NEET-PG 2024: Private centres avoided for better monitoring, says NBEMS chief

Private entrepreneur institutes have been avoided while choosing NEET-PG 2024 centres for better monitoring, and the test is being held in two shifts on 11 August to eliminate any possibility of malpractice, NBEMS (National Board of Examination in Medical Sciences) president Dr Abhijat Sheth said on Thursday.

The exam, which is conducted by NBEMS along with its technical partner TCS, has been embroiled in controversy over allegations of paper leak twice, both of which have been rejected by the authorities. The NEET-PG was cancelled on 22 June, a day before it was scheduled to be held.

"We are relying on TCS iON centres and AICTE-affiliated institutes to hold the exam this time for better supervision and also to stem any possibility of malpractice. A few private entrepreneur centres have been roped in where there are no TCS iON/ AICTE-affiliated institutes available," Dr Sheth told PTI.

Also, the aim behind holding the exam in two shifts is also to ensure that students do not have to travel too far, he added. "We have ensured that students are issued exam centres in the same state as per their given address while filling up forms, to the best extent possible," Dr Sheth said.

The NEET-PG will be held on a pan-India basis for more than 2.28 lakh candidates at 416 examination centres in 170 cities. The exam will be conducted in two shifts and the scores of the candidates will be normalised, Dr Sheth stated.

The centres which were classified as high-risk by TCS based on their audit have been removed from the list.

"Holding in shifts and normalisation is an old and legitimate process for conducting exams in India. Institutions like IITs, AIIMS, etc are conducting examinations in multiple shifts," Dr Sheth said.

Over some candidates being reassigned exam centres on 4 August, he said that was because of the addition of new centres to further reduce inter-state travel for some of the candidates, as per suggestions from the health ministry.

Dr Sheth stated that 90 per cent of students have been allotted test centres within the state of their correspondence address, and the remaining students have been allotted centres in nearby states due to limitations of testing seats in their own correspondence state. Admit cards for the exam were released on Thursday, he said.

The NBEMS on Wednesday dismissed claims of some "unscrupulous agents" on social media platforms saying they had access to the 2024 NEET-PG exam questions, and said it has filed a police complaint. In a notice, the board said the false claims have been made on a Telegram channel called "NEET-PG LEAKED MATERIAL".

It asked NEET-PG candidates not to be lured or misled by such "unscrupulous elements" who are trying to befool them by claiming to have access to the questions.

"All candidates are assured that the question papers for NEET-PG 2024 are yet to be prepared by the NBEMS and claims of paper leak made in social media platforms are bogus," it said in the notice.

The NBEMS said it has already registered a police complaint against such fraudsters and their accomplices. The NBEMS also wrote to district administrations on 1 August, asking them to ensure the smooth conduct of the NEET-PG 2024 so that its integrity and sanctity are preserved.

Official sources maintained that the letter contained general instructions and a needless hype is being created by alleging that it has been leaked. The letter from Dr Sheth stated that given the critical nature of the examination, which significantly impacts the academic and professional future of a large number of medical students, "it is imperative to ensure that the process is conducted in a secure and uninterrupted manner".

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court agreed to hear on Friday a plea seeking postponement of the NEET-PG 2024 examination, which claimed that candidates have been allocated cities that are highly inconvenient for them to reach and requires normalisation of scores.

A bench comprising Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud and justices J.B. Pardiwala and Manoj Misra on Thursday took note of the submissions of lawyer Anas Tanwir on the issue.