NEET exam integrity not compromised, no paper leak: NTA chief on ‘irregularities’

New Delhi: Days after many aspirants of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) alleged irregularities and inflation of marks leading to 67 candidates sharing first rank in the exam, National Testing Agency (NTA) Director General Subodh Kumar on Saturday reiterated that there was no paper leak.
Addressing a press conference, the NTA chief also said that authorities at the agency had analysed things and concluded that the issue was limited to just six exam centres.
Kumar also said the result of NEET candidates awarded grace marks might be revised and that the Education Ministry has set up a panel to re-examine the results of over 1,500 students. However, the admission process would not be impacted, he asserted. “We have analysed all the things transparently and declared the results,” Kumar said.
“Out of 4,750 exam centres, the problem was limited to six centres, and out of 24 lakh candidates, only 1,600 candidates were affected. The integrity of this exam throughout the country was not compromised,” he added. “We analysed our system and there was no paper leak,” Kumar said.
“There were certain issues raised by the candidates. This is the largest competitive exam in the world or country which happens in a single shift with about 24 lakh candidates and 4,750 centres. The scale of this examination is one of the largest. There were issues at about six centres affecting about 16,000 candidates because of the wrong distribution of question papers,” Kumar acknowledged.
“The candidates alleged that they got less time. We have replied in the High Court that we have formed a grievance addressal committee of experts, which would look into the details of time lost, including the reports from centre, CCTV footage,” he added.
The NTA DG also said that the compensation with grace marks in NEET-UG has not affected the qualifying criteria, and that the panel was reviewing the issue of grace marks and would submit its report within a week. Several aspirants of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) have alleged inflation of marks which led to a record 67 candidates bagging the top rank, including six from the same exam centre. The NTA, however, denied any irregularities and said the changes made in the NCERT textbooks and grace marks for losing time at the examination centres are some of the reasons behind the students scoring higher marks.