Staggered Entry & Exit, 3 Ply Face Masks: JEE Begins Today Amid Strict COVID Precautions | Key Points | Earth Indian

New Delhi: Despite demands from students, parents and Opposition leaders to defer the exams,  the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Main and National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET)  will be held starting today. While the NEET will be conducted on September 13, engineering entrance exam JEE-Mains will commence from today September 1.  Around 9.53 lakh candidates have registered for JEE-Mains and 15.97 lakh students have registered for NEET.  Earlier, the exams were deferred twice in the wake of the pandemic.

To all students taking JEE exam and later NEET: Dont dwell on the regretable past. It was not due to you. Think about doing your best now. Events are decided by God. He/She treats the brave like a tennis ball: the harder He/She throws you down the higher you will rise on rebound.

— Subramanian Swamy (@Swamy39) September 1, 2020

Before the exams, BJP leader Subramanian Swamy took to Twitter and extended his best wishes to the students. He wrote,”To all students taking JEE exam and later NEET: Dont dwell on the regretable past. It was not due to you. Think about doing your best now. Events are decided by God. He/She treats the brave like a tennis ball: the harder He/She throws you down the higher you will rise on rebound”, tweeted Swamy.

Notably, Swamy was one of the political leaders who had urged the government to reconsider holding the exams amid the pandemic.

The NTA, last week, had also released list of guidelines and rules for students taking the exam. It had stated that adequate measures are implemented for safety of all students without compromising the high standards, sanctity, and fairness in conduct of the examination.

Increasing the number of examination centres, alternative seating plan, fewer candidates per room and staggered entry and exit are among the steps the National Testing Agency will take for safely conducting the NEET and JEE exams.

It had also requested candidates to adhere to guidelines and new process for Social Distancing and hygiene to ensure safety & health of their own and fellow candidates.

“For safety purposes, NTA strongly advises candidates not to bring anything other than permitted items”, the NTA added.

List of Items That are Allowed Inside Examination Hall 

Personal transparent water bottle,

Personal hand sanitizer (50 ml)

A simple transparent Ball Point Pen

Admit Card and Self Declaration (Undertaking), both duly filled as downloaded from the NTA website (a clear printout on A4 size paper).

One additional copy of the same photograph pasted on Admit Card for affixing on the Attendance Sheet in the presence of Invigilator

Things Strictly Prohibited Inside Exam Halls 

Electronic devices –mobile phones, calculators,  earphones, headphones, pagers etc.

Handbags:  Candidates are not allowed to carry any kind of bags or baggage inside the examination hall.

Stationary items: Candidates will not be allowed to bring in any kind of stationery, like pens, pencils, erasers, rulers. They will be provided with the needed stationery from the exam centres before the examination.

Accessories: Candidates won’t be allowed to wear any kind of jewellery or accessories.

Eating, drinking or smoking: Candidates can’t drink, smoke or eat anything  in the examination hall. Tea and coffee are also prohibited. However, diabetic patients can bring in their medicine and water.

Candidates are advised to follow the Dress Code. Shoes/footwear with thick soles and garments with large buttons are NOT permitted.

Preparation at centre

Standard Operating Procedures for implementing safety precautions and for maintaining required standard of hygiene are getting implemented.

Before each shift starts, Seating Area will be thoroughly sanitized – monitor keyboard, mouse, webcam, desk and the chair. All door handles, staircase railing, lift buttons, etc will be disinfected. Wheelchairs (if present at the venue) will also be disinfected.

Gap between 2 seats will be maintained as per GOI guidelines.

Hand Sanitizer will be available at entry and inside the exam venue at various places for candidates and centre staff to use.

Barcode readers will be available at the entry point to scan barcode on the Admit Card. The Lab number will be informed to the candidate at this point.

Rough sheets will be kept at all desks before start of exam by invigilators wearing gloves to ensure hygiene.
It is ensured that all the processes are touch free, to the maximum possible extent, to ensure Social Distancing norms.

Candidate to reach Centre as per the Reporting/Entry time at Centre given in the Admit Card to avoid any crowding at the centre at the time of entry and to maintain social distancing.

At time of Entry

Candidates need to maintain a space of at least 6 feet from each other at all the time. Queue manager / ropes and Floor Marks will be arranged outside the centre, follow the instructions provided by centre staff.

Lab number will not be displayed outside the centre to avoid any crowding at any one place in any situation.

Candidates will be required to sanitize hands with Hand Sanitizer before entry in centre. Hand sanitizer will be available at various locations in the centre.

Candidate should bring duly filled in Admit card as per instructions.

Candidate will be offered a fresh 3 Ply mask before entry. In order to stop chances of any UFM being used in the examination, the candidate is expected to wear the freshly provided mask at the centre. The candidate will be required to remove the mask worn by him/ her from home, and use the mask provided at centre only.

Candidate should bring Identity Proof and other documents as advised.

Do not bring prohibited items to exam centre as there are no arrangements available for safe keeping your belongings.

At time of entry, the filled in Undertaking on Admit Card, and body temperature (using Thermo Guns) will be checked and centre staff will guide you to respective labs after scanning bar code at Admit Card. Candidates are required to strictly adhere to instructions provided by centre staff.

Please observe that no-one will be denied permission to appear for examination, until he/ she violates the COVID-19 directives/advisories of Government (Central/State) applicable on the day of exam and instructions mentioned in the Admit Card.

During Examination

Five A4 size sheets will be kept at each candidate’s desk for use by candidate for Rough work. If Additional sheets are required for rough work by the candidate, the same shall be made available on demand.

Before each shift starts (and after last shift of the candidate) Seating Area will be thoroughly sanitized – monitor keyboard, mouse, webcam, desk and the chair. Candidates can further sanitize the same with sanitizers that will be made available in the examination lab/room/hall.

Candidates are required to paste passport size photograph and sign on the Attendance Sheet after sanitizing hands with sanitizer.’

After Examination

On completion of a shift, the candidates will be permitted to move out in an orderly manner one candidate at a time. Please wait for instructions from invigilator and do not get up from your seat until advised.

Candidate must drop the Admit Card and Rough Sheets in the advised boxes after displaying to the staff available next to drop box. If any candidate misses to drop Admit Card or Rough Sheets in boxes, action (which also includes disqualification from the exam) can be taken against him/her.

By Shivam Urkude || Earth Indian