What about NEET 2021? This became the most asked non-board exam related query as soon as GOI announced its decision to cancel class 12 board exams for the year. Medical aspirants across the country have mixed reactions to the announcement.
On one hand, students are happy about that class 12 exams have been cancelled. On the other hand, this means that the possibility of postponement of NEET UG 2021 have diminished. Earlier, when the 12th exams were postponed, it was obvious that NTA would have to postponed NEET exam until board exams in all states concluded. However with that issue resolved, the biggest thorn in the conduct of India’s premier medical entrance exam has been removed.
Now, only 2 things can lead to exam date postponement. One, is if the pandemic situation does not gets controlled by August. And second is if any board decides to hold board exams in July-August. As of now, states such as West Bengal, Rajasthan are planning to hold 12th exams. Though a final decision by them is awaited today.
After getting clarity about boards exams, students are now anxiously waiting on the exact dates for national level entrance exams like JEE main and NEET. As of now, NEET 2021 is scheduled to be conducted on August 01, 2021. Apart from this, NTA has not provided any clarification about the exam, leaving students in the dark.
Read: CBSE Class 12 Board Exams Cancelled, Class 12 Results Will Be As Per Well Defined Objective Criteria
The decision to cancel Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) 12th exams was taken yesterday, in the high level meeting chaired by PM Modi. The much awaited and anticipated decision was taken after Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a meeting with ministers and other officials.
Prior to this, Dr. Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ convened a virtual meeting with the education minister and secretaries of states and UTs. As the union ministry considered the option of conducting offline exams, speculations began about the postponement of NEET 2021 examination. Thereafter, students began demanding the postponement of the entrance exam amid the COVID19 pandemic and the impending board exams.
While everyone predicted the conduct of board exams, CBSE cancelled the Class 12 board exams due to the coronavirus pandemic. PM Modi commentated that a well-defined, objective criteria shall be used to evaluate students. Thus, the cancellation of board exams has reduced the likelihood of NEET 2021 getting postponed. However, it may just be a possibility as the union ministry is yet to meet and take a call on the conduct of entrance exams.
As per previous years, the National Testing Agency (NTA) releases the NEET application form 5 months prior to the examination date. It also releases the information brochure around the same time on the official website ntaneet.nic.in. This year, NEET 2021 is scheduled to be conducted on August 01, 2021. However, NTA has not yet released the information brochure or the application form. With less than two months remaining for the exam, candidates may not get ample time to register for the same. Hence, NTA might just consider the postponement option.
To help candidates improve their scores in the JEE Main 2021 examination, NTA decided on conducting it four times this year. Moreover, options were given in the paper and candidates could choose the questions to solve. While NEET 2021 shall be conducted only once this year, reports suggest that NTA may introduce certain changes in the exam pattern. This may be the reason why NTA has not yet released the official 2021 information brochure.
Read: List of 11 Important Medical Courses Which Do Not Require NEET UG
As of now, students are left in the dark about the conduct of NEET UG 2021 on the decided date. Now that CBSE has announced its decision, the union ministry is expected to meet in the coming few days. This meeting shall decide the fate of NEET 2021 and invariably, the future of medical aspirants.
