As many as 2,949 medical aspirants from Jalandhar appeared for the Re-NEET examination conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) on Sunday, with a majority of candidates describing the paper as moderate compared to the cancelled NEET-UG examination held on May 3.
Exam Duration and Centres
The examination was conducted from 2 pm to 5:15 pm across eight centres established at various PM Shri Kendriya Vidyalayas in Jalandhar. This time, candidates were given an additional 15 minutes to complete the paper, extending the duration beyond the standard examination schedule.
Subject-wise Difficulty
According to students, biology emerged as the easiest section, comprising largely straightforward and NCERT-based questions. Physics, however, was considered comparatively challenging, consisting of lengthy and concept-based questions, while chemistry included a few questions that aspirants felt were beyond the usual NCERT-oriented preparation pattern.
Meir, a NEET aspirant, said, "Biology was very easy and had straightforward questions. Physics was lengthy and time-consuming. It was a mix of tricky questions that required conceptual understanding. I found chemistry the hardest as some questions appeared to be outside the usual NCERT pattern."
Another candidate, Sukriti, noted that while the overall paper was manageable, physics was the hardest section compared to the May examination. "This time, both physics and chemistry had a few questions that seemed out of the NCERT pattern. They were not very challenging to solve, but these are generally the types of questions students tend to skip during preparation," she said.
Security and Logistical Arrangements
Given the significance of the examination following the paper leaks, the district administration put in place elaborate security and logistical arrangements to ensure fair and smooth conduct of the NEET re-exams. According to Amaninder Kaur, ADC (General), Jalandhar, who is also the nodal officer of the exam, "We have deployed two contingents of Punjab Police personnel and two companies of CRPF personnel for the examination in the city."
A DSP-led escort vehicle was assigned for the secure transportation of question papers. Duty magistrates were stationed at every examination centre, while sector magistrates were deployed across all subdivisions. In addition, observers were posted at each centre, along with the centre-specific staff deputed by the NTA, for the smooth conduct of the examination, she added.
The district administration also ensured the availability of ambulances, medical teams, fire safety measures and uninterrupted power supply at all examination centres. To maintain law and order, the DC had issued prohibitory orders around each examination centre.
