Students from the UAE who want to sit India’s NEET test in Dubai have been registering for slots since 23 July, and those who applied early are eagerly awaiting their time to change their exam centre on 8 August.
Hundreds of students and parents breathed a sigh of relief when the UAE was selected for the first time as a centre for the Indian medical college entrance exam. The National Eligibility cum Entrance Examination (NEET) is a common entrance exam taken by students who aspire to pursue MBBS or any other medical course in India and is set to be conducted on 12 September.
Those who are sending their NEET forms for the first time have until 6 August to apply for a slot in Dubai. From 8-12 August, exam centre corrections will be accepted.
“As my son has already filled out the form, he will be changing his examination centre to Dubai during the correction period, between August 8-12, as announced,” remarked Najalah Faiz, a NEET aspirant’s parent. “His previous choices of exam centres were all in Kerala. I live in Abu Dhabi, so it will entail a few PCR tests to go to Dubai, but it’s definitely much better than travelling to India at the moment as there are no return flights. Besides, both my husband and I are working.”
New exam centres have been announced in Dubai and Kuwait City to help Indian students studying in the Gulf countries prepare for the exam.
New exam centres have been announced in Dubai and Kuwait City
Annie Cherian, another parent of a NEET aspirant, said: “It’s been a welcome move [holding exams here], as travelling to India is fraught with challenges. We didn’t know if we could come back, and the bigger worry is that both of us are working. My son will opt to change the exam centre to Dubai. Previously he had selected all four exam centres in our hometown in Kerala.
While students and parents are relieved, they are concerned about whether the Dubai centre will be able to accommodate all candidates.
“The only concern we have now is how many (approved) seats will be available for candidates to take the exam in Dubai. I know there are many candidates from the UAE who will choose Dubai as an option. So I hope there is no cap on the number of people in a specific centre,” said Faiz.
Cherian added: “We were wondering if in Dubai, four different exam centres will be offered to students, or if one centre will be big enough to accommodate all the UAE students, given the fact that it’s pandemic times. Also, will it depend on how soon this centre(s) will be selected by candidates? Does that mean that some students may have to go back to choosing their previous options in India if all the spots are quickly taken? Therefore, we are still a bit uncertain.”
Those who are sending their NEET forms for the first time have until 6 August to apply for a slot in Dubai
Afsal Abdul Nazar, who wants to pursue his MBBS, is getting ready to submit his application, explaining: “I haven’t filled out the form yet because I was hoping that the National Testing Agency would add Dubai as one of the exam centres this year. Luckily, it happened, and this decision is definitely a welcome respite. I will apply now at the earliest. As for my remaining options, I’ll probably have to opt for places in Kerala, which will be my second, third and fourth options, as the form offers four venues of one’s choice. Though close to the UAE, Kuwait City is again not an option because of the travel bans.”