Medical entrance exam reforms could include II PU scores, multiple NEET attempts

Stakeholders suggest considering II PU score for NEET ranking, multiple exam system

A high-level consultation on reforming the country's medical entrance examination has produced a slate of recommendations that include awarding weightage to pre-university scores in NEET rankings, introducing multiple exam attempts modeled on civil services recruitment, and deploying artificial intelligence to draft question papers.

The Centre for Educational and Social Studies (CESS) convened the discussion at the Institute of Social and Economic Change (ISEC) in Bengaluru on Thursday, gathering students, medical educators, and policymakers to shape inputs for the high-powered task force examining National Testing Agency (NTA) reforms under Nandan Nilekani's leadership. CESS will consolidate the proposals and submit them as formal recommendations ahead of the September 13 deadline for suggestions.

Scale and logistics drive calls for change

S. Somanath, former chairman of ISRO and a member of the task force, highlighted the logistical strain of administering the National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test to approximately 23 lakh students annually. He drew a contrast with the Joint Entrance Examination, which accommodates around 15 lakh candidates through a computer-based format with multiple attempts. "Therefore, we need to think about conducting the NEET exam in multiple attempts as well," he said.

Somanath also pointed to opacity in the current question-paper preparation process. "Experts from Indian Institute of Technologies (ITIs) prepare the question papers for the JEE. However, there is no proper information about who prepares the NEET question papers," he observed. He called for the involvement of expert professors and subject specialists, adding that artificial intelligence should be employed in drafting the papers.

II PU weightage and attempt caps proposed

M.K. Ramesh, president of the Medical Assessment and Rating Board at the National Medical Commission, pressed for a fundamental restructuring of the examination calendar and scoring system. He advocated assigning weightage to second-year pre-university board examination scores when calculating NEET ranks. Ramesh further suggested scheduling NEET within a week of board examinations to ease student stress. "Instead of a single centralised exam, the multiple exam system is better. In the model of Union Public Service Commission, NEET should have limited attempts," he added.

Technology to curb impersonation and paper leaks

Dr. Devi Prasad Shetty, founder of Narayana Health, who participated by videoconference, flagged reports of impersonation in NEET examinations. "It is necessary to effectively prevent acts this using technology, including biometric attendance," he said.

Bhagawan B.C., Vice-Chancellor of Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences, detailed measures for digitally transmitting question papers to eliminate the risks associated with physical handling and logistics.

Standardisation and psychological burden

A student attending the consultation underscored the need for balanced difficulty levels across subjects in each examination cycle. "For example, if the physics question paper is tough, then biology should be easy. If the maths question paper is moderate, then chemistry would be tough. It is necessary to adopt a specific standard while preparing the question papers. This will ensure that there is no injustice," the student said.

A psychiatrist from the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro-Sciences raised concerns about parental pressure surrounding NEET preparation. "It is common for parents to put pressure on their children for the NEET exam. It is not right to impose the burden of their expectations on the children without knowing their potential and ability," he said.

The consultation's recommendations now await consolidation by CESS before being forwarded to the Nilekani-led task force, which is examining broader reforms to the National Testing Agency's examination architecture.

Source: The Hindu