NEET-UG 2022 exam today: Few important things to remember

New Delhi: The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Undergraduate) or NEET-UG 2022 will be conducted on Sunday. Breaching the 18 lakh mark, a total of 18,72,329 candidates have registered of which 10.64 lakh are female. The entrance test for admission to bachelor of medicine and bachelor of surgery (MBBS), bachelor of dental surgery (BDS) and allied programmes recorded an increase of 2.57 lakh aspirants this year from that of 2021.

Moreover, there is a 274.3% increase in the number of candidates taking the exam in 12 Indian languages in the last five years, with Tamil language registering a 60% increase from that of 2021.
NEET dress code, what to carry on exam centre, exam tips and more: LIVE Updates
Medium-wise
The 200-minute multiple choice exam will commence from 2 pm which include four subjects (physics, chemistry, botany and zoology) and each subject divided into two sections and each Section-A comprising 35 questions and Section-B of 15 questions. Each question is of four marks and each wrong answer carries one negative mark. All questions in Section-A are mandatory, while candidates will have to attempt just 10 of the 15 questions in Section-B.


The National Testing Agency on Thursday reiterated that candidates are required to download all the four pages of the admit card and keep two copies of the same at the time of the exam. Candidates are required to paste a latest coloured postcard size photograph and keep at least two copies of the same for future reference. The photo and signature on Page 2 of the admit card should match with that on Page 1, both of which are to be handed over to the invigilator during the exam. Candidates were also reminded that without the parents’ signature in the designated space in the admit card they will not be allowed entry. Candidates also need to carry a valid photo identification proof issued by the government in original and scanned copy or scanned photo in mobile phone will not be allowed. And 1:30 PM is the gate closing time, after which no entry will be allowed to the exam centre.

Seats

Each candidate will go through biometric attendance and a hologram will be fixed on the admit card once the biometric is done. No electronic devices including mobile phones will be allowed in the examination centre.

The number of registrations has shown significant growth in the last five years, up from 11.4 lakh in 2017 to 18.7 lakh this year. While the year-on -year increase in numbers of candidates in the past decade averaged around 1.5 lakh, there was a significant dip in this trend during 2020 and 2021 during the pandemic when the numbers increased by 78,060 and 17,342 respectively.
Important instructions

NEET-UG is the qualifying entrance exam for admission to bachelor of medicine and bachelor of surgery (MBBS), bachelor of dental surgery (BDS), bachelor of Ayurveda, medicine and surgery (BAMS), bachelor of siddha medicine and surgery (BSMS), bachelor of Unani medicine and surgery (BUMS), and bachelor of homeopathic medicine and surgery (BHMS) and BSc (H) Nursing courses of various medical colleges, which include premier medical colleges like AIIMS and Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research (JIPMER), Puducherry.

To carry

• Admit card All 4 pages and two copies
• Goverment issued hoto identification cards which include PAN/ driving license/ voter ID/ Class XII admit card/ passport/ Aadhaar with photograph/ ration card
• 2 post card size photograph and keep two copies for future reference
• Additional photograph same as uploaded on the application form

Remember to

• Get parents signature on the designated space on the admit card without which entry won't be allowed
• Bring PwD certificate

Women have been dominating this field of study and in the last five years and this year for the first time the number of female candidates have crossed 10 lakhs. The gap between female and male candidates in 2022 is nearly 2.6 lakh. Female candidates in the last five have registered an increase of nearly 41%.

State-wise the largest number of registrations have been received from Maharashtra (2.5 lakh), followed by Uttar Pradesh (2.1 lakh). The other four states which have over one lakh registrations are Karnataka (1.3 lakh), Kerala (1.2 lakh), Rajasthan (1.4 lakh) and Tamil Nadu (1.4 lakh). In fact, nearly 55% of the total candidates have registered for the exam from these six states. And if the three states – Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal -- with over 90,000 registrations each are accounted for, 70% of the candidates are coming from nine of 37 States/ UTs.

In the centre you are allowed to carry

• Transparent water bottle
• 50 ml hand sanitiser in a transparent bottle
• Additional photograph same as uploaded on the application form
• Admit card, self declaration undertaking with postcard size photo affixed

You are not allowed

• Any personal belonging
• Electronic devices including mobile phones

The three most opted cities by the candidates this year are Kota (37,774), Patna (36,114) and Jaipur (34,090),

The exam is administered in 13 languages, including 12 Indian languages. While the number of candidates taking the exam in Hindi has more than doubled in the last five years – up from 1.2 lakh in 2017 to 2.5 lakh in 2022, other languages too have witnessed a gradual increase in the number of candidates preferring to appear in their mother tongue. Apart from Hindi, Gujarati has the highest number with nearly 50,000 aspirants, followed by Bengali with over 42,000 candidates and Tamil with 31,803 candidates.