The National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test-Undergraduate (NEET-UG) is the country’s largest entrance exam, with over 24 lakh candidates appearing this year, setting a new record. According to Section 14 of the National Commission for Indian System of Medicine Act, 2020, NEET (UG) serves as the uniform entrance test for admission to undergraduate courses like BAMS, BUMS, and BSMS in all medical institutions governed under the Act.
In line with the NEP 2020, NEET (UG) has been conducted in 13 languages in recent years. These languages include Assamese, Bengali, English, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, and Urdu.
The Education and Health Ministries are currently deliberating on whether the NEET-UG medical entrance exam should continue in pen-and-paper mode or transition to an online format. For more details, read the full story below.
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan stated on Tuesday that the Education and Health Ministries are discussing whether the NEET-UG medical entrance exam should be conducted in pen-and-paper mode or online, with a decision expected soon.
The Education Ministry, in collaboration with the Health Ministry led by Union Minister JP Nadda, has already held two rounds of talks on this matter. Currently, NEET-UG is conducted offline in pen-and-paper mode, where students answer multiple-choice questions on an OMR sheet. The 2024 NEET-UG exam was also held in this format.
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan stated, “The administrative ministry for NEET is the Health Ministry, and we are in discussions with them about whether NEET should be conducted in pen-and-paper mode or online. We have held two rounds of talks with the Health Ministry, led by JP Nadda. Whatever option is deemed best suited for conducting the exam, the NTA is prepared to undertake the exercise.”
According to media reports, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said that a decision on NEET’s mode of examination is expected soon, with reforms set to be implemented in the 2025 edition. “What will be NEET’s methodology, what will be the protocol…a decision is expected soon. We will notify it soon,” he quoted.
The idea of switching NEET to a Computer-Based Test (CBT) mode is not new and has been discussed multiple times in the past. However, the push for these exam reforms gained momentum following the paper leak controversy earlier this year.
The NTA conducts the NEET every year for admission into medical colleges. A total of 1,08,000 seats are available for the MBBS course, with approximately 56,000 seats in government hospitals and about 52,000 seats in private colleges. The NEET results are also used for admissions to undergraduate courses in Dentistry, Ayurveda, Unani, and Siddha.