Tougher NEET Paper Tests AP Aspirants

Vijayawada: The NEET (UG) re-examination was conducted peacefully across Andhra Pradesh on Sunday amid stringent security arrangements and high attendance, with many candidates describing the question paper as tougher than the original test held on May 3.

Thousands of aspiring medical students appeared for the examination at centres in Vijayawada, Guntur, Tenali, Mangalagiri and other major towns. District administrations, in coordination with the National Testing Agency (NTA), police, transport, power and health departments, made elaborate arrangements to ensure smooth conduct of the test.

In NTR district, the examination was conducted at 31 centres. Of the 10,920 registered candidates, 10,279 appeared, recording an attendance of 94.13 per cent. District collector Dr G. Lakshmisha monitored the examination process, while joint collector S. Elakkiya inspected various centres in Vijayawada.

Authorities ensured Aadhaar-based biometric verification, candidate authentication, uninterrupted power supply, drinking water and medical facilities at all centres.

In Guntur district, the examination was held at 22 centres in Guntur, Tenali, Mangalagiri and the Acharya Nagarjuna University campus under the supervision of District Collector and Magistrate C.M. Sai Kanth Varma. Of the 7,239 registered candidates, 6,645 appeared, registering an attendance of 91.79 per cent. The highest attendance of 93.68 per cent was recorded at centres on the university campus.

Security measures included biometric verification, CCTV surveillance, mobile signal jammers and strict checks to prevent malpractice.

Although the examination concluded without any untoward incidents, traffic congestion was reported outside a few centres after the test. In Vijayawada, traffic snarls were witnessed near a centre on Ramesh Hospital Road as large numbers of students and parents exited simultaneously.

Most candidates rated the paper as moderately difficult, with Physics emerging as the most challenging section.

Candidate Ch. Dhenuka said Biology was comparatively easier and largely based on NCERT textbooks, while Chemistry was of moderate difficulty.

“I found both Physics and Chemistry difficult, while Biology was moderate. The papers were easier in the examination held in May. I expect the cut-off marks to come down this time because the paper was tougher,” said candidate G. Sophie Catherine.

Several other candidates expressed similar views, stating that the re-examination was fair but more demanding, particularly because of time-consuming and calculation-intensive questions. Many felt the tougher paper could lead to lower cut-off scores compared with expectations after the original examination.