NEET 2024: NTA confirms exam integrity, denies paper leak; Four-member panel to review grace marks
Following allegations of irregularities and inflated scores in the NEET 2024, National Testing Agency (NTA) Director General Subodh Kumar addressed these concerns during a press conference on Saturday, June 9.
Kumar has assured that there was no paper leak involved. He explained that the NTA’s analysis indicated the problem was restricted to only six exam centers.
Kumar mentioned that the results of NEET candidates who received grace marks might be revised. To address this, the Education Ministry has formed a four-member committee to re-examine the results of over 1,500 students. This panel will specifically review the grace marks awarded to 1,563 students, which were given due to “loss of exam time.”
Assurance on NEET 2024 Admission Process
Kumar said in a statement that “The awarding of grace marks has not impacted the qualifying criteria of the exam, and the review of the results of the affected candidates will not impact the admission process,” and that the committee will provide its recommendations within a week, and the results for these students may be revised accordingly.
He has also reassured that the admissions process would remain unchanged. Kumar highlighted the transparency of the NTA’s review, pointing out that the issue was limited to six out of 4,750 exam centers, affecting around 1,600 candidates out of 24 lakh. He confirmed that the overall integrity of the exam across the country had been maintained.
“We have analyzed all the things transparently and declared the results.Out of 4,750 exam centers, the problem was limited to six centers, and out of 24 lakh candidates, only 1,600 candidates were affected. The integrity of this exam throughout the country was not compromised,” Kumar stated. He further added, “We analyzed our system, and there was no paper leak.”
Addressing candidates’ concerns about time allocation, Kumar mentioned that an expert grievance redressal committee had been established to examine the details of time lost, including reports from exam centers and CCTV footage.
He also clarified that the compensation with grace marks in NEET-UG has not impacted the qualifying criteria. He said, “The candidates alleged that they got less time. We have replied in the High Court that we have formed a grievance addressal committee of experts, which would look into the details of time lost, including the reports from the center and CCTV footage.”
Despite several aspirants alleging inflated marks, resulting in a record 67 candidates sharing the top rank, including six from the same centers, the NTA denied any irregularities. The NTA attributed the higher scores to updates in the NCERT textbooks and the grace marks awarded for time lost at the exam centers.
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