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NTA has been asked by the HRD Ministry to double the number of NEET 2020 test centers to maintain social distancing during the exam. 15 lakh medical aspirants to appear for the exam.
Over 15 lakh candidates are to appear in NEET 2020 and to conduct the exam amid Coronavirus outbreak has become the challenging task as they have to ensure proper safety measures and ensure social distancing.
According to the reports, the HRD Ministry has asked NTA to double up the number of NEET 2020 test centres to maintaining social distance during the national level medical entrance exam.
Following the government, NTA is now planning to sea two candidates two meters apart. This implies that it will require NTA over 6,000 test centres as opposed to the originally planned 3,000 test centres to accommodate 15 lakh aspirants. Until NEET 2019, two candidates were seated at a distance of one metre but due to the Pandemic NTA has to increase the number of exam centres.
Along with increasing the number of exam centres for NEET 2020, NTA is in the process of developing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for NEET 2020 which shall be implemented under further national-level entrance tests. As per the drafts that have been released, the SOPs suggests an increase in the number of test centres, use of hand-held metal detectors instead of physical frisking of students, offering fresh disposable face masks along with the question paper, allocating 2 invigilators between 12 applicants, while ensuring that social distancing norms are followed by invigilators and students alike.
One of the senior NTA officers informed that this will be a record in itself as there is no entrance exam has is conducted in over 6,000 exam centres in a single day. The officer also informed that this is a challenging task and it will take at least a month to set up additional 3,000 exam centres for NEET 2020.
What makes it challenging for NTA to conduct NEET 2020 amid the Coronavirus outbreak than other entrance exams is that its a pen and paper exam. The pen and paper test means that there is only one question paper which is to be conducted in a single shift in one day across the country. Therefore, to double the test centres for NEET 2020 along with social distancing norms is going to be a challenge.
NEET is a national level pen and paper exam which is conducted for admission to UG Medical courses (MBBS, BDS, AYUSH) across the country. Earlier, the exam was scheduled to take place on May 3rd, but due to COVID-19 outbreak, it got postponed and now be conducted on July 26, 2020.
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