Very little time to prepare: NEET 2022 Aspirants demand exam postponement

New Delhi: Pointing out that they did not get enough time to prepare for the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test 2022, the aspirants- both first time candidates and repeaters have sought a postponement of the examination that is scheduled to take place on July 17.

While the fresh candidates have pointed out that they would get only one month time to prepare for the exam with CBSE exam ending in June, the repeaters have blamed the delayed NEET UG 2021 counselling as the reason for their lack of adequate preparation.

The candidates have now taken to Twitter demanding to postpone the exam by one month with hashtags such as #postponeneetug2022 and #JusticeforNeetStudents. Online petitions seeking deferment of the exam are also doing the rounds on the internet.

Recently the National Testing Agency (NTA) while inviting online applications for NEET UG 2022, released the timeline for the exam. The applications for the NEET UG 2022, which is scheduled to take place on July 17, 2022, can be made until May 7, 2022. 

As per Section 14 of The National Medical Commission Act, 2019, the NEET has to be conducted as a common and uniform National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test [(NEET (UG)] for admission to undergraduate medical education in all medical institutions, including those governed under any other law in force.

However, the aspirants for this centralized medical entrance examination are not so happy with its schedule and they have now started demanding postponement of the same to August or September.

One such letter demanding deferment of the exam and which is allegedly written by a NEET aspirant is doing rounds on the internet. Claiming to represent the concerns of lakhs of NEET aspirants, the letter urged to postpone the exam to August 2022. The letter has also pointed out the reasons for postponing the exam. Those reasons include- less time to prepare for NEET UG 2022, schedule of CUET exam in 1st and 2nd week of July, delayed counselling for NEET UG 2022 with mop up rounds of States coming 2-3 days ago the date for exam, etc.

Also Read: NEET 2021 candidates ask for postponement, Health Minister says no such plan

Some candidates have questioned when NEET counselling can be delayed, why the exam cannot be postponed.

The aspirants have also referred to a recent case of suicide of a NEET candidate and claimed that the exam should be postponed due to humanitarian grounds.

Some of the aspirants have taken the matter to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and urging all the other candidates to do the same.

Such demands for postponing NEET are not new. Last year as well the candidates had sought deferment of the exam citing several reasons including clashing of the exam with CBSE class 12 exams, dates for ICAR AIEEA, the national-level undergraduate entrance exam for BSc courses, OJEE 2021, Maharashtra CET 2021 falling close to NEET etc. 

However, neither the NTA nor the Health Ministry agrees for such demands. In fact, when the candidates had sought the interference of the Supreme Court regarding the issue, the top court had junked the plea and gave liberty to the candidates for approaching the competent authorities. Ultimately NEET UG 2021 was conducted on September 12, 2021.