New Delhi: The National Testing Agency (NTA) has begun planning to shift the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET)-UG to a computer-based test (CBT) format amid the ongoing push for examination reforms following the 2024 paper leak controversy.
Sources told PTI that NEET-UG, which is set to be conducted as a computer-based test from 2027, will be held over at least six days across more than 1,000 examination centres.
NEET-UG is the country's largest undergraduate entrance examination, with nearly 25 lakh candidates appearing for the test every year.
Following the controversy over the alleged paper leak and other irregularities, the Union Government announced that the examination would transition from the traditional pen-and-paper format to a computer-based test. Deliberations between the Ministries of Education and Health on shifting NEET-UG to an online format have been underway for several years.
"Just like JEE, which is conducted for admission to engineering colleges, the exam will be spread over at least six days. The exam centres will be selected after scrutiny of their credibility and infrastructure," a source said, adding that a detailed plan is still being finalised.
The National Testing Agency conducts NEET every year for admission to medical colleges. A total of 1.08 lakh seats are available for the MBBS course.
Of these, around 56,000 seats are in government medical colleges, while nearly 52,000 are in private institutions. NEET scores are also used for admissions to undergraduate courses in Dentistry, Ayurveda, Unani and Siddha.
The proposal to shift NEET-UG to a computer-based format is not new and has been discussed several times in the past. However, the push for reform gathered momentum after the paper leak controversy.
In June 2024, the Ministry of Education constituted a high-level committee headed by former Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chairman K Radhakrishnan to recommend reforms to the examination system.
