The Health Ministry on Friday said candidates who have registered for the All India Pre-Medical Test (AIPMT) — now known as NEET phase 1 — will not be eligible to appear for phase II, if they skip the test on May 1.
Flooded with queries from students who want to use the next two months to prepare for Phase II rather than take Sunday’s test, a senior Ministry official said: “Many are looking at using the opportunity to prepare. We want it to be clear that the second phase test is only for students currently appearing in State examinations. If a student has been given an admit card, and does not take the test on May 1, he/she will not get another opportunity.
“The second phase is only for students who did not register for AIPMT. In some States, particularly Tamil Nadu, students are evaluated on the basis of marks they get in Class 12 Board exams and they will have to take the second phase of NEET,” said the official.
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As things stand, the AIPMT scheduled for May 1 will be treated as the first phase of NEET. Students who had not applied for AIPMT because of State-level examinations, can appear in the second phase on July 24. The results will be declared on August 17, and the Health Ministry will soon announce the schedule for counselling, the official said.
The State-level examinations now under way will be rendered ineffective. “We will comply with the orders of the Supreme Court. The second phase examination is for those students who are currently appearing for State-level exam,” said Sanyam Bharadwaj, Officer on Special Duty, AIPMT.
CBSE officials estimate that over 2.5 lakh students will take the NEET Phase II test in July in addition to the 6.5 lakh candidates likely to appear for the first phase
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