Thousands of NEET-UG candidates across Bengal hoped Sunday’s examination would be the last time they had to sit for the test this academic year,
having already taken the paper once just over six weeks ago.
Around 21,000 candidates appeared for the NEET-UG retest at 38 centres in Calcutta and the districts of North and South 24-Parganas, examination officials said. Across Bengal, nearly one lakh students wrote the exam at 218 centres.
The National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET-UG), the gateway to undergraduate medical courses, was originally conducted on May 3. However, it was cancelled on May 12 following allegations of a paper leak. Several people from different parts of the country have since been arrested in connection with the case.
Government and aided schools, government colleges and Kendriya Vidyalaya institutions served as examination centres for the NEET-UG retest held on Sunday, the second time candidates had to appear for the exam in less than two months.
“I don’t want this to happen again,” said Saranya Jati, who appeared for the exam at a centre in Howrah. “There was a certain degree of stress. I feel much more relaxed now,” said Saranya, who passed her ISC examination from The Heritage School this year.
The examination was conducted from 2pm to 5.15pm.
Under the examination rules, no candidate was allowed to enter an exam centre after 1.30pm. Many students, however, began arriving at their centres as early as 11am.
After the exam, many students were seen comparing the paper with the last one they had written on May 3.
“The exam was not very challenging, but it was an unlikely paper compared to the usual NEET exams,” said Debdeepta Ray.
“This was the last of my big exams, and I am feeling relaxed. But hope this relaxed feeling sustains and the exam is not repeated,” said Ray, who passed Class XII from St Xavier’s Collegiate School.
The past month has been a stressful period for NEET aspirants, who had to maintain their focus, juggle preparation for other examinations and navigate a flood of rumours surrounding the test.
“I tried to stay away from social media because there were constant messages about the paper leak and speculation about the question paper. As examinees, we have no control over these issues. It is the responsibility of the authorities to ensure a glitch-free examination without any paper leak,” said a student.
The period between the cancellation of the original exam and the retest proved particularly stressful for many aspirants. Mental health professionals said some students sought psychiatric help after showing signs of severe anxiety, while a few extreme cases reportedly involved self-harm.
The disruption also affected family plans, with many students and their parents cancelling travel plans to prepare for the rescheduled exam.
“My daughter wants a vacation now. But it is difficult to manage leave now. All we can give her is a short weekend trip,” said a parent, Souvic Jati.
Exam officials said an additional layer of security, including paramilitary personnel alongside city and state police forces, was deployed for Sunday’s test. Question papers were brought from banks to exam centres in official vehicles provided by the district administration, an official said.