Will NEET 2021 be Postponed? – Latest News on NEET exam Postponement

We recently surveyed the opinions of the many students who follow GetMyUni to view their stance on the NEET-UG 2021 exam scheduled for Aug 1, 2021. Not surprisingly, we found that over 65% of our followers strongly agreed that the NEET UG should be postponed. The data shows that the main reason for this is because they were concerned about causing a third wave of the pandemic. The possibility of this occurring could be very disastrous given the current situation.

We also surveyed their opinions on the following questions:

• Would they be interested in attending the exam if the board converted it to a Remote Proctored Test
• Would they attend the test if the board made no changes to the existing schedule
• What precautions they would expect the exam centres to observe
• If they wanted the conducting authority to provide an alternative to students who do not attend the exam on Aug 1

NEET 2021 as a Remote Proctored Test?

Most students (45.1%) said they do not want the NEET UG 2021 exam to be conducted as a remote exam. The most common reason was that they were taught online and hadn’t prepared enough for the exam.

When asked if they would attend the test as per the existing schedule, the majority were unsure. However, around 37% of students answered that they would. Their reasoning was that if the exam got postponed or cancelled, their admission process could prove difficult and hurt their futures.

Precautions that Students want Observed at Exam Centres

When we asked what precautions that the students would like the exam centres to observe, we got an overwhelming response with the following suggestions:

1. Minimum one chair gap on all sides of the candidate (30.3%)
2. Compulsory Mask/Double Mask (21.8%)
3. Thermal Checking of all candidates (20.4%)
4. Sanitisers for each student (19.7%)
5. Vaccination mandate (7.7%)

The maximum number of students suggesting the first one. While most of these were already being practised, we feel that the fifth suggestion, a Vaccination Mandate, should be set to attend the exam without additional stress knowing that everyone around them is inoculated.

Alternate Option from Conduction Authority

Finally, we also posed the students with the question if they would be interested in an alternate option suggested by the conducting body. The responses included:

• Most students wanted a re-exam for those who do not attend on Aug 1 (82.4%).
• Some said they would re-apply for next year’s exam (15.7%).
• And some students were not interested in any alternate option (2%).

There are no updates from the NTA regarding the conduction/postponement of NEET 2021 as yet. But this study of our followers’ opinions has helped us understand their stances.

The pandemic has not been easy on anyone, especially on the students who have been preparing for NEET/JEE Main/other similar entrance exams.

• Online classes have not been as helpful as offline classes would have been. Hence, making NEET a remotely proctored exam would not be beneficial to most students.
• In case the conducting body decides to as per the schedule, they should either:
  • Be looking to include higher safety measures at all exam centres, including a Vaccination Mandate;
  • Provide an alternative to students, such as a re-exam for those who do not wish to attend it now.

Most entrance exams are already being conducted as proctored online exams so that there is no loss of admission time and there would be no sacrificing of safety during these tough times. Conducting the NEET UG 2021 online should be considered a viable option. If not, there should be more safety precautions taken. With increasing speculations about the exam being postponed, there is a lot of uncertainty in the air. Currently, the only thing the students can do is wait and prepare for the exam. We wish you all the best!