Who Conducts the NEET?

Hello, future doctors. 🙂

In 2017, the Ministry of Education, Government of India, set up the National Testing Agency (NTA) as a separate body under the Ministry of Education. Their job was to run tests for people who wanted to go to medical and engineering colleges. Our medical entrance test called NEET is one of those exams that is administered by the National Testing Agency.

Getting to Know NTA: The NEET Basics

Things were pretty bad with the multiple medical entrance exams before NTA came around. Different bodies and institutions like state governments, CBSE, AIIMS, and JIPMER were holding various exams, each with its pattern and level of difficulty. A single, unified body had to be put together right away. That’s why NTA was made! NTA was founded in 2017 to give everyone a fair opportunity at the medical entrance exam, regardless of where they came from. (“Why did the NEET exam come about?”)

NTA’s Story: From Start to Present

The Ministry of Human Resource Development (formerly the Ministry of Education) announced the foundation of the NTA in November 2017.

By 2018, the NTA was fully in charge of entrance exams like NEET, JEE MAINS, and others. It brought about a paradigm shift in examination processes by adopting new assessment approaches and improved practices.

(This might sound sweet and easy right now, but when the body was formed during our year, it faced a lot of criticism, lol. If I’m not too outdated and politically incorrect – it still gets a lot of flak ?)

From Idea to Reality: NTA’s Journey

By 2018, NTA had mastered the art of administering exams. (Not really,lol). This changed how tests were given. The tests were better because they used new methods and question types.

What NTA Does: It’s More Than Questions

Ok, so let’s get to the point – what does NTA do? It not only decides the questions that you’ll grapple with during the exam but also:

• designs challenging and intellectually stimulating questions that test the deep understanding and analytical skills of candidates.
• strategically sets up exam centers so that students across the country can access them, whether in the hustle and bustle of the city or a village.
• Uses the latest technology to protect the integrity of the exam – to prevent cheating – (taking a phone won’t be beneficial; jammers are installed at exam centers)
• Promptly ( with one exception: screw you 2021 batch ) announces results with transparency and provides answer keys and scorecards. (as long as there isn’t a six-month court case on counseling—the class of 2021 cries in the corner.)
• Takes feedback to reduce stress and improve the overall examination experience. (It doesn’t make a difference; NTA gets criticized every year, haha.)

When NEET Met NTA: A Perfect Match

Imagine NTA as the dad and NEET as the daughter exam. NTA exams to be standardized.

NTA streamlined the offline pen and paper mode, which meant fewer mistakes and faster results. (LOL, that’s not right but I have to be politically correct here.)

NEET Everywhere: NTA’s Big Reach

Guess what? NEET covers India like a big party, and NTA is the party planner. The entire country is invited because NEET is conducted in 13 different languages, and there are exam centers all over cities and towns. Before NTA was formed, NEET was conducted in only two languages- English and Hindi.

Before NTA was formed, the reach of the NEET exam was localized to the big metro cities. However, now it’s conducted in more than 554 centers across the nation.

NTA’s vision is to democratize education, fulfilling the dreams of students from every corner of the country.

NTA’s Effect: Changing How We Study

Pause and think about this – NTA isn’t just changing the exam pattern and process. It’s altering how we prepare for them. You won’t get marks by just mugging up!

NTA did change the game on this – NTA wants us to understand concepts, think smartly, and solve problems. So, as you gear up for NEET, you’re also preparing to be a sharp future doctor. A doctor with prompt decision-making and critical thinking.

Facing Challenges and What’s Next

No significant journey is without challenges. NTA’s job is managing India-wide entrance level exams with more than 20 lac applicants.

It has to overcome the challenges of reducing cheating incidents and the cross-country cheating rackets that are emerging.

Also, in my opinion, it has to increase the level of questions to a slightly harder and trickier level so that there is a bigger difference in scores and less fierce competition.

From the beginning to becoming the main force behind NEET, the changes that the NTA has made show fairness, honesty, and creativity. Not only does it help people who want to become doctors get in, it also sets a new standard for tests conducting exams of such a huge scale in one day.

Get your ball pens out and start practicing. And as I always say, in case you need any help or guidance, you know who to reach out to. (*Whispers* -“Us.“)