NEET 2021: Exam not to be conducted twice a year, dates to be announced this week
The National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test (NEET) will not be conducted twice a year, the National Testing Agency (NTA) told India TV Digital on Wednesday. Aspirants had their hopes high for a second chance as the testing agency was in consultation with the Education Ministry and other stakeholders to explore the feasibility of conducting the exams twice. Recently, the testing agency had also reached out to the Union Health Ministry asking if the entrance test could be held twice a year, stating that the move would lessen stress and pressure on students. However, the NTA has decided against it.
"The exam will be conducted once, the way it has been taking place over the years," NTA Director-General Vineet Joshi told India TV Digital.
Meanwhile, NEET aspirants have been waiting for the announcement of the exam date. To this, the NTA Director-General said an announcement to this effect would be made this week.
The National Testing Agency (NTA) conducts the National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test (NEET) for admission to MBBS/BDS courses and other undergraduate medical courses in approved/recognized medical/dental and other colleges/institutes in India.
In an interview late February, Joshi had said that the exam date will be announced by February-end or early-March. Elaborating the delay in the declaration of the exam date, Joshi had said there are a total of 28 boards, two ministries, and NTA involved in the brainstorming process, hence the process is taking time. "We are in consultation with all the stakeholders, and taking into consideration all possible aspects in the best interest of students. We expect to reach a final decision by the end of February," the director-general had told India TV Digital.
Last year, the exam was held on September 13 after being postponed twice due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 7,71,500 candidates had qualified for the exam, for which over 13.66 lakh appeared. The test was offered in eleven languages -- English, Urdu, Hindi, Assamese, Bengali, Odia, Marathi, Kannada, Gujarati, Tamil, and Telugu.
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