NEET 2021: Group of 36 students ask NTA to conduct medical entrance again. Here's why

A group of 36 students has submitted a representation to the Director-General of the National Testing Agency, seeking to conduct the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET), again. They have also sought an investigation by the CBI into the NEET 2021 paper leak scam, that took place in Rajasthan, in the same representation.

The students say that a lot of them did not get enough time to adapt to the new examination pattern, which was released almost two months prior to September 12 (the date when NEET 2021 was held). "We need some more time to adapt ourselves to the new exam pattern since this was the medical entrance exam held across the country only once a year for admission to Medical Colleges across India," said one of the students.

They also say that the date of the examinations was very close to a few other entrance examinations and this did not allow a lot of them sufficient time to prepare. At the same time, the CBSE had held its improvement examinations between August 15 and September 15. While the same group had submitted a representation to the NTA on September 7, five days before NEET, they say that they've yet to hear back from them.

Last year, the NTA had conducted a second phase of NEET, a month later, for students who were COVID positive during the first phase of the examination. This year too, the students have demanded a second phase of NEET, for all students who couldn't appear for the examination on September 12.