Are freshers disadvantaged by NEET repeaters? Debate on

Rakshith had written the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) twice. Last month, he made his third attempt.

“I was forced by my parents who wanted me to take the test until my ranking improved,” Rakshith says.

The results will be out on June 14. If Rakshith fails to scale the wall built by his parents, then he would have to write NEET again. One more year. One more attempt.

This has become a trend in Karnataka. Students, after writing the NEET for the first time, take a break and have a go at it again to improve their rankings. Some blame parents. But there are students who do this on their own in search of that perfect rank.

Last year, there were 10,916 students who wrote NEET in Karnataka. Almost two-thirds of them were NEET repeaters, including those who had finished 2nd pre-university (or class 12) as far back as 2007. Only 3,904 of them - that’s 35% - wrote NEET for the first time. 

This minority has a view - unpopular as it may be - but one that they are voicing again ahead of the NEET results.

NTA’s toss-up

Their argument is based on a criterion the National Testing Agency (NTA) uses to decide when the score of two students is equal.

“If two candidates have the same score, NTA considers marks obtained in Biology. If the marks are the same, then they look at Chemistry. Then, Physics. Finally, they consider the date of birth. The older student gets the rank,” one NEET expert explains.

First-timers want the NTA to impose some curbs on repeaters in order to create a level-playing field.

“Not everyone has the privilege of rejecting the rank to re-appear for NEET by losing a year,” Srivari, a parent, says.

‘No II PU pressure’

“As freshers, we face the pressure of competing with repeaters. While we have to also study for the main II PU board exam, repeaters have no such pressure. It’ll be easy for repeaters to score better in NEET,” Kasturi, a student, says.

Dr H J Jai Krishna, a senior Syndicate member at Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Science (RGUHS), feels that NTA should formulate some guidelines for students attempting NEET more than once.

“This trend of more and more repeaters taking NEET is causing disadvantage for freshers. Authorities must think of some solution,” Dr Krishna, a dental fellow at the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons, Glasgow, says.

Negative marking

“Measures could include mentioning the number of attempts on the NEET score card and deducting a certain percentage of marks with every subsequent attempt,” he says, adding that NTA can think of removing negative marking for freshers. 

Educationist Supreeth B R says an age limit can be imposed on students writing NEET. 

“The typical age range for NEET candidates is 17-18 years, but there are instances of individuals aged above 30 writing it. We can also have different criteria for age groups to ensure fairness and equal opportunities,” he says.

Those on the other side have an unwavering argument.

“Why shouldn’t a student be allowed to try again?” Chikkaballapur MLA Pradeep Eshwar, who continues to teach at his Parishrama NEET Academy, says, pointing out that he has 900 students who are repeaters.

‘Don’t ignore I PU’

“I advise students to study classes 11 and 12 seriously, which will help them to crack NEET easily,” Eshwar says.

“In most cases, students score high in II PU, but not in NEET. That’s mainly because they ignore I PU and concentrate only on II PU. But NEET gives equal importance to classes 11 and 12,” he explains.

Former RGUHS vice-chancellor Dr K S Ravindranath says re-taking NEET becomes inevitable for many students. “A good rank means a government-quota seat. Not everyone can afford a medical seat in a private college if it isn’t under the government-quota. This forces students to write NEET again,” he says.

(Some names have been changed to protect identity)