NEET 2023 Exam Day Instructions and COVID-19 Guidelines
National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test 2025 ( NEET )
Counselling - 5 Nov '25 - 9 Nov '25
Conducting an examination amidst an ongoing pandemic requires a lot of safety guidelines in place. With NEET 2023 scheduled for May 7, read the exam day instructions and COVID-19 guidelines set by NTA here.
NEET 2023 COVID-19 Guidelines for Exam Day
NEET 2023 will be conducted on May 7 in 499 cities in India and 14 international cities amid strict COVID-19 safety protocols. With the resurfacing of COVID-19 cases across the country, it is the equal responsibility of the exam takers along with the exam authorities to maintain the COVID-19 safety protocols and guidelines to ensure the safety of each and every person present in and around the NEET 2023 exam centre who would be spending over three hours on the exam day. NTA is expected to release the NEET 2023 admit card in the first week of May where detailed exam day instructions and COVID-19 guidelines will be specified. It is important for candidates to check and abide by the NEET 2023 COVID-19 guidelines and exam day instructions.
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NTA also expects the cooperation of students and parents during the examination. NEET 2023 will be conducted in an offline mode, which makes the need for safety guidelines necessary. NEET 2023 aspirants are advised to go through the exam day instructions and COVID-19 guidelines published by the authorities here in this article.
NTA announced the NEET 2024 exam date on September 19, 2023. NEET 2024 exam was conducted on May 5. The result of NEET 2024 was declared on June 4, 2024. After the result declaration, several irregularities and anomalies were found in the result and the scoring system. Hence, NTA is reconducting NEET 2024 on June 23, 2024, for 1,563 candidates who were awarded grace marks. The result will be declared on June 30, 2024. The NEET 2024 counselling process for the 15 per cent All India Quota (AIQ) seats is likely to be conducted from July 6, 2024 onwards.
The NEET 2024 application process was conducted from February 9, 2024, to March 16, 2024. The last date of application was extended from March 9, by a week. The application and correction windows were reopened in April. While the NEET exam dates were scheduled in September and July a couple of years ago owing to the pandemic situation, it took a toll on the medical admission schedule. To bridge this gap, NTA conducted NEET in May last year. The trend is being continued for NEET 2024 as well.
The duration of NEET exam is three hours. The exam will commence at 2 PM and conclude at 5 PM as per the Indian Standard Time (IST). The timing for the international centres varied as per the local timings. NEET is a continuous test with no breaks allowed in between. Candidates needed to report to the exam centre at least one hour prior to the exam time. Moreover, candidates were not be allowed to leave the exam hall before the stipulated duration as well. This year, the total duration of the exam has been reduced by 20 minutes, as the optional questions have been removed. Last year, the duration was 200 minutes and the timing was 2 PM to 5.20 PM.
- NEET 2023 exam day instructions and COVID-19 guidelines
- Safety Measures in Place at the Exam Centre
- COVID-19 Advisory for NEET 2023 Aspirants
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) Related to NEET 2023 exam day instructions and COVID-19 guidelines
NEET 2023 exam day instructions and COVID-19 guidelines
After downloading NEET 2023 admit card
The admit card of NEET 2023 contains all the necessary information for its test-takers. While downloading the admit card, candidates must check the details printed on it. In case of any error, they must contact the authorities at NTA immediately. The contact details are as under:
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Email ID: neet@nta.ac.in
Helpdesk: 011-40759000
The second step is filling the ‘Self-Declaration Form’, which is a crucial part of the COVID-19 precautions. The declaration form is simple and requires the candidates to fill in the following details:
- Whether the candidates have had flu-like symptoms in the past 14 days
- If they have been in contact with anyone who is infected with COVID-19 in the past 14 days
- If they have travelled to/from any city/country in the past 14 days
After completing the self-declaration form, candidates need to complete the admit card for NEET 2023. For this, they must:
- Paste a postcard-sized photograph in the space provided. This must be the same as the one submitted with the NEET 2023 application form and has to be in 4"x6" dimensions.
- Put the impression of your left-hand thumb in the space provided
- Ask a parent/guardian to sign their NEET 2023 admit card in the space provided
Candidates must note that they need not sign the admit card for NEET 2023. Their signatures have to be done in front of the invigilator on the exam day only.
NEET 2024 was conducted on May 5, 2024. NTA announced the exam date on September 19, approximately eight months in advance. NTA has decided the exam date after much deliberation and assessing situations such as Board exam schedule, other exams, etc. Over the past few years, NEET exam date was delayed owing to the pandemic situation, which affected the overall academic calendar. To bring back normalcy, NTA conducted NEET UG 2024 in May, similar to the pre-pandemic era after much brainstorming and assessing other entrance exam dates. Howrver, NEET 2024 will be reconducted on June 23, 2024, for 1,563 candidates who were given grace marks. The Supreme Court of India has asked NTA not to delay the admission process. Hence, NTA will release the result of the retest on June 30, 2024, and the counselling process will begin in July 2024.
NEET or the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test, involves various stages or events. The dates for each event have been announced by the exam conducting body, National Testing Agency (NTA), in advance. The following table brings the sequence-wise upcoming events and the dates (official and tentative) of NEET.
Events | Dates |
|---|---|
NEET 2025 exam date announcement | February 7, 2025 |
NEET 2025 application form release | February 7, 2025 |
NEET 2025 application form last date | March 7, 2025 (11.50 PM) |
NEET 2025 application correction window | March 9, 2025, to March 11, 2025 |
NEET 2025 city intimation slip | April 23, 2025 |
NEET 2025 admit card | April 30, 2025 |
NEET 2025 exam | May 4, 2025 |
NEET 2025 provisional answer key release and objection submission | June 3, 2025 |
NEET 2025 result and final answer key | June 14, 2025 |
Candidates will get 3 hours or 180 minutes to solve the entire question paper of NEET. They can divide the time between the NEET subjects or sections as per their convenience. There is no sectional time limit in the NEET exam pattern. According to the experts, candidates should keep around 45 minutes for each subject and 15 minutes for revision. Candidates must prepare a fool proof time management strategy while taking mock tests. They must follow different approaches and then finalise on the most convenient one.
Self-declaration Form for NEET 2023:
What to carry on the NEET 2023 exam day?
As part of the COVID-19 safety protocols, candidates need to carry the following items:
- A facemask, big enough to cover both nose and mouth of the candidate
- Hand gloves
- A transparent water bottle
- A transparent 50 ml bottle of hand sanitiser
- All exam-related documents
- NEET 2023 admit card
- A passport-sized photograph
- A valid photo ID proof (Driving Licence/PAN card/Aadhaar card/Voter ID/12th Class Board Admit or Registration card/ Passport/E-Aadhaar/ Ration Card/Aadhaar Enrolment No. with Photograph)
- PwD Certificate (if applicable)
- Scribe related documents (if applicable)
Safety Measures in Place at the Exam Centre
The exam authorities will follow the steps given below to ensure the maintenance of safety measures and security protocols at the exam centres.
- The exam centre for NEET 2023 will be sanitised using a ‘disinfectant backpack spray machine’ on the exam day
- All those deputed on exam duty will be wearing facemasks and gloves
- Sanitiser bottles will be kept at the entry gate, exam halls, registration room, etc. These will be refilled from time-to-time
- All desks and chairs will be thoroughly sanitised
- The washrooms will be thoroughly disinfected
- The trash bins will be emptied and disinfected
- Notice boards will display the COVID-19 advisory for all students
- Ropes will be put outside the exam centre such that only 20 girls and 20 boys are in the queue at any given point in time
- Markings will be made on the floor to ensure that the candidates maintain social distancing while in the queue
- Room/hall numbers will not be displayed outside the exam centre to avoid crowding
COVID-19 Advisory for NEET 2023 Aspirants
Before entering the examination hall
- Candidates need to report to their NEET 2023 exam centre as per the reporting time mentioned on their admit card only
- They will have to maintain a distance of six feet at all times while waiting in the queue outside the exam centre
- The staff will check the body temperature of the candidates using a Thermo-Gun. Metal detectors will be used for frisking
- There will be no physical frisking at the exam centres for NEET 2023
- Candidates will have to sanitise/wash their hands before entering the examination hall
- They have to display their documents to the staff from a safe distance. The staff will not touch the documents of the candidates during the entire process
Protocol for management of entry inside the exam centre:
Inside the Examination Hall
- Candidates have to sanitise their hands before entering the allotted exam room
- They have to paste their photograph on the attendance sheet and sign the sheet
- They will now have to sign their NEET 2023 admit card in front of the invigilator
- They will be required to sanitise their hands again after this process
- They will be asked to remove the masks that they wore from their homes and replace them with fresh masks that will be provided at the exam centre
After the examination
- Candidates must remain seated and wait for instructions from the invigilator
- During exit, invigilators will allow candidates to leave the hall one at a time
- Candidates will have to hand over the duly filed admit card of NEET 2023 and the OMR sheet to the invigilator on their way out
- Candidates must dispose of their masks and gloves outside the examination centre, pedal push bins will be provided for the same.
Read More:
- NEET 2023 Exam Day Guidelines and Important Instructions
- Last-minute preparation tips for NEET 2023
- Dos and Don'ts for NEET 2023
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) Related to NEET 2023 exam day instructions and COVID-19 guidelines
Q. What will happen if I forget the self-declaration form on NEET 2023 exam day?
A. Candidates who would not carry the self-declaration form on the exam day will not be allowed inside the exam centre.
Q. Do I have to follow the NEET 2023 dress code in COVID-19 times?
A. Yes, the NEET dress code has to be followed by all candidates. However, in case a candidate wears an attire as per their religious belief, that should have been mentioned specifically in the application form.
Q. Can I wear hand gloves to the exam centre of NEET 2023?
A. Yes, candidates are allowed to wear hand gloves on NEET 2023 exam day as a precautionary measure for COVID-19.
Q. Will social distancing be followed inside the exam hall?
A. Yes, candidates will be seated six feet apart from each other in the exam hall.
Q: Is it compulsory to wear mask inside the exam hall of NEET 2023?
A. Yes, candidates have to wear a mask to the exam centre as without it they will not be allowed to enter the exam centre. They should keep wearing the mask for the entire duration spent in the exam centre.
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