NEET Exam 2019: HRD Ministry withdraws its new plan for the medical entrance exam; know what?

A big decision has been taken by the Union HRD Ministry for the NEET medical and dental entrance examination. HRD Ministry has scrapped its new plan for the NEET exam, to conduct the medical exam twice in the year and also in online mode, said senior official on Tuesday.

Yes, the announcement that has been made by the Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar that the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) will be held twice a year and also conducts an online mode has been withdrawn now.

Last month, Prakash Javadekar had announced that CBSE who is responsible to conduct the NEET and JEE exam would be replaced by National Testing Agency (NTA). He also added that NTA would conduct the computer-based test for the two exams.

However, the change in the decision is taken after following the recommendations of the Health Ministry.
“The change in the NEET exam pattern was on the request of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, who wanted the same pattern followed last year to be maintained,” the National Testing Agency said but did not give any reason for the request.

As the Health Ministry also wrote to the HRD Ministry that conducting NEET twice a year would put the additional pressure on students.

There was also the recommendation by Health Ministry to the HRD Ministry that conducting online exam would create a trouble for the students who are living in rural areas.

"The change in the NEET exam pattern as against the statement earlier, which will now be a single exam in pen-and-paper mode and in the same number of languages as has been conducted last year, is on the request of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, which wanted the same pattern followed last year to be maintained," the official said.

Meanwhile, the NEET will be conducted on 5th May 2019.

-With PTI Inputs