NEET-UG Exam to Go Online: Health Ministry and NMC Join Hands to Revamp Format

In a significant development, the Union Health Ministry and the National Medical Commission (NMC) have finally agreed to switch the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test-Undergraduate (NEET-UG) exam from a pen-and-paper Optical Mark Reader (OMR) format to a computer-based test (CBT) mode, similar to the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE). This move is part of a broader plan to reform and revamp the exam format, which includes changes to the eligibility criteria.

According to sources, the Health Ministry and NMC have assessed that the exam format needs to be revamped to ensure its effectiveness. To achieve this, the eligibility criteria will undergo changes, including the class 12 scores cut-off limit and the number of attempts at the exam. Currently, students must score a minimum aggregate of 50% in Physics, Chemistry, and Biology/Biotechnology in Class 12 boards to appear for the NEET-UG exam. In contrast, JEE requires a minimum of 75% in class 12 boards, which serves two purposes: it ensures students don’t ignore school-level studies and filters out the overall student pool to ensure a certain base level of competence.

The Health Ministry and NMC believe that a similar higher cut-off may be necessary for NEET-UG as it transitions to a CBT mode. The second area that may see a change is the number of attempts at the exam. While there is no limit to the number of attempts for NEET-UG, JEE Main allows students to attempt the exam six times (twice a year window) for a maximum of three consecutive years. Similarly, most other entrance exams, including recruitment ones by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), have a prescribed limit on the number of attempts.

The attempt barrier is expected to filter out the student pool and bring some control over the number of candidates. NEET-UG 2024 saw nearly 24 lakh students in the fray, a number that has been growing every year despite the total number of medical seats in the country being near a lakh.

The shift to CBT mode is becoming clearer by the day. In its latest affidavit to the Supreme Court, the National Testing Authority stated that it is considering options to replace the pen-and-paper mode with a CBT mode to ensure the sanctity of the exam. The high-level panel on exam reforms, led by former ISRO chairperson K Radhakrishnan, has also been pushing for a shift to CBT mode to control instances of leaks and manipulations.

The Health Ministry had initially resisted the CBT shift for NEET-UG in 2018 due to logistical concerns and the need to conduct the exam on a single day. However, their experience with NEET-PG on CBT mode has been largely successful, and they are now preparing for a CBT format for the mega exam as well, considering the learnings from the NEET-UG 2024 leak allegations.