NEET 2020: How was the examination conducted amid COVID-19?

The biggest medical entrance examination, NEET 2020, was conducted amidst an ongoing pandemic. Know how the examination was conducted here.

The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test has been the talk of the town for a while now. NEET 2020 exam dates have been the centre of controversies for the past few months. Bringing all this to an end, the National Testing Agency (NTA) finally conducted NEET 2020 on September 13. The examination was conducted in an online mode and commenced at 2 pm. Know how NEET 2020 was conducted amid COVID-19 and did the authorities deliver their on promises of conducting the examination with the necessary precautions here.

NEET 2020: How was the examination conducted amid COVID-19?

To give our readers a wider perspective of how the examination was conducted throughout the country, Shiksha.com went to cover NEET exam from three different zones. Our correspondents covered NEET 2020 from:

• Nagpur, Maharashtra
• Faridabad, Haryana
• Kolkata, West Bengal

Ministry of Health and Family Welfare had released new guidelines for conducting examinations amid COVID-19. Owing to this, NTA had changed the test centres for many students NTA had released a notification intimating the candidates about the change in their exam centres. Affected candidates were informed about the change in the test centres via email, SMS and telephone. However, candidates were still confused and they reached the exam centre.

To address this issue, authorities had made transportation arrangements for such students. One of the new centres that was allotted to the students in Nagpur was approximately 50 kilometres from their old test centre. Here, the old centre had arranged for buses and Innova cars to facilitate these students. Only students were allowed to board these vehicles and parents had to wait for them at the old centres after the examination.

Centre change notification outside the test centre:

Buses arranged by NTA

NTA had released special COVID-19 guidelines for NEET 2020 aspirants. These guidelines were a part of the NEET 2020 admit card. Following the changes in the test centres, candidates were asked to download the revised admit card of NEET 2020.

Notification regarding change of test centres 

Candidates also had to fill a self-declaration form, which had to be signed by either parent or guardian. Only those candidates who had filed the self-declaration form were being allowed into the exam centres.

As far as the social distancing norms are concerned, most of the centres were able to manage the crowds efficiently. The centres that were visited by our correspondents in Kolkata and Faridabad one of them. Parents could accompany their children to the test centres but they were not allowed to cross the barricades which were put up at least 15 metres away from the centre gate. 

The authorities at one of the centres in Nagpur were seen struggling with it. They were constantly asking the parents to leave the centre premises after dropping their children. However, this could be achieved only after the intervention of local police and pleas made by the ACP.

Police ensures COVID-19 guidelines are being followed

Watch how NEET 2020 was conducted amid COVID-19:

We saw numerous parents complain about the arrangements made by the authorities, but we also noticed that compliance was lacking on the parts of the crowds gathered outside the test centres. While the authorities can make rules and ensure social distancing inside the examination centres, it is up to the parents and the students to follow the rules.

NTA had made it very clear to the candidates that they must carry a passport-sized photograph to the exam centre. Despite which many students came without the photograph. However, NTA had made provisions for such candidates as well at the exam centre.

NTA will now release the NEET provisional answer key for those who had appeared for the examination. Candidates can use the answer key of NEET 2020 to determine their scores in the examination. They can then feed these scores in the NEET rank predictor, which will give them an idea of their all India ranks. The NEET result is expected to be announced by the last week of September 2020.

Read More:

• NEET 2020 Exam Analysis
• NEET 2020 Official Answer Key PDF by NTA
• NEET 2020 Question Papers PDF with Solutions
• NEET 2020 Toppers list