On July 3, 2020 HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal through a tweet announced the fresh exam dates for JEE Main coming session, JEE Advanced 2020 and NEET 2020. The speculations about the rescheduling of the exams had been trending for a while now, considering the increasing impact of COVID-19 in the country.

More than 25 lakh candidates are expected to appear for JEE Main 2020 coming session and NEET 2020 this year. Therefore, the further postponement of both the national level examinations was a much awaited step for the aspirants. 

JEE Main, JEE Advanced, NEET 2020 Exam Dates

JEE Main and NEET 2020 were scheduled in July but due to a continuous rise in coronavirus cases and July expected to be the worst hit month from the pandemic, the exams have been rescheduled for the month of September. The fresh exam dates for all the 3 examinations are tabulated below:

Check NTA Official Notices

• JEE Main April Session Further Postponed- Notification by NTA
• NEET 2020 Rescheduled Notification by NTA

JEE Main, NEET 2020 Admit Card Dates Out

As per the official notice of NTA released on July 3, 2020 post the tweet of the HRD Minister, the admit card for both the exams will be released 15 days prior to the conduct of the exams. 

Therefore, the expected dates for hall ticket release considering the declared exam dates are as follows:

NEET 2020, JEE Advanced, JEE Main Official MHRD Update

Keeping in mind the safety of students and to ensure quality education we have decided to postpone #JEE & #NEET examinations. JEE Main examination will be held between 1st-6th Sept, JEE advanced exam will be held on 27th Sept & NEET examination will be held on 13th Sept. pic.twitter.com/klTjtBxvuw

— Dr. Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank (@DrRPNishank) July 3, 2020

Impact on Post Exam Events

• Due to the further postponement of the exam dates, the post exam events like release of answer key and result declaration shall also observe a delay.

• Since JEE Advanced is scheduled on September 27, 2020, candidates can expect the JEE Main Result to be declared by the 3rd week of September. 

• NTA and IIT Delhi (Exam conducting bodies) will try to speed up the process so that semesters can begin.

• The completion of course is another challenge for colleges for the coming session. 

• Delay in competitive exams this year, can also affect the conduction of exams in the next session. There are already speculations about reduction in JEE Main 2021 syllabus

• Since NEET is an offline exam with more than 15 lakh aspirants appearing for it, the process can take a little longer than the online exams. 

What led to the rescheduling of exams?

Some of the reasons which led to the much awaited rescheduling of the exams are as follows:

• July, the worst-hit month from COVID-19

India is in the list of one of the most impacted countries from coronavirus. As per the statistics, coronavirus cases in India are expected to reach its peak during the month of July. Considering the scenario, it was nearly impossible to ensure the safety of lakhs of JEE Main and NEET 2020 test-takers.

• States extend lockdown till July 31

Several states in India including Maharashtra, Nagaland, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu have announced an extension of lockdown till July 31, 2020. 

Guidelines have been issued by the Central government for Unlock 2 which is beginning on July 1, 2020. However, with metro services on a halt, it would have been challenging for candidates to reach their exam centers. 

• CBSE and ICSE board pending papers canceled

On June 25, 2020, CBSE informed SC regarding the cancellation of pending class XII papers scheduled for July 1 - 15, 2020. The pending class 12th CBSE papers have been made optional and can be conducted when the situation is conducive.

ICSE board also canceled the exams and announced that it would not be giving re-examination chances to class 12th and results would be declared on the evaluation of past performances. Read Complete Report Here

• Students expressed concern through social media

Many students had demanded postponement of JEE Main 2020 April session and NEET 2020. A massive social media campaign emerged in response to a social media post by HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ on June 18, 2020 that said the priority of the government is students’ health and quality education. Students responses started trending on twitter with hashtags like #StudentsLivesMatter #postponejeeneet2020, #HealthOverExams

• IITs were Against cancelation of JEE Main and JEE Advanced

IITs were completely against the option of canceling the exams, as per their officials, postponing JEE exams was acceptable. Sarit K Das, Director, IIT Ropar commented, “Cancelling JEE Main and Advanced is not an option because admission to IITs is a serious matter...Delayed academic sessions can be compensated by shortening the annual summer and other breaks for four years, but admission based on board results will lead to dilution of the quality of students and will hamper the brand value of IITs.” 

With JEE Main and NEET almost 2 months away from now, candidates can use the online assistance for enhancing their JEE Main Preparation. Any further changes or updates from NTA shall be conveyed to them well in advance, ALL THE BEST!