New Delhi:

The Centre has said it will defer the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test Post-Graduate Super Specialty (NEET SS) exams by two months for students to prepare for the revised question paper pattern. The government’s decision to give more preparation time came just a week after it was pulled up by the Supreme Court “last-minute changes” to the pattern of the exam.

“Permit us to hold exams on January 10 and 11, 2022 to give more preparation time,” The Centre said, adding it “will stick to the revised pattern of exams” in its affidavit in Supreme Court. The exam was originally scheduled for November 13 and 14, 2021.

The Supreme Court had last week questioned the government’s hurry to implement the change in the exam pattern. “Don’t treat these young doctors as footballs in the game of power…We can’t put these doctors at the mercy of insensitive bureaucrats…Put your house in order…Just because somebody has the power, you can’t yield the power in any manner,” it said while hearing the plea by 41 post-graduate doctors who had challenged the abrupt changes contending that this was done to favour general medicine candidates.

The plea said as per the prevailing pattern of examination, 60 percent marks are given on questions from super speciality courses while 40 percent of the marks are given from other courses.

As per the notification issued on August 31 for modifying the pattern of examination, 100 per cent marks will be now given on questions from general medicines.

The Centre has now said for the revised pattern is to “save seats wastage”. “Changes made to exam pattern to bring more flexibility for the students and to ensure that students are tested on the basis of the courses which they already know,” it said.