Candidates had to remove ear rings, abandon closed shoes and cut shirt sleeves to enter exam hall

With just 30 minutes left for the first National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) to begin on Sunday, a girl student at Army Public School in Bengaluru faced an unexpected crisis — she was unable to remove her earrings in a hurry.

The candidate had run afoul of the strict dress code for the CBSE-administered NEET exam, which barred earrings. Standing outside the exam hall, the girl struggled with a stuck screw.

Her anxious father rushed her to a jeweller nearby and got the ornament cut. There was a sigh of relief as she made it back just before the 9.30 a.m. deadline.

Many candidates around the country had not prepared to meet the NEET dress code, which prohibited full sleeve shirts, pens, pencils, closed or high-heeled shoes, big brooches and metal buttons.

At Delhi Public School in Bengaluru, the authorities kept a stock of two dozen T-shirts for those who came in full-sleeve shirts. Students wearing closed shoes had to doff them and go barefoot, said Nehith Ravishankar, at a Kendriya Vidyalaya.

An aspirant’s father in Alwal, Telangana, said the instructions referred only to large earrings but officials wanted girls to remove even ear studs and nose rings. Some boys had to cut their full-sleeve shirts to half sleeves in Chennai.

In Andhra Pradesh, candidates were checked with metal detectors to see if they had any gadgets. Women had to untie their hair to show they did not have prohibited articles.

No black pants

A candidate at Kunhimangalam in Kannur, Kerala said, “It was harrowing as I had to remove my top inner wear when the metal detector beeped.” When she came at 8.15 a.m., she had to change her black pants, as dark colours were not allowed. When she returned with new clothes, only 10 minutes remained. The innerwear check was the next hurdle.