Not So NEET: Insights Into The NEET and The NTA

The Author of this Blog Article is Ms. Shreya Reji K, a first year law student pursuing B.A.LL.B, from National Law University Delhi (NLUD).

Abstract

This blog discusses the contentious NEET 2024 exam and its discrepancies. It also highlights the role the NTA played in mismanaging NEET. Using information from student testimonials, news agencies, and the NTA itself, this blog provides a descriptive analysis of what exactly went wrong this year and how.

Introduction

The National Testing Agency is a premier testing organization that conducts entrance examinations for admission to higher educational institutions (HEIs). It was established in 2017 and is registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860.[1] The NTA aims to standardize the examination process for various HEIs and to ensure fairness, transparency, and efficiency in conducting examinations.

NEET-UG, JEE-Main, CUET and UGC-NET are a few of the exams that the NTA conducts. The NTA’s current chairman is Prof. Pradeep Kumar Joshi, who was the former chairman of the UPSC. Subodh Kumar Singh, an IAS officer from the Chhattisgarh cadre, is its Director General. [2]

Competitive Examinations pre-NTA

The advent of the NTA involved the handover of several national-level exams from the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) to the newly formed Agency. Before the NTA, the JEE Mains exams (then called the AIEEE) was conducted by the CBSE. The CBSE also conducted the All-India Pre-Medical Test (AIPMT), which preceded the NEET-UG. Medical colleges like AIIMS, JIPMER, and CMC Vellore conducted their own entrance exams before the introduction of the NEET.

NEET

The CBSE and the Medical Council of India (MCI) deferred the NEET by a year from 2012 to 2013. [3] The first NEET exam was conducted on May 5, 2013. The Supreme Court, on 18 July 2013, cancelled the NEET exam and announced that the MCI could not interfere with the admission process done by colleges.[4] The AIPMT was conducted in both 2014 and 2015 amidst the Supreme Court verdict striking down the NEET exam. However, it was restored in April 2016, after a Constitutional bench recalled the earlier decision and allowed the Central Government and the MCI to implement the NEET.[5] The CBSE was overseeing the conduct of the NEET exam up until 2019, after which the NTA took over.

Opposition

The introduction of NEET garnered severe opposition. In 2012, after the MCI's announcement regarding the introduction of NEET, several states including Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal strongly opposed the exam, citing the differences between the proposed syllabus and their own State Board syllabus. The NEET exam covers questions from the Physics, Chemistry, Zoology and Botany sections of the CBSE-prescribed NCERT syllabus.6 These States believed that it would be a major disadvantage to the State Board aspirants, who are required to study different materials.

The NEET exam has been especially contentious in Tamil Nadu. A furore rose in the state in 2017, the year NEET was formally established, after the unfortunate suicide of S Anitha, a 17-year-old medical aspirant. While Anitha would have gotten medical admission on the basis of her 12th standard marks (Tamil Nadu's criteria for medical seat admission), her NEET scores would not have helped her secure a seat. The A.K. Rajan Committee, formed by the TN government in 2021, had concluded that the exam was discriminatory against students from disadvantaged backgrounds.[7] The TN government felt that NEET reduced the State's autonomy in making decisions regarding education. Notably, the 42nd Amendment (1976) moved Education from the State List to the Concurrent List.[8]

The NEET has also been criticized for fostering an environment that encouraged the emergence of various coaching institutions, charging exorbitant fees. According to the A.K. Rajan Committee, a crash course can range from Rs.10,000–Rs.38,000, a one-year course can be between Rs.30,000–Rs.1,50,000 and a four-year course can even go up to Rs.4,50,000. [9]

The Indian Express's 2023 Report, which interviewed the top 50 AIRs in NEET-UG 2023, highlighted the correlation between learning from a coaching institute and getting a top rank[10] Out of 38 candidates, 37 had undergone some level of coaching. Among the top 50, 37 candidates had studied in urban-area schools and admitted to investing significant amounts of money in coaching.

An analysis of the NEET-UG 2017 by the Times of India brought a surprising reality to light.[11] The TOI analyzed the subject-wise marks of 1,990 students who got admitted to the MBBS course with NEET scores below 150/720. Out of this, 530 students had received single-digit, zero or negative marks in either Physics, Chemistry or both. Of these 530 students, 509 had secured admission in private medical colleges, where the average fee is Rs.17 lakh per annum. This leads us to conclude that regardless of the candidate's performance, buying a seat in a private college is an option for candidates from affluent families. The NEET, which was primarily founded to provide merit-based admission, was created to prevent this exact scenario.

NEET 2024

The NEET 2024 exam was conducted by the NTA on 5th May, 2024. A total of 23,33,297 candidates appeared for the examination in 571 cities in and outside India.[12] The test was conducted in 13 regional languages. Analyses from different websites termed the paper as easy to moderate, with Physics being the most challenging section. Overall, NEET 2024 was considered to be easier than the NEET 2023 paper by candidates.

The marked difference between NEET 2023 and 2024 was the chaos that followed post the NEET 2024 exam. Allegations of question paper leakage, a jump in the number of perfect scores, grace marks awarded to a group of candidates, numerous toppers from the same centre and various other irregularities have called to question the NTA's efficiency and the transparency of the testing process.

After all these incidents sparked public outrage, the NTA has released various notices on its website trying to debunk these allegations.[13]

The NEET 2024 paper had allegedly been leaked online. In response, the NTA stated that there was an incorrect distribution of question papers at one centre in Sawai Madhopur, Rajasthan where question papers intended for the Hindi medium candidates were given to the English medium candidates.[14] This, in turn, led to candidates forcibly leaving the centre with the question paper before the exam was over. As a picture of this question paper was posted online, the NTA claims that this gave the incorrect impression that the paper leak happened before the commencement of the examination. While this may serve as an explanation for the online paper leak, it doesn't account for the fiasco in Bihar, where a physical paper leak supposedly took place. The NTA dismissed this citing a lack of evidence.[15 ]The Economic Offences Unit (EOU) in Bihar stated that the evidence of its investigation is 'very suggestive of a paper leak.' [16] Fresh evidence from the EOU includes six post-dated cheques that were issued in favour of a paper leak gang, and burnt question papers. Each candidate who sought the NEET paper from this gang allegedly had to pay Rs. 30 lakh. They were taken to a 'safe house' in Patna and were made aware of the questions a day before the paper, i.e., May 4th. The Bihar Police has arrested 13 people, including candidates and their family members, linked with this paper leak [17].

Another similar scam was unearthed in Godhra, Gujarat, where students were asked to skip questions they couldn't answer - the teachers would write the answers for them after the exam. The accused from Godhra had made a profit of R. 2.82 crore. [18] According to the Information Bulletin that was released by the NTA, the NEET results were supposed to be declared on the 14th of June. [19] The actual results were declared on the 4th of June, 10 days before the expected date. This also happened to coincide directly with the result declaration of the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections. This coincidence did not go unnoticed and speculation began about why the results were advanced. Online forums were filled with posts accusing the NTA of deliberately announcing the NEET results on the same day as the Election results in an attempt to hide their mismanagement, and to take media attention away from the same. The NTA claims that the advancement was to expedite the counselling process, and that the result date was 'pre-scheduled' and 'not connected to the general election result.' [20]

For the first time in NEET's history, 67 candidates received a perfect score of 720/720, and jointly held the position of AIR 1. The idea of this is almost unfathomable based on the trend of the previous exams. In 2023, two students held the AIR 1 position, while four and three students held the first position in NEET 2022 and 2021 respectively. The NTA claims that the increase in the number of candidates who applied naturally led to an increase of high scorers in the exam.

Even if this was an acceptable explanation, there come other irregularities that contradict the NTA's claim. Six out of these 67 perfect scorers were from the same test centre - Hardayal Public School, Bahadurgarh. Incidentally, they also received grace marks, as high as 140, that greatly increased their scores.[21] These grace marks were supposedly awarded to compensate for the candidate’s loss of time.

The NTA also cites the change of an answer in a Physics question for the high scores. [22 ]The question was contested because of an incorrect statement in the old edition of the NCERT textbook. After receiving almost 13,400 challenges about this question, the NTA decided that two options (one factually incorrect) could be correct for the same. Owing to this revision, 44 out of these 67 candidates were awarded marks for incorrectly answering a question, and had an increase in their scores from 715 to 720. Totally, 50 out of the 67 candidates received these scores as a result of the NTA's decision.

This year, there were two candidates who scored 718 and 719 out of 720. What makes this interesting is the fact that this shouldn't theoretically be possible. The candidates are awarded +4 marks for a correct attempt and -1 marks for an incorrect one. So, after 720, the next highest mark can be 716. The NTA's justification [23] for these implausible marks was that it had applied the Supreme Court's normalization formula (13.06.2018 in W.P. 551 of 2018) [24] for students who had faced a loss of time. This formula considers the grace mark allotted for a student on the basis of the total time lost and their answering efficiency.

The SC's normalization formula was made in context of the CLAT exam in 2018, which was a computer-based exam at that time. [25] This case was also filed in Category 3100 which pertained to 'Admission To Educational Institutions Other Than Medical & Engineering.' This, quite clearly, nullifies the usage of this formula in the NEET exam.

Grace marks were awarded to 1,563 candidates in NEET 2024. These 1,563 candidates span 6 different centers like Chhattisgarh, Surat, and Meghalaya, where the exam had started late. A Grievance Redressal Committee (GRC) was set up by the NTA after writ petitions were filed by candidates in several High Courts. [26] The GRC used the SC's normalization formula and awarded grace marks to these candidates after adjudging the time lost using CCTV footage and reports from the centre staff. A high-powered committee (HPC) was set up by the Ministry of Education (MoE) along with the NTA to review the results of these affected candidates. Surprisingly, the NTA’s current chairman, Prof. Pradeep Kumar Joshi, is one of the four senior members of the HPC. [27]

The HPC concluded that the usage of the SC's 2018 formula by the GRC was a poor choice, as it did not offer a level playing field to all 1,563 candidates in terms of determining the time lost. The formula used also did not take into account that grace marks must have only been awarded to the questions that were not answered. The HPC offered two choices to the affected candidates - they either accept their original score (without the grace marks added), or re-write the examination and invalidate their current scores. The re-examination will be held on the 23rd of June in the same 6 cities, but in different centers. [28]

The Supreme Court, after receiving petitions from several candidates and other stakeholders, has come down heavily on the NTA. A Supreme Court Bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath and Ahsanuddin Amanullah said that the "sanctity of the exams has been affected" and "we (the SC) need answers." [29 ]The Bench, however, refused to stop the counselling process of the NEET exam. Notably, a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has been filed by Alakh Pandey, [30] founder of PhysicsWallah, an Ed-tech Unicorn that provides coaching for many competitive exams, including NEET. His petition included signatures from 20,000 candidates who were unhappy with the arbitrary provision of grace marks.

While the NEET 2024 controversy is the first-of-its-kind, this is certainly not the first major controversy that the NEET-UG exam, or even the NTA has been entangled in. The declaration of incorrect results by the NTA in the NEET 2020 exam led to the suicide of a candidate from Madhya Pradesh. [31] Vidhi Suryavanshi's response sheet showed that she had scored 590/720 marks, as compared to the initial result that said 6/720 marks. The JEE (Main) 2022 exam was filled with technical glitches, which led to lower scores for many candidates.[32] Even both sessions of the JEE (Main) 2024 exam were riddled with controversy, with candidates grousing about the irregularity in the difficulty levels and surging cutoffs.

The NTA has not had a good year. Each controversy has triggered the domino effect, and the next one is worse than the one before it. In a shocking turn of events, the UGC-NET, which ascertains a candidate's eligibility for Lectureships and Junior Research Fellowships, has been cancelled.[33] It was conducted on the 18th of June and was subsequently cancelled on the 19th.

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has admitted that the UGC-NET's question paper was circulated on Telegram, and that a high-level committee (HLC) was being formed to look into the functioning of the NTA. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered a case against unknown persons for “compromising the integrity” of the UGC- NET exam.[34]

The NTA's motto, 'Excellence in Assessment,' rings hollow now. The mismanagement of NEET 2024 has shaken the trust of thousands of candidates - not only in the NTA, but also in the transparency and the integrity of the entire assessment process. The UGC-NET's cancellation has only added fuel to the fire, and has come at a crucial time. Calls are being made for the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, and the dissolution of the NTA. While there might be some merit to the findings of the HLC, it would be a classic case of efforts being put too little and too late. In light of recent events, it would be unreasonable to expect candidates to put their faith in the NTA again. The time has come for a new beginning; a new accountable body, and a transparent, reliable and secure mechanism. In today's world, an entrance exam has the power to transform a student's life. The students put in countless hours into their preparation - some even take drop years. A fair exam and admission process is a right that they have earned.

References:

1. Societies Registration Act, 1860, No. 21, Acts of Parliament, 1860 (India).

2. National Testing Agency, https://www.nta.ac.in/governing, (last visited June 22, 2024).

3. MCI, Regulation on Graduate Medical Education, 1997 - Procedure for Selection to MBBS Course, MCI- 31(1)/2010_Med/62051, The Gazette of India, 2 (2012), https://www.nmc.org.in/documents/e_Gazette_Amendments/2012Feb27_62051_Gazette_Notification_NEET-

UG.PDF.

4. Supreme Court of India, Reportable Judgement - 40709, Writ Petition (C) NO. 598 OF 2013, 12 (2013), https://main.sci.gov.in/jonew/judis/40709.pdf.

5. NMC, Record of Proceedings – Supreme Court, 4 (2016), https://www.nmc.org.in/wpcontent/uploads/2017/10/NEET-order-dated-11.04.2016-of-Honble-SC.pdf.

6. NTA, Information Bulletin - Syllabus, 17 (2024), Appendix – III, https://exams.nta.ac.in/NEET/images/NEET%20UG%202024%20IB-version%202%20final.pdf.

7. Justice A.K. Rajan, Report of the High-Level Committee To Study The Impact of NEET on Medical ,Admissions in Tamil Nadu, N21092966.pdf, (Sept. 20, 2021, 3:44 am), ,https://www.thehinducentre.com/resources/article36589938.ece/binary/N21092966.pdf.

8. The 42nd Amendment, Act, 1976, Section 57, Part (c), 1976 (India).

9. Justice A.K. Rajan, Report of the High-Level Committee To Study The Impact of NEET on Medical ,Admissions in Tamil Nadu, N21092966.pdf, 7.5.9.1. - The Size of Coaching Market in Tamil Nadu, 81 (2021), https://www.thehinducentre.com/resources/article36589938.ece/binary/N21092966.pdf.

10. Ishita Roy and Ainnie Arif, NEET UG 2023: Majority of top 50 rankers relied on coaching; only one chose to self-study, Indian Express (June 24, 2023, 11:15 am), https://indianexpress.com/article/education/neet-ug-2023- result-majority-top-50-rankers-relied-coaching-cbse-schools-8666722/.

11. Rema Nagarajan, Some MBBS students got 0 or less in NEET papers, Times of India, (July 16, 2018, 15:33 pm), https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/some-mbbs-students-got-0-or-less-in-neet- papers/articleshow/65002249.cms.

12. NTA, Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) related to Post Declaration of the NEET (UG) – 2024 Result, S.No. 3, 1 (2024), https://exams.nta.ac.in/NEET/images/faqs-for-the-neet-ug-2024.pdf.

13. NEET Exam – National Testing Agency, https://exams.nta.ac.in/NEET/ (last visited June 23, 2024).

14. NTA, Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) related to Post Declaration of the NEET (UG) – 2024 Result, S.No. 31, 7 (2024), https://exams.nta.ac.in/NEET/images/faqs-for-the-neet-ug-2024.pdf.

15. Id. at S.No.30.

16. Santosh Singh, NEET UG probe in Bihar ‘very much suggestive of a paper leak’: Police, The Indian Express, (June 20, 2024, 15:45 pm), https://indianexpress.com/article/education/neet-probe-in-bihar-very-much- suggestive-of-a-paper-leak-police-9393479/.

17. Id.

18. The Hindu Bureau, Gujarat Police unearth NEET ‘scam’ at Godhra centre, arrest five, The Hindu, (June 14, 2024, 10:46 pm), https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/gujarat-police-unearths-neet-exam-scandal-in- godhra-centre/article68290666.ece.

19. NTA, Information Bulletin – Important Information and Dates at a Glance, 5 (2024), https://exams.nta.ac.in/NEET/images/NEET%20UG%202024%20IB-version%202%20final.pdf.

20. NTA, Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) related to Post Declaration of the NEET (UG) – 2024 Result, S.No. 33, 8 (2024), https://exams.nta.ac.in/NEET/images/faqs-for-the-neet-ug-2024.pdf.

21. Livemint, NEET UG 2024: ‘It’s a nightmare’, 6 perfect scorers in Haryana worried after NTA withdraw grace marks, Livemint, (June 14, 2024) https://www.livemint.com/news/india/neetug-2024-news-latest-haryana- toppers-nta-grace-mark-june-23-exam-date-supreme-court-hardayal-public-school-11718329008057.html.

22. NTA, Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) related to Post Declaration of the NEET (UG) – 2024 Result, S.No. 27, 6 (2024), https://exams.nta.ac.in/NEET/images/faqs-for-the-neet-ug-2024.pdf.

23. Id. at S.No.17.

24. The Supreme Court, Record of Judgement, 20152_2018_Judgement_13-Jun-2018, 1 (2018) https://webapi.sci.gov.in/supremecourt/2018/20152/20152_2018_Judgement_13-Jun-2018.pdf.

25. Id. at 14.

26. NTA, Press Release - Regarding queries of candidates on NEET (UG) 2024 Result declared on 04 June 2024, S.No. 2, 1 (2024), https://exams.nta.ac.in/NEET/images/Press_Release_NEET%202024_06.06.2024.pdf.

27. Krishnadas Rajagopal, NEET row: Supreme Court to examine pleas for independent panel inquiry, The Hindu, (June 21, 2024 02:56 am), https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/neet-ug-row-sc-notice-to-national- testing-agency-centre-on-plea-to-form-independent-enquiry-committee/article68310927.ece.

28. NTA, Public Notice - Reconduct of the NEET (UG) – 2024 for affected candidates, 1 (2024), https://exams.nta.ac.in/NEET/images/public-notice-for-neet-ug-2024-retest-for-affected- candidates12062024.pdf.

29. Abraham Thomas, ‘Sanctity affected, we need answers’: SC to Centre, NTA on NEET-UG ‘paper leak’, The Hindustan Times, (June 11, 2024, 03:07 pm) https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/sanctity-affected-we- need-answers-sc-to-centre-nta-on-neet-ug-paper-leak-101718098527832.html.

30. NDTV, NEET-UG Row: "Have Hopes From Supreme Court," Says Physics Wallah CEO, NDTV, (June 11, 2024, 4:01 am) https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/physics-wallah-ceo-alakh-pandey-on-neet-ug-row-5862897.

31. TP News, Student commits suicide post NEET results, paper re-check shows she scored big!, The Publish, (Oct. 23, 2020, 13:30 pm) https://www.thepublish.in/student-commits-suicide-post-neet-results- paper-re-check-shows-she-scored-big.

32. Education and Careers Desk, SC to Hear Petition on Alleged Technical Glitches in JEE Main 2022, Students Seek Extra Attempt, News18, (Aug. 26, 2022, 09:56 am) https://www.news18.com/news/education-career/sc-to- hear-petition-on-alleged-technical-glitches-in-jee-main-2022-students-seek-extra-attempt-5823907.html.

33. Press Information Bureau, Delhi, Cancellation of UGC-NET June 2024 Examination, 1 (2024), https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2026809.

34. Central Bureau of Investigation, CBI registers case in the matter related to allegations of irregularities in NEET-2024 examination, 1 (2024) https://cbi.gov.in/press-detail/NjM3Nw==.