NEET 2021 to be held on September 12

In the wake of Covid-19, the number of cities where the examination is conducted will be increased from 155 to 198

The National Eligibility and Entrance Test (NEET) for medical courses, which was scheduled for August 1, will now be conducted on September 12, Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said Monday.

“The NEET-UG 2021, will be held on 12th September across the country following Covid-19 protocols. The application process will begin from 5 pm tomorrow (Tuesday) through the NTA website,” Pradhan said.

He said to ensure adherence to Covid-19 protocols, face masks will be provided to all candidates at the centre. “Staggered time slots during entry and exit, contactless registration, proper sanitisation, seating with social distancing etc will also be ensured,” he said.

The minister said in order to ensure social distancing norms, the number of cities where the examination is conducted will be increased from 155 to 198. The number of examination centres will also be increased from 3,862 used in 2020.

Last year, the NEET was conducted on September 13 amid strict precautions in view of the Covid-19 pandemic. A total of 13.66 lakh candidates had appeared in the exam of whom 7,71,500 qualified.

Students will be able to give the test in 11 languages – English, Hindi, Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Marathi, Odia, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu.

From the last year, the admissions to MBBS courses in 13 All India Institute of Medical Sciences and the Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, Puducherry, are also being made through NEET following the amendment in National Medical Commission Act, 2019.