Engineering entrance examination JEE will be held from July 18-23, while medical entrance exam NEET will be conducted on July 26, Union HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ announced on Tuesday.
The two crucial exams were postponed due to the lockdownimposed in the country to combat COVID-19.
“JEE-Mains will be held from July 18-23, whileJEE-Advanced will be held in August. NEET will be conducted on July 26,”Nishank said.
“A decision will soon be taken on the pending CBSEClass 10, 12 board exams,” he added.
While the Joint Entrance Exam-Mains (JEE-MAINS) is conductedfor admission to engineering colleges across the country, the NationalEligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) is for admission to medical colleges.
More than 15 lakh students across the country haveregistered for NEET this year, whereas more than nine lakh have registered forJEE Mains, the entrance exam for all engineering colleges except the IITs.
The JEE-Mains is considered as a qualifying exam forJEE-Advanced.
The HRD Ministry’s National Testing Agency (NTA) had alsogiven students an option to change their opted centres for the two tests asmany of them have moved to different places since the lockdown.Universitiesand schools across the country have been closed since March 16, when the Centreannounced a countrywide classroom shutdown as one of the measures to containthe COVID-19 outbreak. Later, a nationwide lockdown was announced from March 25which will last till May 17.