Students preparing for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) Undergraduate (UG), 2021, have sought that the examination be postponed from September 12 to October. They have started a trend #shiftNEETUG on Twitter, stating they need more time for preparation given the change in paper pattern this year.

This year, for the first time, the National Testing Agency (NTA) changed the examination pattern. Ashish Kulkarni, a student preparing for the competitive examination said, "We need more time to prepare for NEET (UG) because the paper pattern is new. We need to adjust to the new pattern and practice more often. This process takes time so we request the union Education Ministry to postpone it."

Rehab Ansari, another student said, "NTA changed the examination pattern suddenly two months before the examination. It didn’t give sufficient time for preparation and uploaded the OMR sheet a few days back. We need an additional time of 18 to 20 days to practise with the new OMR pattern."

This year, NEET (UG) for admission to various medical and dental UG programmes is scheduled to be conducted on September 12. The examination will be conducted offline following the Covid-19 protocols. Students will have to answer 180 questions out of 200 questions within 180 minutes.

Till now, the union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has not announced any decision regarding the postponement. The NEET (UG) Students Association on Twitter said, "NEET (UG) is conducted only once in a year. It cannot be managed with the change in pattern with less time for practice in the new OMR."