NEET-UG retest tougher than original, Gurugram candidates say after exam

Over 6,000 students appeared across 18 centres. Parents waited for hours as 380 police personnel ensured security and officials monitored arrangements.

At least 6,032 candidates appeared for the NEET-UG retest at 18 examination centres across Gurugram on Sunday, with many candidates describing the paper as tougher than the previous examination, particularly the Physics section, officials said.

Many candidates said Biology was easier while Chemistry remained moderate. The retest followed cancellation of the original examination. (Parveen Kumar/HT)

Candidates who spoke to HT said the physics paper was “lengthy and tough” and chemistry was “moderate”, while biology was comparatively “easy”.

“The paper was a little more difficult than the earlier one. Physics was quite lengthy,” said Bhawna, a candidate from Bahadurgarh, who travelled nearly 45km to reach her examination centre.

“This was totally unfair to us. It has been mentally exhausting and emotionally draining, not just for students but also for our parents. In the earlier examination, I would have easily scored around 600-650 marks, but I am not very sure about today’s paper,” said Rajat Chauhan, another NEET candidate.

Outside several examination centres, parents waited for hours in the scorching heat while candidates wrote the test, particularly at centres located far from their homes.

Candidates at the exam centre at Government Girls Senior Secondary School, Jacobpura near Sadar Bazar in Gurugram on Sunday. (Parveen Kumar/HT)

At PM Shri Kendriya Vidyalaya, Sector 14, Vimala Devi waited for nearly five hours while her daughter appeared for the examination.

“We are from Pataudi; my daughter’s centre was in Gurugram. I am a single mother, and I couldn’t travel back to Pataudi, so I waited,” she said.

“I have seen my child struggle through months of preparation, and this examination has been nothing short of a battle for students. I only hope that no student or parent has to go through such a situation again,” she added.

Deputy Commissioner (DC) Uttam Singh inspected the examination centres during the test to review security arrangements and the conduct of the examination.

Officials checked entry and identity verification procedures, CCTV surveillance, police deployment and basic facilities for candidates.

Candidates being patted down at the exam centre at Government Girls Senior Secondary School, Jacobpura near Sadar Bazar in Gurugram on Sunday. (Parveen Kumar/HT)

“Through the coordinated efforts of the district administration and the police department, the examination was conducted in a peaceful, transparent and orderly manner across all centres. We ensured that candidates were provided with a safe and conducive environment in accordance with the prescribed guidelines,” said Singh.

Officials said 380 police personnel were deployed across the 18 examination centres in Gurugram. Of these, 200 personnel were stationed at the centres, while the remaining personnel were assigned traffic management duties.

Section 163 was imposed on Saturday in Gurugram, Faridabad and Nuh to ensure the smooth conduct of the examination.

Officials said 6,406 candidates appeared for the retest across 19 centres in Faridabad, while around 1,600 candidates appeared across four centres in Nuh.

Candidates check their alloted exam room at the exam centre at Government Girls Senior Secondary School, Jacobpura near Sadar Bazar in Gurugram on Sunday. (Parveen Kumar/HT)

The retest was conducted after the Centre cancelled the original NEET-UG examination held on May 3 over allegations of a question paper leak. The National Testing Agency (NTA), however, had maintained that there was no paper leak in the original examination and attributed the cancellation to the need to preserve the integrity and credibility of the entrance test amid widespread concerns and ongoing investigations.