NEET UG 2024 Results Controversy: Aspirants demand re-examination; NTA denies irregularities

NEW DELHI: The National Testing Agency (NTA) released the NEET UG 2024 results on 4 June 2024, sparking controversy and allegations of irregularities. Several aspirants have raised concerns about the inflation of marks, which led to an unprecedented 67 candidates achieving the top rank, including six from the same examination center in Haryana. The NEET UG exam was conducted on 5 May 2024 across 4,750 centers in 571 cities, including 14 abroad, for over 24 lakh candidates.

The NTA has denied any wrongdoing, attributing the higher scores to changes in NCERT textbooks and the awarding of grace marks for lost examination time. The NTA explained that these grace marks were given following representations about time lost during the exam, a decision based on a normalisation formula endorsed by the Supreme Court in 2018. This adjustment led to some candidates receiving marks ranging from 718 to 720.

Despite NTA's clarifications, many students and parents have expressed dissatisfaction. The Congress party criticized the results on social media, questioning the integrity of the process and calling for an investigation. Concerns have also been raised about students with consecutive roll numbers scoring identical marks, which some argue indicates potential irregularities.

A senior NTA official addressed the implementation of grace marks, noting that the discrepancy between old and new NCERT textbooks led to the adjustment of one question's answer key, increasing marks for 44 students. Additionally, the NTA has emphasized that the high number of top scorers is a result of the larger pool of candidates this year and the rigorous review process.