'NEET & JEE exam dates finalised; lakhs ready to appear': Education Min Pokhriyal firm

Amid the row over the NEET and JEE exams, Union Education Minister Dr Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank on Wednesday stated that keeping in mind the order of the Supreme Court and the current situation of the pandemic, the exam dates had been finalised after two deferments. The Education Minister revealed that about 85% of the students appearing for the exams had already downloaded their admit cards and were ready to sit for their tests after much preparation. To be sure, he upheld that the exams will go on as currently scheduled.  

'Dates have been finalised'

“Students and guardians constantly put pressure on us to conduct NEET & JEE exams. They asked us till when will we keep studying. Keeping the situation in mind, we pushed it back once, then twice. During this time, the Supreme Court opined that the full academic year can’t be wasted. They said, even if there is a pandemic situation, we can not risk the future of the students." 

"After two deferments, exam dates have been finalised. 85% of JEE aspirants have already downloaded their admit cards. About 7.25 lakh stundets are already ready to appear for the exams," said the Education Minister.

Read: NTA Reiterates JEE & NEET Exams To Be Held As Scheduled, Lists Social Distancing Measures

Read: NEET Admit Card 2020 Likely To Be Released Today, Here's How To Download

NTA's preparations & NEET/JEE dates

Amid the increasing demand for the postponement of JEE and NEET exams, the National Testing Agency on Tuesday reiterated that they would be held as scheduled. While the JEE Main examination will be held between September 1 to 6, the NEET examination is scheduled for September 13. The NTA assured all the students of a safe environment in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis.

The NTA observed that over 99% of the candidates in both exams had got their first choice of centre cities. Additionally, the number of exam centres for JEE Main has been increased from 570 to 660. On the other hand, the NEET exam will now be conducted in 3843 centres instead of 2546 centres. In the case of JEE Main, the number of candidates per shift has been reduced from 1.32 lakh to 85,000.

While the candidates for JEE Main shall be seated in alternate seats, the number of candidates per room in the NEET exam will be 12 instead of 24. Moreover, the entry and exit of candidates shall be staggered. The candidates have also been issued an advisory on proper social distancing. Also, the NTA has written to the state governments to extend support for ensuring that the candidates are able to reach their exam centres on time.

Read: Holding NEET-JEE Now Favours Rich Kids; Poor Haven't Had Access: Subramanian Swamy

Read: Embattled Sonia Gandhi To Huddle With Mamata & Other CMs; Targets GST & NEET-JEE Impact