NEET 2019 twice a year : Health Ministry recommends NO, HRD Ministry to Reconsider

New Delhi: The Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry may reconsider its decision to conduct a medical entrance exam NEET twice a year, following recommendations from the Health Ministry.

According to sources, the Health Ministry has written to the HRD Ministry, raising concerns on conducting the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) twice a year as the examination calendar may put additional pressure on the students.

It has also voiced concern about the students living in the rural areas, who may suffer if the exam is conducted only in the online mode.

"However, no final decision has been taken in this regard," a source said.

Last month, HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar had announced the ambitious plan of conducting the medical and dental entrance exam, along with the Joint Entrance Examination - Main for admission to engineering colleges, twice a year by the newly-formed National Testing Agency (NTA).

National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET), whose conduction earlier was the responsibility of the Central Board of Secondary Education(CBSE)had consequently supposed to change hands with the charge of conduction of this all India test falling on the shoulders of the newly formed National Testing Agency(NTA).

The NEET according to a government announcement by the Union Human Resource and Development minister, Prakash Javadekar will 2019 onwards be conducted by the NTA, in the months of February and May. This is being done to help medical aspirants improve their scores the same year, unlike in the previous case, where a year-long wait was in store if any aspirant failed to do well in the NEET annual exam conducted by the CBSE. The NTA, besides supervising the NEET entrance will also be in charge for entrance examinations like the JEE, CTET, UGC and NET etc.

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