NEET 2018 Notification Expected to Release by the end of January: Check Details for Exam

The official notification for National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test (NEET) 2018 is expected to be released by the end of January, 2018 by Central Board of Secondary Education. Aspirants willing to seek admission to various undergraduate medical or dental courses across the country should appear for the examination.

Admission to undergraduate AYUSH courses will also be done through National Eligibility cum Entrance Test from the academic year 2018-19. Till now, state universities have been conducting their own entrance exams for admission in such courses.

AIIMS and JIPMER are the two institutes which conduct separate entrance tests for admitting candidates into medical and dental courses. However, since the Supreme Court verdict in 2016, admission to all other medical and dental colleges, including the private ones is done on the basis of NEET score.

Candidates can apply for the exam in online mode only as there is no provision for offline applications. NEET application forms will be available on cbseneet.nic.in, while the exam is scheduled to be held on May 10. It is advised to keep a tab on the official website as the date is subject to change.

The exam is likely to be conducted in 11 regional languages. But, it must be noted that these regional languages would not be open to students across the country.

As per CBSE, Aadhaar Card is now a mandatory document to apply for the exam. Those who haven’t yet applied for the identification proof are suggested to do the same at the earliest. CBSE has also come up with various Aadhaar Card enrollment centers for those who do not possess the same. Students can now apply for their identification proof at these centers and can use their enrollment number instead of Aadhaar number to apply for the examination.

In regards to the controversy during NEET 2017, there was increased anxiety among the students in terms of the dress code approved by the authorities. Also, tension prevailed due to the increased difficulty level of the exam in vernacular languages in comparison to the one in English language. The aforesaid was a major topic for discussion among candidates from all across the country and also led the State government of Tamil Nadu to refuse the idea of NEET for admission in medical courses.

In light of the current situation, it is expected that National Testing Agency (NTA) might replace CBSE and will be the new conducting body for the exam. This will in turn lead to a change in the syllabus for the exam, making it more uniform aspirants across the country. Currently, the exam syllabus is aligned with the science subjects of Class 11th and 12th standard. Due to this, students from various state boards lag behind because of the difference in their syllabus from the central boards. This thereby increases the difficulty level for them and many students are unable to clear the entrance exam as it takes time for students to understand the syllabus.

To ease the anxiety level of students from Tamil Nadu, The Hindu-Edge and SMART Training Resources conducted State-level Model Test for the exam on January 7, 2018. Over 4,700 students from across the state took up the exam which was in 33 centers.