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

Source: https://tracknation.in/story/read-this-first-community-medicine-psm-for-neet-pg-where-the-marks-are-and-how-to-use-this-playlist (TrackNation — free UPSC notes with PYQs)

> Start here for NEET PG PSM: the exam pattern (180 questions, five time-locked sections, +4/−1), how the NMC curriculum defines Community Medicine, which topics carry the most questions in recent papers, the question styles you will meet, the order of articles in this playlist, and a three-week study plan.

## 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