Examinees approve of safety measures at NEET centres

The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) for admission to undergraduate medical and dental courses for the 2020-21 academic year was held successfully on Sunday amidst the panic over Covid.

Of the total 15 lakh plus candidates who registered, only 1,19,587 appeared at various centres in the state.

Keeping in mind the safety of candidates, the National Testing Agency (NTA) had increased the number of examination centres compared to the previous year.

The candidates started reporting as early as 10.30 am, even though they were instructed to report between 11 am and 11.30 am for verification process. Further, 12.30 pm was the deadline for students to register, as the exams were scheduled to commence at 2 pm.

Some students complained that they had to wait for at least an hour to get through the Covid-19 screening process.

“Even though I had reached the centre much early, I was in queue for over 45 minutes for screening,” a student at a test centre in Bengaluru said.

Another student said, “I was under intense pressure till I reached the hall after the formalities.”

Students said physics and biology papers were a bit difficult.

“The biology paper was tricky and difficult to answer,” said a candidate.

“Even the physics paper was lengthy and difficult,” said another student.

Much to the relief of many, there were no reports of health safety issues. The candidates appreciated the measures taken for social distancing and for the safety of candidates.

At some test centres, parents were seen crowding outside the campus and security staff had to repeatedly ask them to disperse.