NEET 2024: According to senior officials who spoke with The Sunday Express, the Center is thinking about offering the NEET-UG exam online starting in the next year in response to the controversies surrounding the exam’s integrity. This occurs as news of alleged leaks triggering widespread demonstrations, over a dozen arrests, a CBI investigation, multiple court appearances, and now a Parliamentary impasse have negatively impacted the exam.
Updated Dates for Postponed Exams Announced
The updated dates for the tests that were postponed because of the NEET controversy have been made public by the National Testing Agency (NTA). The postponed UGC NET will now take place between August 21 and September 8, while the joint CSIR UGC-NET will now take place from July 25 to 27. The National Testing Agency (NTA), which administers the exam on behalf of the Health Ministry, has previously opposed calls to move NEET to an online format.
Shift to Computer-Based Testing
This year, there will be a big difference from previous years’ exams, computer-based testing will replace the pen-and-paper format. For admission to engineering colleges and IITs, however, a computer-based exam similar to the Joint Entrance Exam (JEE) Main or JEE Advanced is thought to be a feasible alternative. We have learned that within the past week, at least three high-level meetings were held to address this. In addition, on July 10, 2024, the National Common Entrance Test (NCET), which is also administered by the NTA, will take place.
Administration of JEE Exams
While the IITs themselves administer JEE Advanced, NTA administers JEE Main. IIT Madras served as its host this year. 1.8 lakh candidates took JEE Advance, compared to 8.2 lakh who took the JEE Mains. The Indian Coaching Federation’s experts have also offered recommendations. By switching to a computer-based testing modality for the NEET UG exams, cheating and paper leaks may be far less common. To improve overall security, digital question papers can be encrypted and accessed only during the exam.
Candidates taking computer-based exams can receive their results instantly, doing away with the need for drawn-out result compilation procedures. Students will receive quick feedback and the evaluation process would be streamlined as a result. Computer-based tests have the ability to modify a question’s difficulty level in response to a student’s answer. This can guarantee a more accurate evaluation of the skills and knowledge of the applicant.
