The latest reply of National Testing Agency against an RTI on NEET 2021 exam date, as well as application form release, indicates that the exam date for the UG medical admissions may be postponed.
Whereas in the RTI response earlier this month, NTA had said that until now the exam date is August 1, 2021, in today’s RTI reply, the date of August 1, 2021, is not mentioned anywhere.
The RTI filed by social and political activist Vivek Pandey seeked clarity on National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET UG) 2021 dates. To which, NTA responded as follows:
- In view of the COVID-19 Pandemic, NTA is in the process of consultation with the concerned Ministries for finalizing the date to launch the Online Application Form for NEET (UG) 2021 . Hence, it is taking some time.
- Accordingly, the date of launch of application and examination will be notified at the earliest on the NEET (UG) website as soon as the date is decided in consultation with concerned Ministries and Organisations.
- Therefore, interested /eligible candidates may remain in touch with the NTA website, for updates .
Among some other prevailing factors hinting toward a possible postponement of the NEET 2021 exam, the NTA’s latest reply is a significant addition. Here is a side by side comparison of the previous and new RTI replies.
| NTA’s RTI Reply on NEET UG 2021 – Dated 03rd June | NTA’s RTI Reply on NEET UG 2021 – Dated 15th June |
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NTA is insofar silent on all other official channels about the NEET exam. The last public response pertaining to the exam was also done in response to an RTI query. The previous RTI query was dated May 29, 2021, and its reply was dated June 04, 2021. In that response, NTA had indicated a possibility of postponement of the currently scheduled exam date in case of “unavoidable circumstances”.
Based on the modifications done by NTA to the reply against RTI, the social activist has highlighted two key points in his official tweet today (Check out a snapshot of the tweet below).
- 1 Aug proposed examination date point is removed. Reply of both RTI is attached.
- There is possibility NEET may get postponed.
Why NEET 2021 exam date is likely to be postponed?
The NTA’s omission of the pre-scheduled NEET 2021 exam date of August 01, 2021 in the latest reply to the RTI filed by Vivek Pandey is a strong indicator of the possibilities of postponement of the exam date. However, this is not the only factor that hints toward the possible postponement of the exam date.
Recently, the Assam state government has recently decided to conduct the Class 10 and Class 12 board exams from August 01 to 15, 2021. In addition, as per latest reports, the Andhra Pradesh government has also requested the centre to hold the JEE Main and NEET exams since the state is planning to conduct the board exams. Thus, there is a strong possibility of postponement of the exam date.
Current Official Status of NEET 2021
As of now, no official announcement has been made regarding the release of the NEET 2021 application form. Moreover, the earlier scheduled date of NEET 2021 i.e., August 01, 2021 remains unchanged as no official postponement notice has been issued. Candidates are advised to remain vigilant on the official website i.e. neet.nta.nic.in for the latest updates from NTA.
