The National Testing Agency (NTA) introduced NEET UG exam in the year 2019 with a motive of “one exam, one merit list and equal rules for all”. This step was taken to ensure uniformity and create equal opportunities for all students.
But the question arises: IsNEET UG creating equal opportunities?
Before NEET UG, different states had their own state board exams and students were allotted admissions based on state merit. The exam pattern was aligned with their syllabus and students competed within their academic framework.
The current NEET exam pattern is based on NCERT syllabus and requires advanced coaching to crack exams. However, these coaching institutes are inaccessible and expensive for many students. As the demand of coaching institutes is increasing, the concept of dummy schools is on rise and regular schooling is loosing its relevance. School education is gradually being replaced by coaching culture.
Earlier, NEET exam was conducted only at post graduate level. At PG level, all students were evaluated at equal levels, as competition was among students who had undergone the same five year curriculum during their UG training. But when it comes to NEET UG, students with NCERT syllabus definitely have an edge over state board students.
Moreover reports of paper leaks and challenges in translation have raised questions about fairness of the exam.
NEET UG definitely has its advantages like one nation, one test and merit based system. But we cannot overlook its drawbacks.
Final thought
Equal opportunity is not created by a single exam. It is created by providing equal access to resources and foundational education.
While NEET has its challenges, its biggest strength is creating a single, transparent gateway for medical entry. Before NEET, students had to juggle dozens of different exams, each with its own fees and patterns, which was both mentally and financially draining. Also this sets a standard for entry into medical education. Even with preparation for neet, many students find it difficult to cope up with medical education. I feel this filter is needed to prepare for what has yet to come. I do strongly feel that the reservation system has to be reformed for the system to stabilize.
Resources maybe a factor creating lack of fairness in competitive examinations. But at the same time, one national exam may treat all the students enrolled equally. Steps should be taken to provide equal learning opportunities for the preparation and a technical or mechanical glitch-free system of conducting and assessing such exams. Strict measures should be taken if there are any unfair means noted before, during and after the conduction of exams.
NEET solves the issue of applying at multiple colleges. Authorities must work to ensure that no paper leaks happen and regulate the syllabus throughout the country. The issue of dummy school system did not arise after NEET, it was in practice before it also.
You’ve done a great job explaining the reality of the NEET UG exam. The original idea of “one exam, one merit list” was to make admissions simpler. But as you rightly say, having just one exam focused on NCERT has created new kinds of unfairness.
The coaching centres are mushrooming everywhere for NEET preparation. Whether they provide quality preparation or not is secondary, but they are charging a bomb from students. The students from economically weaker sections might find it difficult to utilise these services.
Amazing insight. I find the concept of NEET to be fair in principle that a single examination gives every student the same paper, the same questions, the same evaluation criteria, and admissions purely based on merit. However, the way the exam is executed is definitely questionable. To increase the difficulty level, questions often go beyond the NCERT. While this may aim to filter candidates, it also creates an uneven playing field. Students with access to resources and expensive coaching institutions, often paying lakhs, come better prepared for this higher level of questioning. And that is where the unfair game begins.