NEET Controversy: NTA Explains How 67 Candidates Bagged 1st Rank in NEET UG 2024

New Delhi: The announcement of NEET (UG) 2024 results has sparked significant controversy, with allegations of discrepancies, arbitrariness, and potential malpractices coming to light. The National Testing Agency (NTA), responsible for conducting the examination, faced scrutiny over an unprecedented number of candidates securing perfect scores and other anomalies in the results. Concerns were raised regarding the integrity of the examination process, leading to public outcry and legal challenges.

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The National Testing Agency (NTA) has provided a detailed explanation for the unusually high number of perfect scores in NEET (UG) 2024, addressing various factors that contributed to this outcome.

Increase in the Number of Candidates

One primary reason for the higher number of top scorers is the increase in the number of candidates. In 2023, 20,38,596 candidates appeared for the exam, while in 2024, the number rose to 23,33,297. The larger pool of candidates naturally led to a higher number of high scorers.

Physics Question Answer Key Revision

The NTA received 13,373 challenges to the provisional answer key for a specific Physics question. The challenges arose due to differences between the old and new editions of the NCERT textbook. After review by subject experts, it was determined that two options were correct instead of one. This revision was made to ensure fairness and accuracy, addressing inconsistencies in the textbooks.

Compensatory Marks

Out of the 67 candidates who achieved a perfect score of 720/720, 44 benefitted from the revision of the Physics question answer key, and 6 received compensatory marks due to loss of exam time. The compensatory marks were awarded based on a mechanism established by a Supreme Court judgment to ensure that candidates affected by time loss were not disadvantaged.

Nationwide Distribution of Toppers

It is noteworthy that the candidates who scored perfect marks come from various parts of the country, reflecting a broad distribution of high achievers across different regions. These measures and adjustments were implemented to maintain the integrity and fairness of the NEET (UG) 2024 examination, ensuring that all candidates were evaluated on a level playing field.