In a move to address concerns over the recent NEET-UG medical entrance exam results, the National Testing Agency (NTA) announced on Saturday that a four-member panel set up by the Education Ministry will re-examine the grace marks awarded to more than 1,500 candidates. This decision comes in response to allegations of irregularities in the results declared on June 4.
NTA Director General Subodh Kumar Singh clarified at a press conference that the integrity of this year’s National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) examination was not compromised. “The issue pertains to only about 1,600 candidates at six centres,” Singh stated.
“The awarding of grace marks has not impacted the qualifying criteria of the exam, and the review of results of the affected candidates will not impact the admission process,” he added. The committee is expected to submit its recommendations within a week, and the results for these students might be revised accordingly.
The controversy was sparked by the unprecedented achievement of 67 students scoring a perfect 720 out of 720 marks, with six of these students from the same exam centre in Haryana. This prompted many NEET-UG aspirants and the Opposition to allege irregularities in the examination results.
“Some students alleged that they got less time to take the exam because of the centre superintendent,” Singh explained, noting that the decision to award grace marks was based on a 2018 Supreme Court judgement. “There was a Supreme Court judgement in 2018… if there is a type of grievance about time loss (during exams), there is a formula and on that basis, compensation can be given. The committee thought that this way the grievance can be addressed… so, everyone’s marks have been increased.”
Addressing the specific issue raised by the Indian Medical Association (IMA) Junior Doctors Network regarding the statistical improbability of scoring 718 and 719 marks, Singh clarified that it was possible due to the scale formula used, not because of the negative marking system of +4-1.
The IMA Junior Doctors Network has called for a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry into the matter and sought a re-examination. “Some students have scored 718 and 719 marks, which is statistically questionable,” they wrote in a letter to NTA Chairperson Pradeep Kumar Joshi, questioning the logic behind the awarded grace marks.
The letter also raised concerns about the transparency of the process, citing discrepancies in the marks received by students compared to their OMR sheets, unrelated to the centres where grace marks were given.
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Dr Indranil Deshmukh, national convener of the IMA Junior Doctors Network, emphasized the improbability of scoring 718-719 marks due to the negative marking system. Additionally, state governments, including Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra, have demanded a re-examination of the marking process.
The NEET exam, conducted on May 5 at 4,750 centres across 571 cities, saw over 20.38 lakh students registering, with 11.45 lakh candidates qualifying. More than 80,000 MBBS seats are available in over 540 medical colleges across the country.
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