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The NEET-UG exam is held for admissions for MBBS, BDS and AYUSH in government and private institutions of the country.
Latest Updates on the NEET Issue 2024
June 11, 2024 – SC issues notice to NTA, says sanctity of NEET exam has been affected
June 13, 2024 – NEET-UG result 2024: Grace marks cancelled for 1,563 students, retest on June 23, Centre tells SC
The Centre on Thursday (June 13, 2024) told the Supreme Court that the decision to give grace marks to 1,563 candidates of NEET-UG 2024 by the National Testing Agency (NTA) has been cancelled and the students will be given an option to apply for a retest on June 23.
NEET Controversy Summarised
The NEET-UG exam, which took place on May 5 with over 24 lakh candidates, has stirred controversy due to the recent release of its results. The results were originally set to be announced on June 14 but were unexpectedly released on June 4.
Here are the main reasons behind the controversy surrounding the NEET-UG results:
1 – 67 students scored perfect marks, achieving a score of 720.
2 – Some students were reported to have scored 718 and 719 marks, which goes against the NEET marking scheme.
3 – The results were released 10 days earlier than scheduled, on the same day as the announcement of the LS poll results.
4 – Many of the top scorers are alleged to be from the same location.
5 – There have been allegations of NEET question paper leaks in connection with the exam.
What Were The Discrepancies Raised?
The NTA immediately clarified on the same day that the exam was re-conducted for 120 students.
In the following discussions, the X User questioned why the exam results were announced about 10 days early and pointed out that eight students from the same exam center in Haryana, who ranked 62nd and 69th, had very similar roll numbers.
Then, it was pointed out that out of 67 consecutive students on the list, all had a perfect score of 720. However, the following two students scored 719 and 718, ranking 68th and 69th, which seems to be inconsistent with the NEET Marking Scheme.
NEET Marking Scheme
According to the marking scheme, a candidate gets 4 marks for a correct answer and loses one mark for a wrong one. If a question is not attempted by the candidate, then no mark is rewarded for it.
NTA’s Response to Allegations
The National Testing Agency (NTA) responded to the issue by explaining that they used a method to adjust for the time lost during the exam. As a result, some candidates received scores of 718 or 719.
They also addressed previous claims of a NEET paper leak, stating that those allegations were unfounded.
The NTA reassured that all question papers have been ‘accounted for’. They stated that the images of the question paper being circulated on social media are not real and do not resemble the actual paper. The NTA confirmed that their security protocols and procedures have verified that the social media posts claiming a paper leak are completely baseless and without any ground.
What the Supreme Court Said on the NEET Exam?
The Supreme Court has asked the National Testing Agency to respond to the irregularities in the NEET-UG results. The court said that the exam’s integrity had been compromised and requested explanations. The bench also mentioned that counselling will continue as scheduled and set the next hearing for July 8. The plea against the National Testing Agency cited exam malpractices, including alleged paper leaks on May 5. It claimed that this violated the right to equality under the Constitution by giving unfair advantages to some candidates.
The Centre has informed the Supreme Court that a retest will be conducted for 1,563 students who were given grace marks in the NEET-UG 2024. This re-exam is set for June 23.
The Supreme Court has decided not to halt the admissions counselling process. If any of the 1,563 candidates choose not to take the retest, their previous marks (without the grace marks) will be used for the results. The results of the re-test will be announced on June 30, and counselling for admission to MBBS, BDS, and other courses will start on July 6.
What did Petitioners Ask?
3 requests were made to cancel the NEET UG 2024 test and have a retest because some people thought there were problems with how grace marks were given. Judges Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta heard the petitions.
Alakh Pandey, the CEO of Physics Wallah, was one of the people asking for this. He said that giving grace marks was not fair and that he got feedback from about 20,000 students, which showed that around 70-80 marks were given unfairly to about 1,500 students.
Second request came from members of the Students Islamic Organisation (SIO), Abdullah Mohammed Faiz and Dr. Shaik Roshan Mohiddin. They also wanted a re-examination of NEET because they thought giving grace marks was not fair. They said marks as high as 718 and 719 out of 720 (which some students got) were “not possible according to statistics.”
A third request was made by NEET candidate Jaripiti Kartheek. He said the grace marks given to make up for lost time during the exam were not fair. He said the “normalization formula” used to give grace marks wasn’t fair at all.
This was all about the “What is the NEET Issue”. For more such informative blogs, check out our NEET Exams Section, or you can learn more about us by visiting our Indian exams page.