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National Eligibility cum Entrance Test

NEET or National Eligibility cum Entrance Test is a common entrance exam for admission into MBBS/ BDS as well as MS/MD/ MDS courses across various medical colleges in the country. The NEET UG (for admission into MBBA/BDS Courses) is conducted by the CBSE in association with the MCI (Medical Council of India) whereas the NEET PG (for admission into post graduate medical courses like MD/MS) is conducted by the National Board of Examinations. Both these exams, as per the latest ruling of Supreme Court are to be the only entrance examination for admission to all medical colleges in the country – both private as well as government colleges. Only the undergraduate course offered by the All India Institute of Medical Science at New Delhi as well as the post graduate courses offered by Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research (JIPMER) are exempted from the purview of NEET. Also, state colleges in the states of Jammu & Kashmir, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh are also exempted at present.

Need for NEET

The confusion regarding the exams, however was extensive and with good reason. Before we understand why NEET, we must also understand the history of the exam. At present the country has about 426 Medical Colleges (government as well as private) recognized by the Medical Council of India offering MBBS/BDS courses to students at the undergraduate level and MS/MS/MDS Courses at post graduate level. Till about 2010 there used to be several entrance examinations conducted for admission to the various seats in these colleges. Some were at a state level while some were at a national level. All these examinations were conducted on varying syllabus as per the discretion of the college. Apart from these, there used to be an All India Pre Medical Test or AIPMT which was a national level examination conducted by CBSE for admission into the 15% reserved quota seats in the various government colleges across the states. Similarly, a common entrance test or CET was conducted for admission into the post graduate courses. In 2010, MCI decided to bring all admissions under the ambit of common entrance test which was renamed as the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test or NEET. The decision was taken at the Central Government level in order to bring an end to the increasing instances of capitation fees in the private colleges. The high prestige accorded to the profession along with the increased purchasing power had led to a rampant selling of seats in various private medical colleges across different states. To check this NEET was proposed as a one common examination which would provide a merit list for students for admission across both government as well as private colleges. The move was immediately opposed by various state and private colleges and the exam was postponed.

Initially the Supreme Court had agreed to the petitioners and voided NEET but the judgment was challenged. Though the first exam was to be conducted in 2013, till the final judgement the exams were postponed. In the meanwhile AIPMT as well as various State Examinations continued as before. However, Supreme Court, in its landmark judgment in May 2016 ruled that "only NEET (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test) would enable students to get admission to MBBS or BDS studies". The 5 judge Bench also upheld and recognized the AIPMT Exam as the first phase of NEET 2016 and allowed students to appear for a second phase on July 24, 2016 after meriting the grievances of lack of time to prepare for the examinations. The states in turn petitioned to the President of India, Pranab Mukherjee who in turn passed an ordinance which gave them the exemption from participating in NEET for one year. Under the same, state governments would be allowed to conduct their medical examinations for the 2016-17 sessions. However, the post graduate examinations for all private and government medical colleges would fall under the purview of NEET PG and would be conducted as scheduled in December 2016.

Why NEET?

As per the on going debate, it is extremely clear that NEET is both constitutional as well within the larger educational framework of the country. Though there have been delays and fights - some genuine yet largely stemming from corruption, it is safe to say the NEET is the future of Medical Education in the country. Streamlining the educational set up of the country and bringing it under the ambit of one common regulatory authority brings to fore many advantages for the students. Not only does it save them the hassle of writing multiple examinations, it also is a money saving proposition. Not to mention, it gives opportunity to meritorious students who cannot afford to pay large sums of capitation fee to the private colleges and are unable to secure a seat in the limited quota. With nearly 6 lakh students writing various examinations for just about 54,000 seats across the 426 medical colleges in the country, a centralized exam is the only true way of providing equal opportunity. Even though confusions continue and governments fight it out, it can be safely said that the Supreme Court's ruling is clear and NEET would be the only exam that would create a merit list of students applicable to apply to various government, deemed and private colleges/ universities across the country (barring the exceptions to AIIMS and states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Jammu and Kashmir).

NEET UG 2017

National Eligibility cum Entrance Examination would be conducted for admission into undergraduate medical programs of MBBS/BDS across the country in the month of May or June 2017. Tentatively, the notification would be released by the end of December 2016.

NEET Admit Card 2019 Released at ntaneet.nic.in, Exam to be Held on May 5
India.com Education Desk | April 16, 2019 7:40 AM IST
NEET Admit Card: The NEET admit card 2019 released on the National Testing Agency (NTA's) official w...
NEET Admit Card 2019 Released at ntaneet.nic.in, Exam to be Held on May 5
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2019-04-15T20:40:50+00:00
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NEET Compulsory For Students Who Opt to Pursue MBBS Course Abroad: Medical Council of India
India.com Education Desk | March 24, 2019 8:54 PM IST
New Delhi: Students who wish to pursue their higher education in medicine outside India must compuls...
NEET Compulsory For Students Who Opt to Pursue MBBS Course Abroad: Medical Council of India
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2019-03-24T09:54:05+00:00
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NTA Launches Mobile App Where Students Can Practice, Take Mock Tests-- All You Need to Know
India.com Education Desk | February 4, 2019 9:21 PM IST
NTA Mobile App: The National Testing Agency (NTA) has launched a mobile application through which st...
NTA Launches Mobile App Where Students Can Practice, Take Mock Tests-- All You Need to Know
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NEET PG 2019 Result Declared on Official Website nbe.edu.in; Check Now
India.com Education Desk | January 31, 2019 6:46 PM IST
NEET PG 2019: National Board of Examination (NBE) on Thursday declared the NEET PG 2019 result on it...
NEET PG 2019 Result Declared on Official Website nbe.edu.in; Check Now
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2019-01-31T07:46:11+00:00
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NEET PG Examination 2019: Results to be Announced Today; Check at nbe.edu.in
India.com Education Desk | January 31, 2019 10:25 AM IST
NEET PG Results 2019: The National Board of Examination (NBE) is set to announce the results of the ...
NEET PG Examination 2019: Results to be Announced Today; Check at nbe.edu.in
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NEET 2019: Correction Window Opens on Monday, to Continue Till Jan 31; Check at ntaneet.nic.in
India.com Education Desk | January 13, 2019 9:37 PM IST
NEET 2019: The National Testing Agency (NTA) will open the window for the correction of application ...
NEET 2019: Correction Window Opens on Monday, to Continue Till Jan 31; Check at ntaneet.nic.in
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2019-01-13T10:37:02+00:00
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NEET UG 2019: NTA to Initiate Correction Process in Application Form From January 14 Onwards
India.com Education Desk | January 7, 2019 3:08 PM IST
NEET UG 2019: The correction process in the application form of National Eligibility cum Entrance Te...
NEET UG 2019: NTA to Initiate Correction Process in Application Form From January 14 Onwards
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NEET 2020 Will be Conducted in Computer Based Mode; Read to Know More
India.com Education Desk | January 3, 2019 9:32 AM IST
NEET 2020: The National Testing Agency will be conducting the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test...
NEET 2020 Will be Conducted in Computer Based Mode; Read to Know More
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India.com News Desk | December 26, 2018 9:46 AM IST
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NEET 2019 Deadline Extended by Week, SC Allows UG Students Over 25 Years to Sit For Exam
India.com Education Desk | November 29, 2018 12:01 PM IST
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday allowed undergraduate medical students of age 25 or above t...
NEET 2019 Deadline Extended by Week, SC Allows UG Students Over 25 Years to Sit For Exam
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NEET 2019 Registration: Application Process For National Eligibility cum Entrance Test Begins; Check nta.ac.in
India.com Education Desk | November 1, 2018 1:55 PM IST
New Delhi: The online registration process for National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) 2019 be...
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National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test
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India.com Education Desk | October 30, 2018 7:29 AM IST
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2018-10-29T20:29:31+00:00
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NEET 2019: Registration to Begin From November 1 Onwards, Check at nta.ac.in
India.com Education Desk | October 24, 2018 12:07 PM IST
NEET 2019: National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET 2019) registration is scheduled to begin on ...
NEET 2019: Registration to Begin From November 1 Onwards, Check at nta.ac.in
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NEET 2019: National Test Agency to Release Application Form on November 1, 2018; Read to Know More
India.com Education Desk | October 9, 2018 11:47 PM IST
NEET 2019: The National Test Agency (NTA) will release the application form of National Eligibility ...
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JEE Main Registration 2019: Apply Before September 30, Check at jeemain.nic.in
India.com Education Desk | September 28, 2018 3:06 PM IST
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Aadhaar Not Needed For School Admissions, CBSE, UGC, NEET Exams: SC
India.com News Desk | September 26, 2018 1:06 PM IST
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NEET 2018: MCI Allows Aspirants to Study Medicine Abroad if They Haven't Sat For National Eligibility Entrance Test
India.com Education Desk | September 17, 2018 9:39 PM IST
NEET 2018: The Medical Council of India (MCI) has granted permission in this academic year to all me...
NEET 2018: MCI Allows Aspirants to Study Medicine Abroad if They Haven't Sat For National Eligibility Entranc
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2018-09-17T10:39:29+00:00
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Exam Schedule of NEET PG, MDS 2019 Released, Check Details Here
India.com Education Desk | September 10, 2018 6:08 PM IST
New Delhi: The exam schedule has been released by the National Board of Examination (NBE) for NEET P...
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India.com News Desk | September 1, 2018 11:52 PM IST
New Delhi: Police arrested two people for allegedly cheating NEET students in Hyderabad. The arrest ...
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Registration Process Begins For NTA Test Practice Centre For JEE, UGC NET, NEET Exams; Apply at Official Website nta.ac.in
India.com Education Desk | August 29, 2018 12:07 AM IST
National Testing Agency (NTA) on Tuesday began the registration process for the test practice centre...
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