On Health Ministry's plea, HRD may reconsider conducting NEET twice a year

Last month, HRD Minister had announced the ambitious plan of conducting the medical and dental entrance exam twice a year by the newly-formed National Testing Agency

Prakash Javadekar
Press Trust of India New Delhi
Last Updated : Aug 10 2018 | 5:37 PM IST

The Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry may reconsider its decision to conduct 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).

It was also announced that all the exams to be conducted by the NTA would be computer-based. The ministry has also announced the tentative dates for the exams, according to which, the NEETUG is scheduled for February, 2019 with a repeat in May, 2019.

*Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

SAVE 46%
*Complimentary New York Times access for the 2nd year will be given after 12 months

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Exclusive premium stories online

  • Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

First Published: Aug 10 2018 | 5:34 PM IST

Next Story