NEET to be held twice a year: HRD Minister informs Parliament

New Delhi: The national medical entrance exam, the NEET, and engineering entrance exam JEE might be conducted twice a year to give an opportunity to the students to bring out their best performance, the Lok Sabha was informed.

Union Minister of State for Human Resource Development (HRD) Upendra Kushwaha said, in response to a written question in the Lower House of Parliament, the Centre was setting up a National Testing Agency (NTA), an autonomous and self- sustained premier testing organisation, to conduct the entrance exams for the higher educational institutions.

"The NTA will initially conduct those entrance exams which are held by the CBSE. The exams will be conducted online at least twice a year, thereby giving an adequate opportunity to the candidates to bring out their best," Kushwaha said.

Both the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) for admission to medical colleges and the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) for admission to engineering colleges are currently conducted by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE).

The CBSE has conveyed its inhibitions to the HRD ministry about conducting the exams in future, saying they are overburdened with the massive exercise.

Medical Dialogues team had earlier reported that the Union Cabinet approved setting up of ‘National Testing Agency (NTA)’ to conduct entrance examinations for higher educational institutions.The NTA would initially conduct entrance tests that are currently organised by the CBSE, while other examinations will be taken up gradually.

Read also: Cabinet approves New body to conduct NEET