NEET-UG is likely to go online as the Centre in considering transitioning the national eligibility-cum-entrance test for undergraduate medical studies to a computer-based format similar to JEE-Mains in coming years. The development comes after reports of irregularities in this year’s test.
Sources close to the development said, as reported by Hindustan Times, “The idea has been doing the rounds in the committee concerned that has been assigned the job of making relevant changes but no formal direction has been issued so far. The controversy surrounding the competitive examinations (NEET-UG and other examinations) recently has added steam to the thought that there is a need for these exams to go online.”
“There are some 4,000 centres where the test is held across the country and to equip all those with computers and relevant infrastructure will be a challenge. However, there is no denying that it will be a good idea to conduct these exams online like JEE mains,” another official said requesting anonymity. However, this would require ‘major scaling up’.
The Supreme Court on Monday asked the National Testing Agency (NTA) and Centre to file their affidavits with all the details and sought a status report from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on July 10 in the NEET UG exam.
The Supreme Court on Monday said that there is no doubt that the NEET-UG held on May 5 was compromised by a question paper leak and asked the National Testing Agency (NTA) to apprise it about the steps taken to identify the candidates who benefited from the paper leak.
The case will be heard next on July 11.
A bench of Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra also asked the NTA to inform them about the steps taken by it to identify the centres/cities where leaks of paper took place and the modalities followed to identify beneficiaries of the leak and how the leak was disseminated.
