NEET 2020 recorded a high attendance rate despite the pandemic, surpassing JEE Main figures. The Education Minister tweeted late on Sunday, revealing the data as released by NTA. Read details below.

National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) 2020 was finally held on Sunday, September 13, 2020, for admissions to 1 lakh MBBS or BDS seats in the country. 

Among the 1.5 lakh candidates who registered for the NEET 2020, 85% to 90% of them took the tests across 3,843 exam centres in the country.

NEET 2020: September 13 Highlights 

  • 85%-90% candidates across the country attended NEET 2020 held on Sunday.
  • Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal tweeted late on Sunday to appreciate the collective efforts of states and NTA. 
  • NEET 2020 was held in 11 languages.
  • AIIMs and JIPMER will provide admissions based on NEET-UG, henceforth.
  • NTA had earlier increased NEET exam centres from 2,546 to 3,843.
  • Also, candidates/room was reduced to 12 from 24. 
  • NEET was a pen-paper exam, unlike JEE Main which was an online test. 
  • NEET’s attendance records surpassed JEE’s which was 74%.

Union Education Minister, Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank unleashed the figures and thanked states for making transport arrangements given the trying times in face of COVID-19 pandemic. 

He tweeted, “NTA informed me that around 85-90% of students appeared in the #NEET exam today. I sincerely thank all Chief Ministers and @DG_NTA for proper arrangements made to facilitate student participation. 

#NEET participation reflects the tenacity and grit of young #AtmaNirbharBharat.” Pokhriyal added, “NEET participation reflects the tenacity and grit of young.”

NEET 2020: Records High Attendance

The attendance figures of NEET 2020 have been higher than JEE Main which stood at 74%. However, NTA coordinators have responded saying JEE Main is conducted two times in a year. Due to which, many aspirants might have skipped as they attended the December exams.

Read | NEET 2020: Check Exam Analysis, Answer Key, Students’ Reaction, NTA Arrangements Live Updates

NTA had a bigger challenge with conducting NEET, given the fact that it had more candidates.  JEE Main had only 8 lakh registered students spread over 6 days, September 1-6, NEET had 15 lakh students for a single-day exam. 

Talking about attendance, a senior official at NTA headquarters in Noida said, “Based on random sampling the attendance is found to be between 85% to 90%, which is marginally lower than that of last year. The tests have been completed successfully.”

NTA’s Arrangement for NEET 2020

NEET is a pen-paper exam compared to JEE Main which was held online. As a fact, NTA had to plan elaborate arrangements to comply with social distancing norms and safety protocol amid the pandemic.

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While exam centres were increased from 2,546 to 3,843, candidates per room were reduced to 12 from 24. In many places, NTA also arranged buses and private vehicles to transfer candidates who arrived at the centres assigned to them earlier instead of the changed one.

This year, NEET question papers had instructions in 11 languages: English, Hindi, Marathi, Odia, Assamese, Tamil, Telugu, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada and Urdu. An initial estimated report suggests over 77% of candidates took the test in English, 12% in Hindi and 11% in other languages.

As per National Medical Commission Act, 2019 passed by the Parliament, NEET will be the qualifying exam for admissions to MBBS in Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research (JIPMER), Puducherry and 13 All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) from 2020.

NEET 2020: Updates from across the country

At an exam centre in Mumbai question papers were distributed late by 30 minutes, which mismanaged the exam centre. To comply with SOPs of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, NTA had to change exam centres of some candidates. 

However, the candidates were informed by NTA regarding the change via emails and phone calls. Despite this students arrived at old centres due to which NTA had to arrange transport facilities for transferring students to new exam centres.

Vineet Joshi, Director General, NTA, said, “Candidates who missed the test or denied entry as they are positive (of COVID-19) will be allowed to take the test later. They need to follow the procedure like email to NTA attaching their medical test certificate, etc. NTA will take stock and announce the date later.”

As per candidates who appeared from Pune, the paper was tricky however 6-7 students were seated in one room. The Biology paper was easier, but Physics was quite tough. 

In Lucknow, 87.7% of candidates appeared in NEET 2020 while expressing satisfaction with exam centre arrangements. 9-12 aspirants were seated in a room while maintaining sufficient distance between them. Candidates were provided masks at the entrance. Invigilators and staff regularly sanitized their hands.

Read | NEET 2020: Punjab CM Lifts Sunday Curfew for Ease of Candidates

A district administration official said, “Of the 36,000 candidates who were registered to appear in the examination in Lucknow, 31,584 were present. Thus, 87.7% of candidates took the exam at 72 centres in the state capital.”

In similar lines, Odisha recorded 88% attendance on Sunday across 83 NEET exam centres in the state. Odisha State Nodal officer, Poly Patnaik said, “An estimated 88 per cent of the candidates appeared for the NEET examination today.”

Every exam centre maintained strict COVID-19 guidelines, invigilators wore PPEs, 12 students were seated in one room, while the exam was conducted from 11 am to 5 pm.

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