MP re-NEET exam on 21 June:No mobiles or smartwatches allowed; students say officials must think of children, not their pockets

The NEET (UG) re-examination will be held on June 21 under tight security, with electronic devices including mobile phones, Bluetooth gadgets, earphones and smartwatches strictly prohibited at exam centres across Madhya Pradesh. District collectors have issued guidelines ahead of the test, while the National Testing Agency (NTA) has advised candidates to reach their centres well in advance. Special trains will also run from Bhopal and Indore-Ratlam to facilitate students appearing for the exam. 560 fewer candidates in Bhopal The number of candidates appearing for the re-NEET in Bhopal has dropped by 560. While 14,334 candidates appeared in the previous examination, only 13,774 will take the test this time. The number of centres has also been reduced from 33 to 32 because one centre will be occupied by a UPSC examination on the same day. Before the exam, Dainik Bhaskar spoke to students and coaching institute operators in Bhopal. Divyani Parihar said she has been preparing for the last three years. She had performed well in the previous NEET and had gone home waiting for the result, but returned to Bhopal after learning about the paper leak. She said many students are not mentally prepared and still have doubts regarding paper leaks, though they are continuing their hard work. Students hope there will be no leak Student Raunak Raghuvanshi said the NEET paper had already been leaked once and expressed hope that it would not happen again, as the government is now alert. Another student said she had appeared last time and would do so again. Since the NTA is conducting the exam, she hopes there will be no irregularities. Prachi said her preparation is good, but she cannot say anything about paper leaks and has ‘not even one percent trust.’ Student Ruby said the previous exam had gone smoothly but was later found to have been leaked. ‘Let’s see what happens this time,’ she said. ‘Indian education system is very dirty’ Pranavi Upadhyay, a JEE aspirant, said paper leaks shatter the dreams of lakhs of students. She urged the government to conduct examinations properly so that such incidents do not recur. Calling the Indian education system flawed, she said it needs improvement and those responsible should stop filling their own pockets. Understand the entry process Reporting, biometric verification and frisking at examination centres will begin at 11 am and continue until 1.30 pm. Entry into the centre will close at 1.30 pm. For general candidates, the examination will be held from 2 pm to 5.15 pm. Candidates belonging to the Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (PwBD) category will be allowed the approved compensatory time of 65 minutes, and their examination will continue until 6.20 pm. Dress code for candidates Students have been advised to wear simple, light-coloured clothes and avoid thick fabrics, large buttons, garments with multiple pockets, jewellery, watches, belts and other prohibited items. Visit centres a day in advance Students have been advised to visit their examination centres one day before the exam to avoid delays or inconvenience on the day of the test. Highest number of candidates in Bhopal and Indore A total of 13,774 students will appear for the examination in Bhopal, while more than 14,000 candidates are expected in Indore. Around 5,000 candidates are expected in Gwalior, 10,000 in Jabalpur, 4,303 in Chhindwara, 1,839 in Guna, 1,709 in Vidisha, 1,283 in Narmadapuram and 865 in Ashoknagar.