A record number of aspirants have enrolled for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) scheduled to be held on May 5, 2019. According to the Times of India, 15.19 lakh candidates have signed up for the test this year, an increase of 14.4%.
According to the daily, 13.26 lakh students had signed for the test in 2018, and 2019 will see an increase of close to two lakh aspirants. Applications for the test had closed on December 8, which had been deferred from its earlier deadline of November 30. For the first time, the National Testing Agency has provided for a correction window between January 14 and January 31, 2019. No corrections shall be allowed under any circumstances after this date.
ToI reported that Maharashtra saw the most number of registrations, followed by Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. 1.5 lakh more female candidates have registered when compared to male candidates, the report added.
The 2018 edition of the test saw many problems, especially in Tamil Nadu. Due to an error in translation, students who took the test in Tamil had been disadvantaged, and had been awarded 196 grace marks by the Madurai bench of the Madras High Court. Because of this addition, many students became eligible for government institutes. However, the same was set aside by the Supreme Court last month. The court further noted that with the National Testing Agency conducting the examinations from 2019, the SC said the agency has been established to ensure that the methodology of translation to conduct the examination is improved.
In 2019, NEET is also permitting students above the age of 25 to apply for the undergraduate examinations. The Supreme Court, in its order, allowed candidates of 25 years of age and above to sit for the exam only provisionally till final judgement comes in the matter.
The results of NEET 2019 will be released on June 5.