Can NEET be held online twice a year: NTA to health ministry

The NEET is presently held once annually. This year, 1.3 million took the exam

The National Testing Agency (NTA) has written to the Union health ministry asking whether the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) for admissions to medical and dental colleges could be held online twice a year. The NEET is presently held once annually and this year 1.3 million took it.

Representational photo. (Pratham Gokhale/HT Photo)

“Students undergo an immense amount of stress preparing for these highly competitive exams. If the test can be conducted more than once a year, it would hugely lessen the pressure on them,” said an official.

Officials said any such move will require the ministry’s nod. “For NEET, the NTA is only the exam conducting body.,” said the official cited above. “The move to hold the test twice would bring relief to students. However, presently it is not easy to conduct a pen and paper twice as it requires much larger arrangements. The NTA has also suggested that the possibility of holding it in the online mode may be examined.”

The Joint Entrance Examination for admissions to engineering colleges will be held online four times in 2021.