NEW DELHI: Continuing with past practice, National Testing Agency (NTA) on Thursday notified that the medical entrance test will be on pen-paper mode (OMR based) and to be delivered in a single-day-single-shift.
In the public notice, NTA stated, “As decided by the National Medical Commission (NMC), it is informed that the NEET (UG) – 2025 shall be conducted in Pen and Paper mode (OMR based) …”
On Jan 2, 2025, the Centre informed the Supreme Court that it would implement all corrective measures recommended by a seven-member expert panel on exam reforms, following its review of NTA’s conduct of the NEET-UG in 2024.
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Earlier, on August 2, 2024, the Supreme Court declined to annul the controversial NEET-UG 2024, citing insufficient evidence to suggest systemic leaks or malpractice that could compromise the integrity of the examination.
The Centre had constituted the high-level committee on June 22, 2024, under the chairmanship of former Indian Space Research Organisation chairperson K Radhakrishnan. The committee was tasked with ensuring transparency and evaluating the NTA’s operations. Among its recommendations include conducting the exam online or in a hybrid mode where online implementation is not feasible, avoiding private exam centres, transitioning to a two-phase exam pattern, and introducing limits on the number of attempts for NEET-UG.
While Thursday’s notification didn’t detail any changes in the exam, according to a senior official with the ministry of education, “Many of the changes like the online-hybrid mode have to be done in consultation with the health ministry and also need time. Therefore such changes can be done only in phased manner. Regarding the other reforms recommended by the high powered committee, NTA is working on them and whatever changes are rolled out this year will be informed in due time.”
In 2024, NTA conducted the NEET-UG for more than 24 lakh candidates across 4,750 centres in 571 cities, including 14 cities outside India. NEET-UG is the common entrance test for admission to undergraduate medical education in all medical institutions, as well as for admission to undergraduate courses in each of the disciplines i.e. Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery (BAMS), Bachelor of Unani Medicine and Surgery (BUMS), Bachelor of Siddha Medicine and Surgery (BSMS) and Bachelor of Homeopathic Medicine and Surgery (BHMS).
