NEET 2018 to be held this week on May 6; Exam facts and Recap of events

NEW DELHI, APRIL 2: The time is ticking with barely 4 days left for the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET), to be held on May 6, 2018. NEET 2018 will be conducted by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) at approximately 2000 exam centres in 150 cities nationwide.

The admit cards of all the candidates, including open school and those above upper age limit, have been released by CBSE, following April 26, 2018, reserved judgement of Delhi High Court (HC). Applicants who haven’t yet downloaded their admit cards can do so from the official website of CBSE NEET by entering their registration number and date of birth. No candidate will be allowed to enter the exam hall without a valid NEET admit card and a coloured passport size photograph same as uploaded during submission of NEET application form. No other item besides admit card and photograph, be it stationery, water bottle, calculator or watch, will be allowed inside the exam hall.

NEET is one of the biggest medical entrance exams of India, with over 13 lakhs reported registrations and its score forming the basis of MBBS, BDS, AYUSH and BSc (Veterinary Science) admissions across the country. Becoming a single window entrance exam for MBBS and BDS admissions in 2016, NEET successfully replaced all the state and institute-specific medical entrances, except for AIIMS and JIPMER MBBS entrance exams.

 

NEET 2018 Exam Day Facts

• Exam Date: May 6, 2018

• Mode: Offline

• Time: 10 AM to 1 PM (single-session, three-hour examination)

• Entry-Slots: Two (Slot A, from 7:30 AM, and Slot B, form 8:30 AM)

• Things to carry: NEET Admit Card and a coloured photograph (similar to the one on admit card)

• Dress code highlight: Wear light clothes with slippers. No shoes or full-sleeves tops allowed.

• Exam Pattern: 180 MCQ (45 questions each from Physics & Chemistry and 90 questions from Biology)

 

NEET 2018 - A Recap

The official notification of NEET was issued by CBSE on February 8, 2018. NEET 2018, like its predecessors, has been an eventful year so far, right from the announcement of exam date till now. Here is a quick recap of the changes introduced and controversies which followed.

• New Changes in NEET: The announcement of NEET 2018 notification introduced many new changes. One of the most controversial amongst all has been the introduction of new eligibility criteria (detailed below), some of whose clauses are still being challenged in Delhi HC. With NEET becoming the basis for more standardization in medical education in India, starting this year, it became mandatory for candidates seeking admission in AYUSH courses, or those wishing to study MBBS/BDS abroad, to appear for NEET. Some other changes comprised introduction of Urdu as a medium of language, increase in reservation of Physically Handicapped (PH) or Persons with Disability (PwD) category from 3% to 5%, joining of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana to All India Quota (AIQ) scheme and removal of the cap on the number of attempts.

• New Eligibility Criteria Controversy: The release of notification brought a chain of woes as it rendered thousands of aspirants ineligible from NEET. As per the new eligibility rules, the upper age limit was introduced and NIOS candidates, those with a gap year between Class 11 and 12 and those studying Biology as an additional subject, were barred from appearing in NEET 2018. This created a wave of unrest among aspirants waiting to undertake the medical entrance exam.

  The ineligibility clauses were further challenged in the Delhi High Court (HC) and an interim order was passed which allowed candidates earlier declared ineligible, to fill NEET application form. However, whether or not they would be allowed to appear in the exam was pinned on the final judgement of Delhi HC.

  After prolonged hearings and no sight of final judgement, Delhi HC on April 26, 2018, passed a reserved judgement directing CBSE to issue the admit card for students disqualified on account of over age and having studied in open school and allowed all of them to appear for the exam. Now, whether or not the result of such candidates will be declared will depend upon the final judgement.

Candidates appearing for NEET 2018 should take care that they carry the admit card and photograph with them to the exam hall and reach on time as per their entry slot. The result of NEET 2018 will be declared on June 5, 2018. Aspirants can check all the latest developments on NEET 2018 here.