NEET Twice A Year? What We Know So Far

According to an official source, the National Testing Agency or NTA, has no plans for conducting the national level medical entrance exam twice this year or in the upcoming years. Rebutting a report, which said the NTA may conduct the NEET twice a year after it had received representations from various stakeholders, it said the agency has no such plans so far.

The NEET exam is being conducted once in a year now for admission to more than 70,000 undergraduate seats across the country currently.

Responding to a query regarding the development, an NTA source confirmed that the Agency has no plans so far "of conducting it twice a year, like the JEE Main", as claimed by some reports.

"However," the official also said that "it is a fact that we have recieved proposals and suggestions from various stakeholders to conduct the exam twice in a year".

The NTA conducts entrance examinations like NEET (once a year), JEE Main (twice a year), CMAT (once a year), GPAT (once a year) and All India AYUSH Post Graduate Entrance Test (once a year) for admissions to various professional courses including medical and engineering.

According to the newly enacted National Medical Commission Act, admission to MBBS courses in medical colleges across the country including JIPMER and all the AIIMS will be through the common national entrance test NEET from 2020.

Currently, admissions to all medical colleges except AIIMS and JIPMER (Jawaharlal Institute of Post-Graduate Medical Education and Research) are done through the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET).

The National Medical Commission Act, 2019 provides for common national entrance test - NEET - along with common counselling for MBBS, and a common final year MBBS exam which will be applicable to all institutes including those of national importance like AIIMS.

AIIMS and JIPMER which function under the Union Health Ministry conduct their own admission tests at present.

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