THIRUVANANTHAPURAM/KOCHI: With just two days remaining for the National Eligibility Entrance Test-Postgraduate (NEET-PG), on August 3, many medical graduates are shocked to get examination centres outside the state — in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.
Many candidates had carefully chosen cities near their residences as preferred centres during the application process. However, many were stunned to be assigned locations hundreds of kilometres away.
“I’m not appearing for the exam this time. I’ve been allotted a centre in Telangana, and I’m eight months pregnant. The travel and stay costs are too high for me and my family,” said Dr Kavitha (name changed), a candidate from Thiruvananthapuram.
“Other young mothers in my batch are opting out too. We’ve paid Rs 4,000 for the application, and now we’re forced to abandon the attempt.” Surveys conducted by several junior doctor associations revealed that approximately 1,000 applicants from Kerala were given centres outside the state. The uncertainty over exact venue details — only disclosed two days prior to the exam on July 31 — adds to the logistical nightmare.
“If I had received Kollam as my centre, I could reach anywhere nearby without issues. But with a location like Visakhapatnam, I don’t even know how close the centre will be to a hotel. How do we plan ahead?” said Dr Ashik Basheer, state president of the General Practitioners Association.
Candidates have also voiced concerns over inflated travel and accommodation prices.
Although NBEMS guarantees at least one exam centre in every district, available slots fill up quickly due to the 20,000 applicants from Kerala. When submitting the application, candidates can choose a preferred city, and if it’s unavailable, the system assigns a centre near their home address, though there’s no guarantee. Historically, slots were allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, but this time, candidates were shocked by what they believe is a random allocation.
Dr Vivek K B, state secretary of the IMA Junior Doctors’ Network, Kerala, urged NBEMS to reopen the portal for centre change, allowing candidates to select more practical options.
In the past, the Board cited a shortage of test centres as the reason for allocating centres outside the state. However, in previous years, changes to exam centres were made through court interventions or petitions from MPs. Last year, the exam was held in two shifts. This year, the exam has been postponed following an SC order directing NBEMS to conduct the exam in a single shift. Calls and emails sent to NBEMS by TNIE have gone unanswered.
Allotment issues
NBEMS guarantees minimum 1 exam centre in every dist but slots fill up fast due to 20K applicants from Kerala
While applying, candidates can choose a city, and if it’s unavailable, the system assigns a centre near their home address
Slots are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis