NEET conducts exams for over 15 lakh students: Key points

NEW DELHI: Over 15 lakh candidates are expected to appear in medical entrance exam NEET on Sunday which will be conducted amid strict precautions given the Covid-19 pandemic. The exams have been postponed twice in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. A series of guidelines have been put in place to ensure the safety of students. Special transport services have been initiated to help students' movement for the exams.

Here is a look at the details of the NEET examination —

To maintain social distancing, the NTA has increased the number of exam centres from originally-planned 2,546 to 3,843, while the number of candidates per room has been reduced from earlier 24 to 12.
The East Coast Railway started four special trains on Saturday and Sunday for the candidates appearing in National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test. These trains are being run in four routes-Bhadrak-Bhubaneswar, Keonjhargarh-Bhubaneswar, Rayagada-Sambalpur, and Khariar Road-Sambalpur. Students will return to their homes by the same train after their examination is over.
After making arrangements for smooth conduct of the NEET examination, the Odisha government on Saturday made it clear that the candidates having high temperature and certain symptoms of COVID, but not tested positive, will be allowed to take the test.
Students showing symptoms will be isolated and be provided seats in separate rooms.
The students who have tested positive for the infection will be allowed to appear in the NEET examination on a later date, through a digital platform.
The crucial National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET), which is a pen and paper-based test unlike engineering entrance exam JEE, has already been deferred twice. The exam was originally scheduled for May 3, but was pushed to July 26, and then to September 13.
Each candidate will be offered a three-ply mask at the time of entry and are expected to wear the same during the examination in order to avoid any form of unfair means at the time of examination.
While the governments of Odisha, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh have assured students that they will provide them with transportation, a group of Indian Institute of Technology alumni and students have launched a portal to provide transport facilities to exam centres for the candidates in need.
Several opposition leaders, including Congress' Rahul Gandhi, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, her Odisha counterpart Naveen Patnaik, DMK president M K Stalin and Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia had also demanded that this, as well as JEE, be postponed.

The Supreme Court had earlier dismissed a plea seeking postponement of the exam amid a spurt in the number of COVID-19 cases, saying a "precious year" of students cannot be wasted and life has to go on.

Credit: TOI

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NEET conducts exams for over 15 lakh students: Key points