Uncertainty over NEET exam timings

Kolkata: About 80,000 state candidates, who are supposed to take the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) on May 5, are confused over the timings of entering the examination centres, as they claim, their admit cards doesn't provide clear instructions.

The National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test is an examination for admission of students into medical and dental colleges at graduate and post-graduate levels.

Students are not aware at what time they should turn up at the centres on the day of examination. The confusion was created as the admit cards of the aspirants mentioned that the reporting time is at 12 pm and the students can enter maximum by 1.30 pm. The gate of the centres will be closed at 1.30 pm and the examination will be conducted from 2 pm to 5 pm.

Many aspirants said it was not clear whether a candidate will be allowed to enter the examination centre if he/she arrives after 12.30 pm. Many candidates who come from distant places don't know if they can reach the centre 10-15 minutes prior to 1.30 pm.

Candidates, who live in close to the centres, prefer to reach half-an-hour before the examination as there are no adequate sitting arrangements at the centres. At each examination centre, around 500 to 2,000 candidates are accommodated depending on the size of the centre.

A candidate said if majority of students enter the centre half-an-hour before the examination, how will the centre authorities handle such a huge number of students at that time as they have to individually search each candidate.

The timings of the examination have been rescheduled this year. Since the introduction of the NEET, the examinations would start at 10 am and end at 1 pm.

Students will be not allowed to enter the examination centres with anything made from metal such as rings, earrings, nose-pins, chains, necklaces, pendants, badges and brooches. Sikh students do not know if they would be allowed in the centres with their kada and kirpan.

In the NEET prospectus, it is mentioned that in case there is any error in the translated version of question-paper in Bengali, the National Testing Agency would not take the responsibility. Earlier, Bengal candidates had to face difficulties in this regard.

Dr A K Maity, an expert in the field of medical education, who has written to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi in this regard, said: "NTA should take the responsibility if there is any mistake in the question papers in Bengali. Many meritorious students from Bengal had to face problems in previous years only because they had opted Bengali as the medium of examination. The responsibility of conducting the medical entrance examination should be entrusted upon the state government."