Read This First: Community Medicine (PSM) for NEET PG — Where the Marks Are and How to Use This Playlist

Start Here — Why PSM Deserves Your Time

Community Medicine (PSM) is one of the most rewarding subjects in NEET PG. Recall-based reviews of recent papers put it at roughly 15–22 of the 180 questions — an estimate, because NBEMS does not publish the paper — and a large part of it is calculation and concept questions that you can get right every time once the method is clear.

This playlist follows the National Medical Commission's curriculum for Community Medicine (code CM: 20 topics, 136 competencies). Each article states which CM topics it covers, every fact is checked against an official document listed under Sources, and every practice question's answer is checked against those documents.

The Exam in One Table

Feature

NEET PG 2026

Source

Questions

180 MCQs, 4 options each, English only (200 until 2025)

NEET PG 2026 bulletin, as reported

Time

3 hours 30 minutes (210 minutes)

NEET PG 2026 bulletin, as reported

Marking

+4 correct, −1 wrong (25% negative), 0 unattempted

NBEMS bulletin

Sections

Five time-bound sections (Groups A–E), 42 minutes each; you cannot go back to a finished section

NBEMS bulletin (2025 rules)

Syllabus

Subjects of the MBBS curriculum under NMC's Graduate Medical Education Regulations

NBEMS bulletin

  • With 180 questions in 210 minutes you have about 70 seconds per question — more time than before, so calculation questions are now very doable.

  • Each wrong answer costs a quarter of a correct one. In PSM, a wild guess on a calculation is rarely worth it; an elimination guess on a two-option question often is.

  • Because sections are time-locked, practise finishing a block of 36 questions in about 42 minutes.

Where the Marks Are

Area

Weight in recent papers (estimate)

Articles in this playlist

Epidemiology & biostatistics (measures, study designs, screening, statistics)

Highest — calculations in almost every paper

1, 2, 3, 4

Immunization (UIP schedule, new vaccines, cold chain, AEFI)

High — 2–3 questions are common

6

Communicable-disease epidemiology & national programmes (TB, malaria, HIV, vaccine-preventable diseases)

High

5, 7, 8, 9

Nutrition

Medium–high

13

Environment, water, sanitation, vector control

Medium

14

Demography, vital statistics, RMNCH+A, family planning

Medium

11, 12

Non-communicable diseases, occupational health, health care delivery, policies, waste, disasters

Medium–low but steady

10, 15–18

Weights are our estimate from recall-based reviews of recent papers; NBEMS publishes no subject or topic split. We will update this table as more evidence comes in.

How PSM Questions Are Asked

Question style

Example of what is asked

How to prepare

Calculation

PPV from sensitivity, specificity and prevalence; RR, OR, attributable risk; rates

Work the formulas by hand until they are automatic

Scenario → concept

Identify the study design, the bias or the level of prevention from a short story

Learn the comparison tables, not isolated definitions

Programme facts

Vaccine schedules, programme targets, drug regimens, indicators

Revise from the latest official guideline; facts change

Direct recall

Definitions, classifications, standards

Rapid-revision cards, daily

How to Use This Playlist

  • Read in order. Articles 1–4 build the toolkit (rates, 2 × 2 tables, study designs, screening, statistics) that the later programme articles keep using.

  • Do the worked examples on paper before reading the answer. Every number in them is computed and checked.

  • Rapid-revision cards at the end of each article: run through them the same day and again after a week.

  • Test Yourself: 15–20 questions per article with explanations. Then use the subject's weekly test and the topic-wise test on the Tests page.

  • Diagrams are drawn by us from the source documents and checked for accuracy; learn to redraw the key ones.

A Three-Week Plan

Week

What to cover

Daily routine

1

Articles 1–4 (epidemiology, study designs, prevention and screening, biostatistics)

2 articles' reading + 20 practice MCQs + cards

2

Articles 5–9 (surveillance, immunization, TB, vector-borne disease, HIV)

1 article + topic test + cards

3

Articles 10–18 (NCDs to waste and disasters), then two full subject tests

1–2 articles + weekly test + mistake review

Revise programme facts (immunization schedule, TB regimens) once more in the last week before the exam — they are updated often.

Sources

Sources

Facts in this article were checked against these documents.

  • NEET-PG 2025 Information Bulletin (exam scheme, marking, sections, syllabus) — National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences, 2025 (link)

  • NEET PG 2026 exam pattern changed — number of questions reduced from 200 to 180 (quotes the 2026 bulletin) — Medical Dialogues, 2026 (link)

  • Competency Based Medical Education Curriculum 2024, Vol. II — Community Medicine — National Medical Commission, 2024