Hello future doctors. Since 2020, when the NEET exam was first postponed by the NTA taking into account the ongoing pandemic, it has become a ritual for the students to ask questions about the exam postponement every year. Following the trend, the postponement craze has started growing among the NEET aspirants.
Rumors of not being allowed to give the exam if you have voted for the general election have started circulating in social media and every student is turning to the NTA to put to rest these speculations. The people say that the ink put on your finger after exercising your vote will interfere with your eligibility status. Is this true? Will NTA postpone the exam because of this problem? Let’s find out.
Background on NEET Postponements
Let’s start with an overview of NEET exam postponements in the last few years.
- COVID-19 Pandemic (2020 and 2021):
The biggest changes in the exam schedules were seen in the years 2020 and 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. NEET 2020 was initially set to be taken on its usual date, around May. It was first postponed to July and then to September 2020. This decision was made because of the ongoing lockdowns, public health concerns, and the difficulty in ensuring the safety of millions of students and exam staff.
In September the exam finally took place with strict health protocols and screening. This made sure that exam centres do not become COVID hotspots.
Similarly, NEET 2021 was also delayed from its usual schedule to September. This also helped secure the health protocols and also gave students more time to prepare as their studies were affected by the pandemic.
- Natural Disasters (2018):
In 2018, the NEET exam was postponed in Tamil Nadu due to the Cyclone Gaja. It had disrupted the life of the people in Tamil Nadu and thus postponement was necessary. The postponement was made to make sure that every student sits for the exam in the right state of mind, and not under extreme stress.
These were the cases where a postponement in the NEET exam was seen. This year the main reason for the postponement can be the General Elections in May.
Current Situation Analysis
The NTA has released a notice saying that the eligibility of the voters will not be disregarded, they will be allowed to sit for the exam. Still, a lot of students are protesting on X, making statements such as ‘Sir please postpone neet ug 2024 due to general elections!! It is creating much pressure on students, all other exams are postponed!.’
Another statement said that ‘Either postpone the NEET UG exam for 5-7 days or postpone the 3rd phase of voting. So we can vote for first time’. Most students are asking for a one week postponement and the NTA has not yet replied to this appeal.
Impact of a Postponement: an MBBS student’s POV
The delay in admission processes caused by the postponement of NEET could affect future admission cycles. If I were to tell you what is going on in colleges right now, we have an extra batch that is not supposed to be there. This extra batch formed during the 2020, 2021 postponement. After that, the exam was conducted on time and thus the 2022, and 2023 batches entered college on time. This then led to an extra batch in the first year.
This schedule has not been fixed till now, it will gradually adjust over the years. If another postponement occurs, then it will take even longer for this batch to get adjusted. This means that there will be a shortage of resources. No hostels for a year, irregular class timings as per availability of the lecture halls; excess burden on professors and college canteens. Ultimately, the students face the consequences of such mismanagement. So, this is an important point to take into consideration while postponing the exam.
Will NEET be postponed?
NTA has released no official notice of postponement and is not expected to do so. There are very low chances of such an event happening. In the latest notice released by the NTA, it has advised the students to focus on their studies and stop wondering about other aspects. And honestly, I’d give the same advice.
There is no point in wasting your time during this crucial period. During the last days, you should block out any disturbing thoughts and focus on only studying. These thoughts and questions will only waste your time and make you lazy. You will keep thinking that the exam will get postponed and so you will postpone your efforts too. Keep working, if there is some news of postponement, it will surely reach you. Till then do not compromise on your efforts.
Honestly, you cannot control the exam dates, you can only control your preparation. So, Keep all these thoughts away and focus only on studying. You can do it.
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