NEET was introduced to make sure that there is a FAIR and SMOOTH selection of students for medical courses. MBBS was a sacred degree where the best of the country could study, only because of the NEET exam.
The 2024 results have been shocking for us all. The implications of the result are even more alarming.
I have always said that 650 is a safe score. But now, even 700 is not a safe score anymore. In this article, I aim to shed some light on the NEET 2024 scam and the urgent need for raising our voices. Let’s see how the exam is being turned into a joke.
Paper Leak
The paper leak reports have been filed BEFORE 5th May. This means that even after knowing that the paper has been leaked, NTA went ahead and conducted the exam.
Students begged for a postponement and hashtags like #postponeneet were trending on social media. NTA turned a blind eye to all the pleas and went ahead and conducted the paper anyway.
This was the first disappointment.
Although, it wasn’t confirmed earlier. Now, any layman can also take a look at the difference between the 2023 result and the 2024 result and say confidently that the paper had been leaked. There is no way that the cutoff increased so much in a year, even when the papers were of similar difficulty level.
Normalization? GRACE MARKS?
Another big reason that resulted in the increased competition is the ‘Grace Marks’ scam. NTA has never mentioned a grace mark scheme before this. There was nothing as such included in the information brochure.
NTA claims that the loss of 10-15 minutes in the exam hall due to mismanagement by staff was compensated by grace marks.
As a former NEET student, I am devastated by this baseless claim. Every student agrees that time must be compensated with time and not with marks. The students receiving these grace marks are also shocked and feel bad about it.
Another point to note is that the NTA has made no clarification about the number of marks awarded, they could be anywhere between 3 marks to 30 or even 50 marks. NEET aspirants know EVERY MARK MATTERS. There could be thousands of rank differences between two scores.
Impossible Scores
Students also received score cards with ambiguous scores of 718 and 719. According to the NEET marking system, 4 marks are awarded for the right answer and 1 mark is deducted for the wrong answer. This means that if a student has attempted 179 questions correctly, he is set to score 716. If they attempt another question, they can either score 720 or 715 based on whether the answer was right or wrong.
This means that 718 and 719 are impossible scores. The NTA has justified them again, saying that ‘NORMALIZATION’ has been done. Giving no insights on how the normalization is actually being carried out.
One of the students scoring such marks has also said that he did not attempt the last question. This claim only makes things worse and shows the incompetence of the NTA.
The Top Scorers Are From The Same EXAM CENTER!
On analyzing the top scorers, the students realized that there are about 5 people from the same centre in the top scorer list. It is highly unlikely that this is a coincidence. Although, we should not blame the students, until the truth comes out. We can estimate that there is a case of mismanagement from the NTA or the centre staff.
Grace marks have been avoided to these students thus bringing their scores up from 670-680 to 720.
It is also being said that the paper was delayed intentionally at a lot of centres.
The discrepancy
Not just the top scorers, a lot of students are claiming that they have received scores that are quite different from the expected scores.
Some claim that they were expecting a 500+ score and have received a score as low as 250. While others claim that their expected score of 100 has been increased to 600+ somehow.
These discrepancies have been largely overshadowed by the top scorers. NTA must also address the problems of these aspirants soon, every student has a right to justice.
The Sudden Release of Results on Election Day
NTA was supposed to release the results on June 14th initially. The sudden release of the result on 4th June was unexpected and shocking. This sudden release has been attributed to an attempt to suppress any news or rebel against the result.
Impact on Students and the Education System
Unfair Advantage
The primary victims of the NEET 2024 scam are the honest, hardworking students who have worked so hard to clear the exam. There are very few medical seats in India, these will be taken away from the deserving ones, just because of this scam.
Result manipulation gives an advantage to a select few people, making the entire process unjust.
Erosion of Trust
The NEET exam is a very important exam. The students who clear it are the doctors of the future India. Scandals like this erode trust in the examination process and also erode the trust that people place in doctors. This can have long-lasting effects on the credibility of medical education in the country.
Psychological Toll
For many students, especially droppers, preparing for NEET is a mentally taxing journey. Discovering that the exam was compromised can lead to a very bad psychological state. The families of such students also feel extremely betrayed during this time.
Why We Must Raise Our Voice
If we do not speak up right now, such scams will keep happening. We are the youth of India and we SHOULD raise our voice in such situations.
Spread Awareness
Use social media platforms and word of mouth to spread awareness about the NEET 2024 scam. Share information, personal experiences, and opinions to make sure that the voice is reaching the NTA.
Conclusion
The NEET 2024 scam is a grave injustice. We are the students who work hard and give up everything to study, we do not deserve this mess. We deserve results for our hard work and we deserve justice!
It is my humble request for everybody, not just NEET aspirants to speak up about this. If the medical system is compromised, every person in the nation will have to face the consequences.
People You Must Avoid in College
Dealing With Online Distractions.
