'NEET Not Neat': Why Students Are Alleging Gaps in Results, Demanding Re-Exam
A discrepancy that students pointed out was candidates being awarded 718 or 719 marks, which is “impossible”.
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“I have come here with my son to support him in this fight. I urge other parents to do so too lest our children take any drastic step. NEET is a tough exam, and our children are under immense pressure because of the results,” said Hari Om Dubey from Uttar Pradesh's Kannauj on Monday, 10 June.
(Photo: The Quint/ Aakriti Handa)
Dubey and his son Harsh were among the hundreds of students who staged a protest in Delhi against the alleged irregularities in NEET 2024 results that were declared by the National Testing Agency (NTA) on 4 June. Approximately 24 lakh students had appeared in the medical entrance exam this year.
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Several student bodies – including Krantikari Yuva Sangathan (KYS), Birsa Ambedkar Phule Students Association (BAPSA), Student Federation of India (SFI), and All India Students Association (AISA) – led the protest in front of the Ministry of Education in central Delhi on Monday, 10 June and demanded a re-exam.
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Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) also protested outside the NTA building and demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry into the matter.
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Heavy security – including the Rapid Action Force (RAF) – was stationed outside the Education Ministry ahead of the student protest even as day-time temperatures in the capital city rose to 44 degrees Celsius.
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23-year-old Harsh Dubey, a resident of Kannauj, has been preparing for the exam in Rajasthan’s Kota for the last four years. He said that he came to Delhi last week to bring the discrepancies in NEET results to light.
“A total of 67 aspirants have scored a full 720 marks. Of these, six are from the same exam centre in Haryana, as is evident from their consecutive roll numbers. Besides, these six students don’t have their surnames mentioned,” Harsh alleged to The Quint. He asserted that the question paper “was leaked” and recalled reports of the paper leak last month.
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Two days after the NEET exam was conducted on 5 May, the Bihar police had arrested 13 people in connection with allegations of leaking this year’s question paper.
According to news agency PTI, investigations in the case so far have revealed that the question papers and their answers were provided to around 35 aspirants before the exam.
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However, in a press conference held on Saturday, 8 June, NTA Director General Subodh Kumar said, "We analysed our system, and there was no paper leak."
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Another discrepancy that the students pointed out was that some candidates were awarded 718 and 719 marks, which they said was “impossible” considering the exam’s marking scheme – four marks for a correct answer and negative one for an incorrect answer.
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“The NEET exam has a total of 200 questions, of which students are supposed to attempt 180. Even if a student gets only one question wrong, he/she scores 715 marks [(179x4)-1]. And if a student attempts all questions correctly but leaves one question, he/she scores 716 marks [179x4]. Hence, scoring 718 or 719 marks is not possible,” explained Faisal Mabood, a NEET expert based out of Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.
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After students raised these concerns, the NTA on 6 June posted a statement from their official handle on X. It said that 1,563 candidates – including two who got 718 and 719 – were awarded compensatory marks due to loss of time as per a 2018 judgment of the Supreme Court. The statement added, “Out of the 67 candidates who got 720/720 marks, 44 are on account of the revision in one answer key of Physics and six are on account of compensatory marks for loss of time.” The NTA also said that the number of toppers has increased because of the increase in candidates.
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“On what basis was loss of time calculated? The exam was conducted at 4,750 centres across India. Were CCTVs cameras checked in all these centres to identify which student lost how much time? There is no clarity on the formula used to calculate grace marks due to loss of time. We are only learning about this now. Why was this not mentioned by the NTA ahead of conducting the exam?” asked Dhruv Tangdi, a NEET aspirant, who prepared for the exam without any coaching.
The 22-year-old told The Quint that he was expecting a rank between 9,000 and 10,000, but was awarded a rank of 45,000, which is “very unusual” and points to inconsistencies in the conduct of the exam.
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“The Supreme Court judgment cited by the NTA does not hold true in this case because – a) it was not for admission to medical and engineering institutes, and b) additional seats be given proportional to the students who were awarded grace marks,” claimed Dr Dhruv Chauhan, National Coordinator, Indian Medical Association-Junior Doctor Network (IMA-JDN).
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He said that as a result of grace marks, many students have not been able to get good ranks and colleges despite scoring well. “For instance, 650 marks would have made for a good percentile last year. But this year, students with 650 marks are not even getting into a good college,” Dr Chauhan explained.
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Faisal pointed out that the 2018 judgment was for the conduct of Common Law Admission Test (CLAT), an online exam, and loss of time can be calculated based on several factors such as frozen screen or software crash. “But on what basis is it being calculated for NEET, which is an offline exam?” he asked.
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The Education Ministry and the NTA said that a four-member panel will be formed to review the results of those 1,500 students who were awarded grace marks for loss of time. According to The Indian Express, a former UPSC chairman and three other academicians have been selected for this panel, and the verdict on revaluation is expected before Saturday, this week.
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“Revaluating marks of those 1,563 students is also not entirely fair. The ranks of many students have been affected due to these irregularities. And the logic behind the allocating grace marks in the range 20 to 720 still remains unclear,” said Dr Roshan Mohiddin, a veterinary doctor and member of Students Islamic Organisation of India (SIO).
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He filed a public interest litigation (PIL) in the Supreme Court on Monday, 10 June, demanding fresh conduct of the exam, a stay on the counselling and strict punishment for the guilty.
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The Congress party attacked the central government over the irregularities in the NEET exam. Party leader Rahul Gandhi said on 8 June, "Narendra Modi has not even taken oath yet and the scam in NEET exam has devastated more than 24 lakh students and their families.”
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Priyanka Gandhi too raised concerns of students dying by suicide after the results were announced. “This is very sad and shocking.” According to a report in The Times of India, 18-year-old Bagisha Tiwari allegedly died by suicide in Kota a day after the results were out.
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"We will sit for a hunger strike on Jantar Mantar till the government takes note of the discrepancies in NEET and student suicides," Hari Om Dubey said.
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