Hyderabad: Candidates who appeared for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET), the common national test for medical aspirants across the country, are an anxious lot. Not because the results of that test are to be announced on Thursday, as per the timetable announced by the CBSE, but because they are not going to be announced.
Following complaints of discrepancies between the English question papers and those in some regional languages, the Madras High Court has stayed the results. Students are worried that a delay in publishing the results will make the already lengthy admission process difficult. The worst could be if they had to take a re-test all over again, they dread.
Medical aspirants from the Telugu states are particularly worried since admissions counselling for Pharmacy and Agriculture seats is to begin in a few days. Many who cannot get into the Medical or Dental streams can choose these streams under the EAMCET system. But they do not want to be forced into one of those streams simply because their NEET results are not known yet.
The NEET exam was conducted in 10 languages at 1,921 exam centres in 103 cities, to channel admissions to about 90,000 seats -- 65,000 MBBS and 25,000 BDS -- in colleges across the country.
Now, while its results have been stayed, the Medical Council of India does not take kindly to delays in admissions.
The CBSE, which conducts NEET, has reportedly asked the court to vacate the stay, arguing that there is no chance of question papers being tougher in one language than the other.
“EAMCET counselling will start soon, but we have no idea what our NEET results are. We don’t even when they will be announced, nor whether we have to write a re-test. I am more stressed out now (than during the examinations). I am most tense about potentially having to write the test again”, says Anu Sruthi of Hyderabad.
If anything like last year happens, when NEET was conducted twice, it will cause a lot of tension for all.
Even AIIMS and JIPMER results will be out before NEET, so even if we get one of those, we will still be in a dilemma if to opt for them or to wait to see what we get under NEET,” says C. Surekha of Sri Chaitanya College.
“My daughter has done really well in NEET and has been relaxing since, confident of a good rank. Now, if they decide to do a re-test, it will all be a total mess for several more months,” said N. Subramaniam, a parent.
