NEET reform consultation weighs II PU weightage, multiple attempts

A consultation on reforming the National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test (NEET) has thrown up a range of suggestions, from giving weightage to second-year pre-university (II PU) marks in ranking to holding the exam more than once a year.

The discussion was organised by the Centre for Educational and Social Studies (CESS) on Thursday at the Institute of Social and Economic Change (ISEC) in Bengaluru, bringing together students and experts from various fields. CESS plans to consolidate the inputs and submit them as recommendations to the high-powered task force examining National Testing Agency (NTA) reforms, which is headed by Nandan Nilekani. Suggestions can be submitted until September 13.

S. Somanath, former chairman of ISRO and a member of the task force, noted that roughly 23 lakh students take NEET each year, posing a significant logistical challenge for the NTA, while about 15 lakh appear for the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE). Since the JEE is computer-based and allows multiple attempts, he said, the possibility of conducting NEET over multiple attempts merits consideration.

He also pointed to the question-paper process, observing that while experts from Indian Institutes of Technology prepare JEE papers, there is little clarity on who sets NEET papers. He called for involvement of expert professors and subject specialists, along with the use of artificial intelligence in preparing question papers.

M.K. Ramesh, president of the Medical Assessment and Rating Board at the National Medical Commission, argued for factoring II PU scores into the award of NEET ranks. He suggested holding NEET within a week of the board examinations to ease stress on students, and said a multiple-exam system would be preferable to a single centralised test. Drawing a parallel with the Union Public Service Commission model, he favoured limiting the number of attempts.

Narayana Health founder Dr Devi Prasad Shetty, who joined via videoconference, said incidents such as impersonation had been reported in the NEET exam and stressed the need to prevent them through technology, including biometric attendance.

Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences Vice-Chancellor Bhagawan B.C. explained how question papers could be transmitted digitally to avoid human intervention and logistical risks.

A student at the meeting called for standardisation in question-paper setting, suggesting that difficulty be balanced across sections — if a physics paper is tough, biology should be easy, and if mathematics is moderate, chemistry could be tough — so that no candidate faces injustice.

A psychiatrist from NIMHANS flagged the pressure parents often place on children preparing for NEET, saying it is wrong to impose expectations on children without understanding their potential and ability.