Students and parents demand NEET UG re-exam, allege malpractice

Medical aspirants demand NEET UG 2024 re-exam due to paper leaks, grace marks, and result errors. NTA clarifies but dissatisfaction persists.

Mumbai: Several medical aspirants are demanding a re-examination for the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (Undergraduate) 2024, citing allegations of paper leaks, last-minute implementation of grace marks for lost time, and errors in this year’s results.

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The National Testing Agency (NTA), which administers the pre-medical entrance test, clarified on Tuesday that grace marks were awarded to students who raised concerns about the loss of exam time. However, students have expressed dissatisfaction, stating that the NTA’s statement lacks clarity.

The NTA announced the NEET UG results for over 2.4 million students on June 4, 10 days ahead of schedule, coinciding with the 2024 general election results. Sixty-seven students achieved All India Rank (AIR) 1, with the highest score of 99.997129%. The NEET cut-offs for all categories also increased this year.

A total of 1,029,154 males, 1,376,831 females, and 13 third-gender candidates registered for the examination this year, out of which 547,036 males, 769,222 females and 10 third-gender candidates qualified for the test.

Students and experts alleged malpractice in the merit list on social media platforms. X user Shreeram Bishnoi pointed out that eight NEET candidates with the same sequence of roll numbers topped from one particular centre. “How is it possible that from 25 lakh students, 8 students topped from same centre?” he wrote. A video posted by an NEET educator also challenged the NTA’s marking system and demanded that the formula be made public.

Hours after the NEET results were declared, the NTA issued a statement explaining how some students scored 718 and 719 marks out of 720. The agency clarified the decision to award grace marks was made according to a court order to compensate for the loss of exam time.

“The loss of examination time was ascertained, and such candidates were compensated with grace marks. So, candidates’ marks can be 718 or 719 also,” the NTA said in a post on X.

“This year’s result was shocking and very stressful for the students who scored even more than 650 marks,” said Brijesh Sutaria, a parent of a medical student. “A student who scored more than 650 is not able to get admission for the college of their choice.”

A group of parents started an online campaign demanding a re-examination for NEET UG 2024. “We consider this as a mass copy or paper leak event in some centres across the county. We also have doubts about the involvement of private coaching institutes in paper leak incidents,” said one of the parents.

Sutaria also questioned why the result was declared early. “As per the schedule, the NEET result was expected on June 14. But without any reason, NTA declared it very early. This is the first time 67 students scored full marks.”

Although the NTA dismissed the paper leak claims, which emerged even before the exam was conducted, the Economic Offences Unit (EOU) of the Bihar police arrested 13 people in connection with it. Subsequently, the testing agency held a re-exam for candidates who received different question papers at a Rajasthan exam centre.

Irregularities were also reported in Gujarat and Odisha. A criminal case has been filed against three individuals in Gujarat’s Godhra district, including a school teacher who allegedly helped six NEET aspirants solve the question paper in exchange for ₹10 lakh from each candidate. The police seized ₹7 lakh paid to the teacher in advance by one of the examinees.

Days before the national medical entrance exam, a video of a masked man claiming that the mastermind behind the Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) TRE 3 exam paper leak might also have leaked NEET UG questions that went viral on social media. However, there was no official confirmation or clarification from NTA regarding this. Later, the testing agency called these “baseless allegations.”

Some students noted that the NEET 2024 result notification included details on the marks obtained by candidates in each category but was later removed. They argued that the last-minute awarding of grace marks is “unfair.” Aspirants have also requested the release of “the Apex Court order dated 13.06.2018,” which was the basis for awarding grace marks.