The medical admission process is set to commence as the results of the National Eligibility-cum Entrance Test (Undergraduate) or NEET-UG were published on Tuesday by the National Testing Agency (NTA).
The qualifying cut-off for the NEET-UG admission for the general category is a minimum 50th percentile score. The scheduled categories and backward communities need 40th percentile and it is 45th percentile for persons with disabilities.
The cut–off scores that are equivalent to these percentiles are:
* General and economically backward: 720–138
* OBC and SC/ST: 137–108
* General, eonomically backward who are physically handicapped: 137–122
* OBC and SC/ST who are physically disabled: 121–108
The admission to bachelors in medical, dental, AYUSH and veterinary courses, in the national institutes, would be done on the basis of the NEET– UG rank.
Courses in Kerala
The 13 courses in Kerala for which the NEET-UG ranking would be considered for admissions are: MBBS, BDS, ayurveda, homeopathy, siddha, unani, agriculture, veterinary, fisheries, forestry, co operation and banking, climate change and BTech Biotechnology (Kerala Agricultural University).
The entrance exam commissioner would prepare a separate rank list of the candidates who are eligible for admission to these courses based on the NEET–UG ranking.
Visit the websites www.cee.kerala.gov.in and https://cee-kerala.org for information about the admission process in Kerala.
National-level counseling
The Medical Counseling Committee that comes under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare would conduct the national-level counseling for MBBS/BDS courses. The details would be published on the website www.mcc.nic.in soon.
Meanwhile, the details of the national-level counseling for the AYUSH courses would be published on https://aaccc.gov.in and the veterinary courses would be on the website http://vcicounseling.nic.in.
NEET scores are not considered for national-level admission to agricultural courses.
Women perform well in the exam
Women candidates have scored impressively in the national medical entrance exam in which 4,94,806 candidates (57.32%) out of a total of 8,63,093 women applicants got qualified for admissions. Meanwhile, 3,75,260 (55.09%) among 6,81,168 male candidates got eligible.
Out of the 14 transgender candidates 8 got qualified.
Keralites among toppers
Interestingly, two out of the three candidates who scored the first rank are Keralites. Mrinal Kutteri who hails from Mayyanad in Kollam is among the first-rank holders. Her family is settled in Hyderabad.
Karthika G Nair who is based in Panvel in Navi Mumbai is the other Malayali who grabbed the top spot.
Scoring 720 marks, Mrinal and Karthika share the first rank with Delhi native Tanmay Gupta.
Late publication of results may affect academics
Experts point out that the late publication of the NEET– UG results may affect this year’s academics. The result of the exam that was held on 12 September has been published almost one- and-a-half months later. After completing the counseling and admission process it would take at least one more month for classes to begin. The admission would be further delayed if the states prepare separate rank lists for admission.
The first-year medical classes are likely to begin in December – January.