Several NEET candidates caught unaware of do`s and don`ts

Chennai: Unaware of the do's and don'ts, many aspirants who appeared for the National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET) for the first time on Sunday faced a piquant situation in parts of Tamil Nadu.

Several boys who had gone to attend the test wearing full sleeve shirts were taken aback when they were told that only half-sleeve shirts were allowed in the examination hall.

Left with no choice, they had to "customise" it by cutting it to size by using a scissor.

Also, some who had come wearing shoes had to dump it and hastily opt for the sandals of their parents.

Girls had to hurriedly take away hair pins, and bands and ornaments like earrings and nose-pin as these accessories were not allowed.

Some who had brought stationary items like pen, and pencil had to leave it with their parents.

The Central Board of Secondary Education, which organises the exam, has already mentioned that pens will be provided to candidates at the test centres.

Though it had given a list of do's and don'ts as part of measures to prevent malpractices, many aspirants were not aware of it.

The don'ts included big buttons, brooches and high-heeled shoes as regards female candidates and kurta-pyjama for male aspirants.

Mobile phones and gadgets like bluetooth devices were also barred.

The Do's included "bring Admit card," "reach on time" at the exam centre with "only the required documents."

Some aspirants had other complaints too.

A section of them said that they had a tough time locating the test centre and wanted more information and landmarks to easily reach the centres.

Some students claimed that they were not allowed inside the test centre though they were late only by a "few minutes."

NEET was held in Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai, Salem, Tiruchirapalli, Namakkal, Tirunelveli and Vellore and about 89,000 students took the exam in about 51 centres in these cities.