NEET and JEE will be held twice a year from the next academic session

Seat aspirants in Medical and Engineering colleges will now get two chances a year to test their talent. The central government has announced about the changed pattern on July 7.

Union Mininister for Hman Resource Development Prakash Javdekar said in a press conference that the JEE (Main) and NEET (UG) would be conducted twice before admissions in the next academic session. This would provide more opportunity to the students to bring out their best, said the Minister as he added that in the availability of more options would help reduce stress on the students that is developed due to the single day examination in a single year.

National Talent Agency NTA has been assigned to conduct the conduct the national level Medical and Engineering entrance tests. Currently CBSE is in the charge of conducting these examinations.

National Testing Agency (NTA) was approved by the Union Cabinet in November 2017 as an Autonomous and self-sustained premier testing organization to conduct entrance examinations for higher educational Institutions.

The entrance tests would be conducted in computer based mode only informed the Minister and cleared that there would be no change in the sylabbus and pattern of examination.

The NEET will be conducted in the months of January and April every year while the JEE (Main) will take place in the month of February and May with multipe sittings offering options to the students to choose a date and center.

The HRD Ministry has released feature and tentative schedules of Examinations fot the next year

Features of exams to be conducted by NTA:

This will give more chances to students thereby giving adequate opportunity to bring out his/her best and reducing stress which develops due to single exam conducted on one single day in the year. However, sitting in both the tests will not be compulsory. The two tests (each for JEE (Main) & NEET (UG)) will be equated using psychometric methods, standardisation techniques and best of the equated scores will be used for the admissions.
All the tests ( UGC- NET ( December), JEE (Main) & NEET (UG)) will be conducted in multiple sittings and a candidate will have an option of dates to choose from. Scores of different candidates in multiple sittings will also be equated using standardisation techniques.
NTA will establish a network of test practice centres for students of rural areas so that everyone will have an opportunity to practice before the exam. Schools/engineering colleges with computer centres would be identified and kept open on Saturday/Sunday starting from 3rd week of August. Any student can use the facility free of charge.
All tests would be set in a scientific manner with the test items developed jointly by the subject matter experts and psychometricians. Before developing the question papers, the item writers for the exams will be given feedback on the functioning of the previous years’ items so that they are able to make test items which are more valid and reliable. All the above mentioned examinations will be held in existing number of languages.

Exams and tentative schedule

In order to allow adequate time for preparing for the exams, the tentative schedule for exams is being declared well in advance:

UGC-NET in Dec 2018: (tentative schedule)

Online submission of application forms	01.09.2018 to 30.09.2018
Dates of examination	02.12.2018 to 16.12.2018 (two shifts per day on Saturdays and Sundays)
Declaration of results	Last week of January 2019

JEE (Main) in Jan 2019 and April 2019: tentative schedule

Jan 2019 Exam

Online submission of application forms

01.09.2018 to 30.09.2018

Dates of examination

Between 06.01.2019 to 20.01.2019

(8 different sittings, and candidate can choose any one)

Declaration of results

First week of Feb 2019

April 2019 Exam

Online submission of application forms

Second week of Feb 2019

Dates of examination

Between 07.04.2019 to 21.04.2019

(8 different sittings, and candidate can choose any one)

Declaration of results

First week of May 2019

NEET (UG) in Feb 2019 and May 2019

Feb 2019 Exam

Online submission of application forms	01.10.2018 to 31.10.2018
Dates of examination	Between 03.02.2019 to 17.02.2019 (8 different sittings, and candidate can choose any one)
Declaration of results	First week of Mar 2019

May 2019 Exam

Online submission of application forms	Second week of Mar 2019
Dates of examination	Between 12.05.2019 to 26.05.2019 (8 different sittings, and candidate can choose any one)
Declaration of results	First week of June 2019