In response to proposed changes in the National Eligibility-Entrance Test for undergraduate medical courses (NEET UG), health activist Dr. Vivek Pandey has written a letter to the National Testing Agency (NTA), urging it to reconsider. These changes, suggested by a committee led by former ISRO chief Dr. K. Radhakrishnan, include an age and attempt limit for the test, as well as moving NEET to a multi-session online format. Dr. Pandey's letter, dated November 9, 2024, highlights the potential disadvantages these changes could pose for students, particularly those from economically weaker backgrounds.

Currently, NEET UG allows candidates of any age to attempt the test multiple times, provided they are at least 17 years old by the end of the admission year. However, the recent committee report recommends capping the number of attempts, setting an age limit, and transitioning the exam to an online or hybrid mode. The report also advises against using private exam centers, proposing a two-phase exam structure instead. These recommendations emerged after allegations of paper leaks in the 2024 NEET UG, prompting an investigation and calls for re-examination by students.

Concerns Over Age and Attempt Limits

Dr. Pandey's letter argues that age and attempt restrictions would unfairly disadvantage students from underprivileged backgrounds who may lack resources for early preparation. "For many such students, rushing into preparation at an early age is neither financially nor emotionally feasible, which could pressure them into costly coaching programs," he noted. Dr. Pandey, who has worked extensively as an RTI activist on healthcare and educational reforms, emphasized that these changes could also lead to increased mental health challenges among students, citing the stress associated with high-stakes exams.

Dr. Pandey referred to a past order by the National Medical Commission (NMC) that had removed age restrictions for NEET, promoting accessibility to medical education for all deserving candidates regardless of age. He argued that the proposed limitations would counteract the NMC's intentions by introducing new barriers for students who might need additional time or attempts to succeed in such a competitive exam. He urged the NTA to consider the spirit of the NMC’s order, which aimed to ensure equal access to medical education for all eligible aspirants.

Concerns About the Online, Multi-Session Format

Dr. Pandey also voiced concerns over the potential shift to a multi-session online format for NEET UG. While the committee recommended this format as a solution to logistical challenges, Dr. Pandey cautioned that it could lead to inconsistencies in question difficulty across different sessions. "Although normalization can adjust for variance, it cannot fully account for diverse exam conditions and experiences across different sessions," he wrote, emphasizing the need for uniformity in a national-level exam. He referenced a 2017 Supreme Court ruling that advocated for a single-session, paper-based exam format to maintain fairness, suggesting that the proposed changes could undermine this principle.

Normalization processes used in multi-session exams aim to balance scores, but Dr. Pandey argued that they cannot entirely level the playing field. Factors like technical issues, varied difficulty levels, and exam-center conditions could create disparities in performance that a single-session format might avoid. By shifting to a multi-session format, he contended, NEET could lose its core goal of providing a uniform merit list that ranks students fairly.

Proposal for a Two-Stage Exam Format

To address the logistical issues associated with NEET’s large applicant pool, Dr. Pandey proposed an alternative two-stage exam model, similar to the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) format. His suggested structure involves an initial screening stage, "NEET Pre," which would assess foundational knowledge and help filter candidates for a second, single-session, paper-based exam. "This model would allow the NTA to manage applicant numbers fairly, without the disparities that arise from multi-shift exams," he explained. A single-session NEET Mains would then be conducted nationwide, ensuring consistency in evaluation and compliance with the Supreme Court’s "One Nation, One Exam" mandate.

The two-stage format, he argued, would allow the NTA to manage large applicant volumes more effectively and maintain exam integrity. Dr. Pandey believes this model could provide a fair compromise by allowing an initial filtering process while preserving a unified merit list for final rankings. He urged the NTA to carefully consider the impact of any exam pattern changes on economically disadvantaged students, advocating for fair access to medical education.

(Input from various sources)

(Rehash/Yash Kamble/MSM)