The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET Exam) is back with a bang, leading to a lot of discussions in government institutes, deemed universities and private colleges. Among students too, there is a lot of predicament as how the affairs for admissions in MBBS and BDS courses within their state will be governed henceforth. One thing we all are clear about after Supreme Court (SC) directive on April 28, 2020 is that only NEET will be the highway that will take students to admissions in MBBS and BDS courses throughout India.

Before we start discussing the tenets of NEET 2020 in detail, let’s dig a little deeper to know about its origin and developments that followed. NEET was proposed to start functioning from 2012 initially, but CBSE and Medical Council of India (MCI) deferred NEET by a year owing to several grave concerns. The government of India announced the NEET exam on May 5, 2013 for the first time and it was conducted in the same year. Things didn’t turn out to be propitious this time either. The reason being, on July 18, 2013 SC gave the verdict in favour of 115 petitions and cancelled the NEET . The apex court also announced that MCI couldn’t interfere with the admission process any medical college/university undertakes.

The supreme court put an end to the controversy and confusion on April 28, 2020 by allowing the centre and CBSE to conduct a single entrance test for filling up seats in MBBS and BDS courses in private and government colleges all over India through NEET exam only. The apex court also approved the schedule for test put forth by the centre and directed CBSE and MCI to treat AIPMT 2020 held on May 1, 2020 as NEET Phase-I. On May 9, 2020, SC refused requests to modify April 28, 2020 decision and put an end to the further discussions for now.

Does NEET address state and student’s concerns?

The next question that might strike you is that are student and state concerns about filling seats based on their quota system being answered. The answer is yes. Even students who think that they got too little a time to prepare for the AIPMT 2020, now known as NEET Phase-I, or are apprehensive about their scores in the test can also take NEET Phase-II exam to be held on July 24, 2020. In this case, NEET Phase-I test scores will be scrapped. Keeping the concerns of students, CBSE and MCI in mind, SC has also given an option to schedule the test for another date if the need arises. Combined NEET Result for Phase-I and II will be announced on August 17, 2020 to ensure the admission process is completed by September 30 in any case.

The SC orders clearly indicate that the single-window test proposed doesn’t infringe on the rights of state governments. As SC clearly mentions that special provision for reservation or rights of the minority is not the subject matter of NEET exam, states could breathe a sigh of relief. It is just an entrance test to check the eligibility of candidates for admissions in MBBS and BDS courses – the SC directive further reads.

On students’ end

Admitting students through NEET exam won’t be that big a problem to private universities/colleges in a particular state. Anyone who is on the receiving end of this entire NEET 2020 episode is none other than students. Most of the time students prepare for the Common Entrance Test (CET) based on the state board syllabus. Since NEET is based on the NCERT syllabus for 11th and 12th, passing the test will be a big challenge for students from states having any syllabus other than NCERT. The plight of the students who have been preparing for the state based tests for the last two or more years can be understood and felt. Their efforts and preparations are now futile. What further adds salt to the injury is that they have less than 3 months to cover the new syllabus and crack the NEET Phase-II.

Another thing that is worth mentioning here is the fact that most of the students attempt anywhere between 5-10 entrance tests that state, deemed universities and private colleges conduct. With NEET exam now being in force, the money students spent on filling up the forms, paying the application fees and reaching out to various test centres is lost altogether.

Students in states like Tamil Nadu and Kerala where admission to MBBS courses is granted based on the marks obtained in 12th exam also fear that NEET will marginalise their chances to get admission into MBBS and BDS courses within their state. On the other hand, securing a high rank in NEET would be a hard nut for them to crack since there is a huge difference in the content of central board’s syllabus and that of a state.

What’s good about NEET

If we consider all the details and contemplate, NEET will at least help in addressing one of the most contentious issues India is facing today – corruption. NEET exam will nullify the need of multiple entrance tests at the state level at one hand and minimising the anomalies and corruption in admission to medical colleges/deemed universities on the other. Many are also of the opinion that the test will also help safeguard, to some extent, the sanctity of medical profession.

NEET opens goldmine for coaching institutes

Amid the kinks, hiccups and uproars that announcement of NEET exam as a single entrance test to take admission in MBBS and BDS courses caused, coaching institutes are the ones making most out of this otherwise odd situation. Candidates who have studied any syllabus other than NCERT in 11th and 12th are left with no other alternative but to cover the new syllabus in a jiffy. To do so, joining crash courses at reputable coaching centre is perhaps a way out for them. Here, parents, along with students, bear the brunt of this last hour decision from the SC.

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