For generations, medical students have used three main methods to prepare for the NEET. NCERT textbooks, coaching and mock exams. Recently, AI has entered as the fourth factor, changing the way NEET aspirants learn, practice, and clear their doubts.
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Unlike textbooks (content), coaching institutes (mentoring), and test series (assessment), AI acts as an always-available support system. We provide instant clarifications, personalized corrections, adaptive questions, and doubt resolution any time of the day. For students, this immediacy changed the very rhythm of preparation. The first instinct is no longer to consult a teacher or a book, but to ask an AI system.
Candidate’s perspective
An increasing number of NEET aspirants refer to AI as their “second teacher.” Students use AI to write reports across multiple stages of preparation, including before studying a chapter to clarify concepts, during study sessions to resolve doubts, and after completion through revision, quizzes, and self-tests.
For many, this replaces the traditional question-solving cycle, which previously moved from books to teachers to peer groups. NEET-UG aspirant Anvi Katke uses AI to explore ideas in biology and chemistry when NCERT books are difficult to understand or have too many details. “When I get stuck, instead of fighting the confusion, I often immediately turn to AI for help. AI simplifies processes and explains difficult organic chemistry reactions. It also speeds up preparation and reduces the time spent on difficult problems,” she said.
However, usage patterns are not the same across subjects. She went on to say, “Biology benefits most from AI assistance due to its conceptual and descriptive nature. Chemistry benefits in structured reasoning areas such as organic mechanisms and conceptual clarity, while physics remains relatively resistant due to its numerical complexity and multi-step problem solving.”
Dr. Azmina Khan, BDS, who recently passed her NEET-PG/MDS, is using AI in a pretty sophisticated way. Her preparation focuses on clinical reasoning and practical medical knowledge. She leverages AI to analyze patient cases, get an overview, and dig deeper. You can also explore different diagnostics to help you understand difficult problems. “As someone who is studying on my own while juggling work, AI is a great helper, even though it’s not the main part of my studies. However, when I hit a roadblock or need to quickly update a concept, AI comes in handy for short, targeted help.”
She emphasized that while AI can organize information and is well suited for this, it still cannot replace actual clinical judgment. This type of expertise comes from experience, experience, and intuition. In other words, for Dr. Khan, AI is just a tool to review and clarify difficult concepts. In particular, it’s no substitute for the real thing, like hands-on training or a deep dive into a textbook.
Subjects no longer overwhelm students
Teachers in schools and universities report visible changes in learning behavior in the classroom. Previously, most of the students’ questions were fundamental. Currently, many students arrive already referring to AI tools for instruction.
Meher Kaur, Senior Chemistry Teacher at Neerja Modi School, Jaipur, says, “Whether it’s discussing SN1 reactions or Le Chatelier’s principle, when students chat with the AI, they receive instant, easy-to-understand answers at any time of the day or night.” Additionally, AI guides you through organic chemistry step by step, making it less scary. “Students can ask for simple explanations of reaction mechanisms over and over again, so they don’t feel overwhelmed by the subject,” Ms. Kaul says.
When it comes to physical chemistry, AI is great at solving numerical problems and spotting mistakes. Inorganic chemistry, on the other hand, benefits from pattern learning and memory organization. However, Kaur said that no matter how useful AI is, it cannot replace basic learning. “Sticking to NCERT is key. AI should help explore and clarify questions, but it should not replace the basics,” she explained.
Equalization of academic ability and AI as a risk factor
Rohit Gupta, Chief Academic Head at PhysicsWallah, says, “Smart students are using AI tools to adjust their learning paths and analyze their test results. Essentially, this tells them where they need extra work and allows them to adjust their plans accordingly. Additionally, AI can help students who are less confident. Use AI to create quick Q&A without feeling self-conscious. “This will encourage you to explore the topic until you understand it completely.”
“Overall, AI frees teachers up from having to keep repeating the basics and means they can spend class time on deeper, more complex ideas. So both teachers and students succeed here, resulting in a smarter learning environment,” he said.
However, he cautioned that AI cannot replace self-directed learning habits. “Technology is no substitute for self-directed learning, and over-reliance on AI can inhibit students’ innate creativity and critical thinking,” he said.
He said that while AI can help solve complex problems, relying on it too early in the learning process risks students losing their problem-solving patience. He also stressed that AI should only be used after genuine efforts have been made to solve the problem on its own.
AI research: Capabilities, risks, and learning gaps
From a systems perspective, AI is reshaping access to educational support in ways that are only beginning to be understood within formal education frameworks.
AI researcher Mahadeep Purohit pointed out that AI can make a big difference in NEET exam preparation. He claims that “properly instructed AI can now explain how the Krebs cycle works. For the first time, the quality of explanations that students in small towns receive can approach the quality of explanations that students in expensive coaching centers receive.” He noted that this shift is particularly pronounced in countries like India, where access to quality coaching has historically been shaped by geography and economic context.
At the same time, Purohit said that while children in smaller cities will have access to AI, he is wary of new divisions: “Everyone may have good AI, but some people will have access to great things.” This means that inequalities could shift from who has the educational resources to the quality of the AI aids and ecosystems that people have.
But he also pointed out fundamental limitations in the way current AI systems operate. “Large language models are trained to produce fluent and confident text, not necessarily correct text. If students accept this information as truth without checking it, they can misunderstand important concepts, especially in difficult subjects like Biology and Chemistry in NEET. Even a small mistake here can throw someone off track.”
He said, “AI explanations should be treated as ‘first drafts of understanding’ rather than final references and must always be cross-validated with NCERT and standard academic sources.”
An educational psychologist’s perspective
Counseling psychologist and career guidance expert Mayank Sethi says learning is more than just being exposed to information. It’s about how our brains go from knowing we’re familiar with something to actually being able to hold it and use it. He said, “Awareness creates familiarity; understanding creates application.”
However, he warned that one key risk lies in the difficulty students face in distinguishing between their perceived understanding and their actual ability to apply knowledge independently. “What experts call ‘productive struggle’ – the valuable mental work of trying to figure out an answer before asking for help – is being reduced,” he said.
Sethi emphasized that this kind of mental struggle is not just a side effect of learning. That’s important. He also highlighted the issue of cognitive offload, where students begin to rely on external systems for functions that were previously handled internally by memory and reasoning. “AI should be a memory trainer, not a memory replacement,” he said.
Medical perspective (AIIMS Delhi)
According to Dr. Renuka Meena, AI can be very helpful in simplifying difficult concepts for NEET preparation. But, she said, “that falls short of actually teaching you how to be a good doctor.” “AI can clarify information, but the practice of medicine is about more than just knowing things; it has to apply that learning in messy and uncertain situations where we don’t always know what works,” she explained.
Dr. Meena said, “It’s alarming that students believe that a clear explanation of AI will give them a deep understanding. But preparing for medical school means dealing with incomplete data and high stakes when making decisions.” She went on to explain, “There will always be room for AI in healthcare, but it’s important that students develop their own problem-solving skills. The tools will support you, but it’s the doctor’s responsibility to treat patients wisely and responsibly, not the algorithms.”
Conclusion: Pillar 4 in practice, not policy
Meher Kaur said, “The classification of AI as a ‘fourth pillar’ does not stem from its formal presence in the education system, but from its integration into student behavior. When it comes to whether AI should be considered as the fourth pillar of NEET preparation alongside NCERT textbooks, coaching institutes and exam series, the bigger question is not whether students use AI, but how essential it is because they do.”
“AI can come to your rescue at any time, whether it’s late at night or when you’re frantically revising before an exam. But it can’t replace the fundamentals. NCERT books lay the foundation, coaching provides structure and guidance, and test series provide assessment. Instead, AI comes in to change the way these tools are used. “AI is a big part of many areas of education, from teaching and learning to preparing for tests such as NEET,” she added. But while tutoring can be useful in many ways, changing the school system, and even helping to train future doctors, the important thing here is not what you can do, but how you use it. ”
Sethi further said, “When confidence precedes actual skill, dependence sets in.” Mahadeep Purohit emphasized that knowledge of AI should be part of high school classes. Students need to learn not just to use it, but also to question it.
It doesn’t seem like you can become an ace in NEET preparation just by making the most of AI. Rather, knowing when to step back and think for yourself can give them an advantage.
(Utkarsha Shekhar is an independent journalist whose interests include defence, science, environment, education, entertainment and fashion.)
