NEW DELHI: More than two lakh students who took the May 3 NEET-UG did not appear for the subsequent retest held on June 21, according to the National Testing Agency’s initial estimates.
A total of 22,05,035 candidates appeared for the first exam, while the retest had about 20 lakh candidates, a 9% dip. The National Testing Agency (NTA) officials said the exact figures are being compiled.
At least 21 students took their lives in the period between the first test and the re-test. Experts in the field of education pointed to the mental trauma of the paper leak and a lack of trust in the examination process owing to the leak.
Sources at the NTA, however, cited changed circumstances or practical reasons. “A good number of aspirants also take up the JEE examination (decider for engineering colleges) and the JEE-Advanced for admission into IITs. If they did well in it, they could have decided to give up on the medical dreams,” an NTA source said.
A few aspirants also apply to institutions abroad and could have decided to opt out, as studying abroad is viewed by most Indians as prestigious.
Another source said that after the answer keys of the original exam were released on May 6, some aspirants may have felt they are just not cut out for this kind of strenuous exam.