The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Postgraduate) or NEET-PG students have been waiting for the announcement of exam dates since June 23, when the exam was initially cancelled. According to several media reports, the exam date will likely be announced this week and the exam will be conducted in mid-August, however, the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS), the nodal body that conducts NEET-PG, has not announced any date yet.
Earlier, Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan hinted that the new dates would be announced on July 1 or 2 but that was not the case. The NBEMS cancelled the June 23 exam with a 12-hour notice to maintain the “sanctity of the examination”.
Uncertainty and frustration among NEET-PG aspirants
Amid these, the candidates are left out in the open.
“I don’t understand what the delay is about. First, there was a postponement of exams and now there is a postponement of the date when the exam will be announced. Don’t we, as a medical fraternity, deserve better?”, said Dr Rakesh A Jha, a NEET-PG aspirant. Dr Jha further said, “I had travelled to my centre in Agra before the day of the NEET-PG exam and they cancelled it late at night. Now, they are playing with us by not announcing an official date for the exam.”
Another NEET PG aspirant, Dr Nutan Ghanekar, said that it is the media's fault as well for announcing a new date every day and confusing the students. “Forget about the government, but my social media as well as news feed is filled with articles which mention a new date every day, thus creating unwanted chaos and confusion,” Dr Ghanekar alleged. Dr Ghanekar asked, “How do I prepare for one of the most important exams in my career in a situation like this, wherein there is so much confusion?”
“This situation is playing with our minds. It is easy to tell us to prepare but a definite date will help us to concentrate even better,” said a NEET PG aspirant who chose to be anonymous. “While cancelling the exam, the authorities said they were doing this in the ‘best interest of students’ but that is not the case. Why else would they hang us in the air for weeks without giving us the date?” he continued.
Similar sentiments were echoed by Dr Nidhi Chowdhury who said that she has to plan her schedule as per the exam dates. “What the authorities fail to understand is that we all have our lives and I have to plan my whole schedule according to the dates and have to start preparing as well. It is unfair on their part to put us through this,” she added, saying that she is re-considering giving the exam in the current situation.
