New Testing Agency, Exam Schedule Announced For NEET 2019, JEE Main 2019: All You Need To Know

National Testing Agency (NTA) will be replacing the competitive exams related functions of CBSE and will conduct NEET and JEE Main exams twice in a year from next year. NTA will also conduct UGC NET, CMAT and GPAT, later two were used to be held by All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE). So far, The Central Board of Secondary Education or CBSE has been organising National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) on behalf of the Medical Council Of India and the Health Ministry and NET on behalf of the University Grants Commission (UGC).

Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Main has been held by CBSE on behalf of Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry. JEE Main is being held as an entrance examination for admission to engineering courses and as also a screening test for JEE Advanced, its scores have been used for admission in institutes like IITs and NITs. NEET is national level medical entrance examination and its scores have been used for admission in medical and allied courses across the country.

Common Management Admission Test (CMAT) is a national level entrance examination conducted by (AICTE) every year as per the directions of Ministry of HRD and this test facilitates Institutions to select suitable graduate candidates for admission in all Management programs.

Graduate Pharmacy Aptitude Test (GPAT) is another national level entrance exam conducted by AICTE and this test facilitates institutions to select suitable Pharmacy graduates for admission into the Master's (M.Pharm) program.

With the introduction of NTA, CBSE, the national level secondary school and higher secondary school education regular which control 19316 affiliated schools in India and 211 schools in 25 foreign countries, will be relieved from its competitive examination duties. This has been a long standing demand of the central school body to relieve it from the examination duties other than its annual all India secondary and higher secondary examination duties. In 2016, the board had approached HRD Ministry and had expressed its inability to conduct the exams due to capacity crunch.

CBSE has been authorized to conduct NEET and JEE Main since the inception of both national level entrance examinations. In recent year, the board was also assigned to organise the UGC NET, a national level teacher eligibility test for recruitment in universities and colleges. 

CBSE also conducts the school level teacher eligibility test - CTET--, but, in today's announcement by HRD ministry, there was no mention on who is going to conduct this examination in the future.

Schedule and other details of NEET, JEE Main, UGC NET

Here are the details about new examination schedule and other details announced by the HRD minister today:

Schedule

University Grants Commission (UGC)'s National Eligibility Test (NET) would be conducted in December by National Testing Agency (NTA). The detailed notification is yet to be released by the organisers, but it can be expected any time.

NTA will conduct JEE Main twice a year, in January and April. The detailed notification is yet to be released by the organisers, but it can be expected any time.

NEET would be conducted in February and May. The detailed notification is yet to be released by the organisers, but it can be expected any time.

CMAT and GPAT will be held in January 2019 by NTA.

UGC NET would be the first exam to be conducted by the newly formed body. The CBSE is all set to organise - probably the last UGC NET exam organised by it - CBSE UGC NET 2018 exam on July 8.
The NTA would also conduct CMAT and GPAT. But, there have not been any updates on dates of these exams today.

Starting from next edition, the UGC NET exam will be computer based, said HRD minister.

How many times you can appear

According to HRD minister Prakash Javadekar, the students can appear both the times in NEET and the best of the two scores would be taken in account for admission.

Two chances will give a choice option to the students especially if they fail to appear in a test due to unwarranted circumstances.

Standard of the exams

Under NTA, these exams will be more secure and at par with international norms, claimed the minister. "There will be no issues of leakage and it would be more student friendly, open, scientific and a leak-proof system," Javadekar told the reporters here.

NTA is expected to bring in qualitative difference in the examination process by its focus on research and scientific test design using services of Experts, Researchers, Statisticians, Psychometricians, Test Item Writers and Education Specialists. 

"The item writers would be trained to ensure that the quality of questions is as per the test design. The experts, statisticians and item writers/subject matter experts are already identified for being inducted into NTA," said a statement from HRD. 

"The new system will be student friendly, fair , transparent and flexible," the Minister added.

Preparation

The NTA would benefit the students and they would have the option of going to computer centres from August-end to practice for the exams. The tests would be computer-based. The exams would be held over a span of four-five days and students would have the option of choosing the dates, the minister said.

Syllabus

The syllabus, question formats, language and fees for the NEET, JEE Main and NET exams would not be changed. The time table of the exams to be conducted by NTA would be uploaded on the ministry's website. 

JEE Advanced

According to HRD Minister, the Indian Institutes of Technolog (IITs) would continue to conduct JEE Advanced exam.

Read also:

UGC NET 2018: National Testing Agency (NTA) To Conduct Its First Exam In December

NEET 2019 To Be Conducted Online, Twice By National Testing Agency (NTA): Complete Schedule

JEE Main 2019 To Be Held Online, Twice By National Testing Agency (NTA): Check Complete Schedule Here

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