The National Testing Agency (NTA) and the National Medical Commission (NMC) have no plans to conduct the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test for undergraduates (NEET-UG) twice a year. Minister of State (MoS) for Health and Family Welfare Bharati Pravin Pawar shared this in Lok Sabha in a written reply to a query. MP Ramesh Chand Bind had raised several questions regarding the entrance exam, including whether the government was considering conducting the NEET UG exam twice a year, similar to the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Main.

Bind asked if the NEET-UG would be conducted twice a year “to save NEET aspirants from stress and depression in cracking the difficult competition in a single attempt only or lose one precious year.”

In her reply, the minister said that the NEET, mandated by Section 14 of the National Medical Commission (NMC) Act, 2019, has already reduced the burden “of appearing in multiple entrance exams” on prospective students. She also emphasised that the test provides a fair and equal opportunity for all aspirants to get admission to medical courses nationwide.

“NEET is a historic reform promoting meritocracy and providing an opportunity to meritorious students to get admission in the best medical institutions in the country. It has resulted in curbing malpractices in medical admission [and] greater transparency,” the written reply said.

The minister’s response also makes it clear that there is no plan to conduct NEET UG twice a year. “National Medical Commission (NMC) & National Testing Agency (NTA) have informed that there is no proposal to conduct NEET UG exams for providing two chances in a year.”

Bind quizzed the government on their plans for conducting JEE (Mains) and NEET-UG or other similar types of competitive exams through a single examination. This was not directly referred to in the answer.

However, news agency PTI had previously quoted University Grants Chairman M Jagadesh Kumar as saying that it will announce plans for CUET-UG’s merger with entrance exams like NEET and JEE at least two years in advance of its implementation. This hints towards a chance of such a step being taken in the future.

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