Nagpur: NEET re-test results, declared on Thursday, left many students disappointed, with several saying the June 21 exam broke their momentum and pulled down their scores compared to what they had expected in the cancelled May exam, whose results were never declared.The May 3 exam was scrapped following a paper leak, prompting the govt to order a re-test under tight security. Before the cancellation, many students had matched their responses with unofficial answer keys to estimate their scores.Avalokit Meshram, who estimated 606 marks in May, scored 544 in June. He said the gap between the two exams affected his preparation.“It was essentially very tough to regain the flow and regroup with the same dedication after almost a 10-day break,” he said. The original NEET was held on May 3 and was cancelled on May 12, after which retest was ordered.“I have friends who didn’t pass the second exam. I think it’s the same reason — they were also not able to regain that same momentum after having a break.”Despite the drop, Meshram felt the tougher question paper would offset the difference.“It (marks in June) is less, but the paper was comparatively tough, so the cutoff will be lower. I don’t think there is much difference between these two,” he said. He also described it as “one of the toughest NEET papers” he had seen.Kalash Patil, who expected 575 marks in May and scored 539 in June, said restarting preparation was the biggest hurdle.“Getting into the study zone again. My mindset had changed. After a few days of relaxation, studying again at the same pace was very difficult,” he said.Shriwani Kurve, who had estimated 615-620 marks in May but scored 500 in June, said she was not mentally prepared to appear for another examination.“When the re-NEET happened, I wasn’t mentally prepared for it. For me, it was the first time taking a retest. Doing it again within a month wasn’t really possible,” she said. “I had even thought of skipping it. I thought it would happen in one go the first time.”Not everyone viewed the lower score negatively. Eighteen-year-old Mrunmayee Meshram expected around 616 marks in May and scored 578 in June, but said she was satisfied with the outcome.“Even if I had scored 616 in the May exam, my rank could have been lower because the May paper was comparatively easier. I am sure my rank would not have been better than what I have secured now,” she said.Meshram said the re-test gave her an opportunity to improve weak areas before the second attempt.“I got to know about a lot of concepts on which I had to work. So it was kind of an opportunity for me for the NEET retest held on June 21. I worked on the mistakes I had made. I started question practice, mostly in biology and physics, and as I was lacking in chemistry concepts, I worked on them,” she said.Most students said the June paper was tougher than the May exam, with physics and chemistry posing the biggest challenge. (With inputs from Sophie Hocquet)
