Won't Stop NEET Medical Entrance Exam Scheduled On May 1: Supreme Court

New Delhi: The Supreme Court today refused to put off the single entrance test, NEET, for admissions to medical colleges which is to be held tomorrow. The exam will be held as scheduled, it told a group of students who had appealed against the top court's order on Thursday allowing it.

The court did not entertain the plea seeking modification of its earlier order. Those seeking changes had said the syllabi for the Central Board of Secondary Education and the state boards are different and students would not have enough time to prepare for the examination.

On Thursday, the CBSE had presented a schedule for holding the exam for this academic session, after which the court ruled that NEET would replace the AIPMT exam held by the board. The first phase of the examination will be held on May 1. Nearly 6.5 lakh students are expected to take it.

The second phase has been scheduled for July 24 in which 2.5 lakh candidates will appear and results for the two phases will be announced on August 17. The admission process, based on the single test will be over by September 30.

In the absence of a common entrance test, students seeking admission to the MBBS or BDS course had to make multiple applications and take scores of tests. This, led to arbitrariness and complaints against college managements.