Explained | What is the NEET 2024 exam result controversy

As per the marking scheme, a candidate gets 4 marks for a correct answer and loses one mark for a wrong one. If a question is not attempted by the candidate, then no mark is rewarded for it. However, two NEET exam candidates scored 719 and 718 marks with AIR 68 and 69 respectively.

The NEET-UG exam which was conducted on May 5 and saw the participation of more than 24 lakh candidates, has recently stirred a controversy after the results were declared.

The results of the exam were scheduled to be released on June 14, but were instead released 10 days earlier on June 4.

Here are the key reasons as to why the NEET-UG results has sparked a controversy:

1 - 67 students scored perfect marks getting 720.

2 - Students scored 718, 719 marks which is impossible according to the NEET marking scheme.

3 - Releasing NEET-UG results 10 days earlier on June 4, same day when LS poll results were announced.

4 - Numerous NEET-UG 2024 toppers are from the same examination centre.

5 - Allegations of NEET question papers leaks.

An individual on X (formerly Twitter) explained the nature of the 'scam'.

Discrepancies in the NEET exam

The individual said, "NEET 2024 EXAM HAS BEEN A SCAM! I will try to explain everything in the form of a thread. Online registrations for NEET UG 2024 started on 9th Feb 2024 and were extended till 16th March. Everything was well and good up to that point."

The individual continued, explaining the re-opening of the online registrations for two days, saying, "All of a sudden, on April 9, NTA decided to re-open the online registrations for 2 days from April 9 to 10 due to 'Stake Holder's Requests'. Why would you re-open the registrations when you've already done it 2 times? And that too, a whole month later?"

Credit: X/@iamskwadhawan

The X user further explained that the NEET-UG exam was held on May 5 when on the same day there were allegations about the question paper being leaked.

The individual, online, further detailed, "In a centre in Rajasthan, students reported that the centre gave them the question paper with pre-marked answers then took it back. Hindi medium students received English paper."

The X user wrote in another thread, "NTA clarified it immediately on the same day that the exam was re-conducted for 120 students."

In the next threads, the individual questioned as to how and why the results of the exam were declared soon, about 10 days in advance and also mentioned how the eight students from the same examination centre in Haryana who secured AIR 62 to 69, had largely similar roll numbers.

Credit: X/@iamskwadhawan

Then, the individual highlighted the unusual fact that 67 students in a row on the list secured a perfect 720 score, but after that, two candidates scored 719 and 718 marks with AIR 68 and 69 respectively, which is not mathematically possible according to the marking scheme of the medical exam.

NEET marking scheme

According to the marking scheme, a candidate gets 4 marks for a correct answer and loses one mark for a wrong one. If a question is not attempted by the candidate, then no mark is rewarded for it.

What National Testing Agency said

The National Testing Agency (NTA) responded on the matter stating that they applied a normalisation formula to account for the time lost during the exam, resulting in some candidates receiving scores of 718 or 719.

About the earlier allegations of the NEET paper leak also, NTA clarified and claimed them to be 'completely baseless and without any ground'.

Asserting that every question paper has been 'accounted for', the NTA said that the purported images of the question paper circulating on social media have no relation to the actual paper.

It said, "It has been ascertained from NTA's security protocols and protocols and Standard Operating Procedures that the social media posts pointing towards any paper leak are completely baseless and without any ground."

The NTA added that there was one incident at a centre in Rajasthan’s Sawai Madhopur where some students forcibly took away the question papers before the exams ended, and a picture of this paper is being linked to the alleged incident of paper leak. The body termed it 'mischievous and preposterous.

The NTA announced on June 8, that the Education Ministry has set up a four-member panel to review the grace marks awarded to over 1,500 candidates in the NEET-UG exam.

A petition was filed before the Delhi High Court by an NEET-UG candidate raising grievance regarding a question that had two correct answers in the answer key.

A vacation bench of Justice D K Sharma has asked the NTA to seek instructions on the petition, which says that equal marks should be awarded to those who did not attempt the question as has been done for those who attempted either of the two correct answers.

NEET result controversy turns political

The issue has taken a political turn with several parties raising concerns about the authenticity of the NEET exam for medical courses.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi hit out at Prime Minister-designate Narendra Modi on June 9 over the NEET-UG medical entrance row, saying the alleged "irregularities" in the examination have devastated more than 24 lakh students.

The Congress leader assured students in the country that he would become their voice in the Parliament and strongly raise the issues related to their future.

In a post on X Gandhi wrote, "Narendra Modi has not even taken oath yet and the scam in NEET exam has devastated more than 24 lakh students and their families. Six students from the same exam centre top the exam with maximum marks, many get such marks which are technically not possible, but the government is continuously denying the possibility of paper leak."

He added, "Today, I assure all the students of the country that I will become your voice in Parliament and strongly raise the issues related to your future. The youth have expressed confidence in INDIA - INDIA will not allow their voice to be suppressed."

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also, on June 8, called for resolution of students' 'legitimate complaints' through an investigation saying, "First the NEET exam paper was leaked and now the students allege that there has been a scam in its results as well. Serious questions are being raised on 6 students of the same centre getting 720 out of 720 marks and many kinds of irregularities are coming to the fore."

She also said, "There are reports of many children committing suicide across the country after the results were announced, Gandhi said and asked, "Why is the government ignoring the voice of lakhs of students? Students want answers to legitimate questions related to the rigging in the NEET exam results." Party president Mallikarjun Kharge also demanded a Supreme Court-monitored probe into NEET exam result irregularities, and Jairam Ramesh, who is otherwise vocal on X as well, drew attention to this matter too.

Talking about the issue, Maharashtra Medical Education Minister Hasan Mushrif on June 8 said, "The NEET exams were probably conducted after taking money. The results are such that no student of Maharashtra will get admission for the MBBS course in government or private college in the state."

He said that the parents of many students have approached him seeking to address the issue.

He added, "This (the results) has caused injustice to Maharashtra, and it must be immediately cancelled. We are going to tell National Medical Council (NMC) about it."

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin took the opportunity to reiterate his government's opposition to the NEET exam, saying that the entrance test goes against social justice and federalism.

In a post on X, Stalin said, "Trends emerging from the latest NEET results have once again vindicated our principled opposition to the exam. Issues such as question paper leaks, clustering of toppers at specific centres, and award of marks, which are mathematically impossible, under the guise of grace marks highlight the pitfalls of the current Union Government’s centralisation."

He added, "These events emphasise the need to restore the preeminence of state governments' and school education system's role in determining criteria for professional course selection."

The Congress in Kerala on June 8 demanded a comprehensive probe into the allegations of irregularities in NEET 2024 results.

Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly V D Satheesan, in a letter to the Centre, said that many students from Kerala have personally expressed concerns about the NEET exam results.

"I write to demand a comprehensive investigation into the suspicious results of the recently published NEET results for 2024," the Congress leader said in the letter sent to the secretaries of the departments of the Higher Education and Health and Family Welfare of the Union Government.

Satheesan said that it was 'extremely alarming' to see that 67 students received full marks, with eight of them coming from the same examination centre.

"It should be noted that this figure is just two in 2023 and four in 2022. Furthermore, students received 719 and 718 marks out of 720, which is not theoretically achievable given the NEET exam format."

The fact that the results were announced 10 days before the proposed date casts 'considerable doubt' on the validity of the valuation procedure.