example reagents with products.
• Arrange in order: acidic strength, bond angle, ionisation enthalpy, boiling point.

Statement and matching questions need every part to be right, so partial knowledge doesn't earn partial credit. They reward exact NCERT reading more than any shortcut. Practise them from the official sample and previous papers so the formats feel familiar.

A daily routine (about 1.5 hours)

1. 20 minutes: revise one note (the formula sheet, the trends sheet or the reaction sheet, in rotation).
2. 45 minutes: 25–30 questions from the chapter you are studying, timed.
3. 15 minutes: check answers and write every error in the log with its cause.
4. 10 minutes: 10 physical chemistry numericals from an older chapter.

On days when a new chapter is being read, move the question block to the next day rather than skipping the revision.

A month-wise plan for the Class 12 year

A dropper can compress this into six months: two months of physical and bonding, two of organic and inorganic, and two of revision and mocks. See the dropper plan for the full-year structure.

A quick self-check

Answer these honestly before you plan your next month.

1. Can you convert grams to moles to particles, and back, without looking anything up?
2. Can you write the order of first ionisation enthalpy for B, C, N and O, and say why it breaks the trend?
3. Can you explain why a tertiary carbocation is more stable than a primary one, in two ways?
4. Can you state the conditions for ΔG = ΔH − TΔS to predict spontaneity?

What the answers mean

1. If not, start with the mole concept; everything in physical chemistry depends on it.
2. The order is B < C < O < N. N is above O because its half-filled 2p subshell is extra stable, and O loses an electron from a paired 2p orbital more easily. If you hesitated, begin with periodic trends.
3. Inductive effect and hyperconjugation. If you could not give both, revise GOC before any named reactions.
4. Constant temperature and pressure. If this was unclear, see chemical thermodynamics.

What to do next

• Make the three note files today, even if they are empty, and add to them as you study.
• Fix a daily chemistry slot and protect it, including on biology-heavy days.
• Begin with the mole concept, then atomic structure and bonding.
• Read common chemistry mistakes in NEET before your first full mock.