NEET UG Retest: Students Report Mixed Reactions as Exam Concludes
The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) UG retest was conducted across India on Sunday, with students and parents expressing a mix of relief and anxiety following the cancellation of the earlier exam held on May 3.
At the Sardar Patel College of Engineering in Mumbai, retired postman Mohan Chavan, 65, waited for his daughter Aditi. He noted the enhanced security measures, including police deployment on campus. 'We are hopeful she will perform better this time and no hiccups will occur,' he said.
Candidates were required to report between 11 am and 1:30 pm for document verification, biometric checks, and frisking. The exam ran from 2 pm to 5:15 pm, with the National Testing Agency (NTA) extending the window by 15 minutes to accommodate formalities. Some late arrivals were denied entry at centres in Mumbai and other cities.
Students emerging from centres offered varied assessments. Vrushali Parmar from Goregaon found the paper relatively easy, comparable to the earlier exam, though she noted Chemistry was longer and had more organic chemistry questions. She had scored 545 marks previously. Shreya Gupta from Nalasopara described the paper as 'moderate to easy,' with some students finding Physics difficult.
In Thane, Vinit Chaturvedi arrived with his mother Rinku, who said her son was anxious due to his determination to pursue medicine like his father. 'We keep telling him not to stress. If things don't work out, there are other options,' she said.
In Kolkata, students cited traffic concerns from International Yoga Day celebrations, including on Howrah Bridge, prompting many to arrive early at centres like Jadavpur University. After the exam, Tanmoy Roy said dealing with the stress of the past month and a half over the paper leak controversy was harder than the test itself.
At Gauhati Commerce College in Assam, where 432 candidates took the exam, security included double frisking and metal detectors. Some aspirants, like 18-year-old Aryan Chakravarty, remained calm by considering the May exam a mock test. However, others like Mohammad Yasin, who travelled from Hojai, reported losing confidence in the run-up to the retest.
