The Ministry of Education is working on a national examination-grade Computer-Based Testing (CBT) infrastructure strategy to enable the shift of NEET from pen-and-paper mode to an online format, officials said.
A final decision on the move will be taken after the government receives the report of the Nandan Nilekani-led task force set up to reform IndiaтАЩs public examination system.
The move follows the NEET paper leak earlier this year, after which the Centre announced that the medical entrance exam would be conducted in CBT mode from next year. Officials said that once the infrastructure strategy is in place, the plan is to move all entrance exams online.
CENTRE WORKS ON NATIONAL CBT INFRASTRUCTURE
At present, NEET is held in pen-and-paper mode, while the National Testing Agency conducts several other exams, including JEE-Main, CUET-UG and PG, UGC-NET and CSIR UGC-NET, as computer-based tests. The strategy being prepared is aimed at ensuring a smoother shift to online testing across exams.
“A national examination-grade Computer-Based Testing infrastructure strategy is being formulated to close the geographic gap in test-centre availability, standardise centre-level examination-grade specifications and to permit the migration to CBT from the pen-and-paper mode examinations. The strategy is under active consideration based on a multi-model sourcing architecture,” a senior Ministry of Education official told PTI on condition of anonymity.
The development comes amid an ongoing overhaul of the NTA, the autonomous body that conducts NEET-UG and other entrance examinations for higher educational institutions.
NEET CBT PLAN TO CONSIDER RURAL AND LOW-CONNECTIVITY AREAS
“The possible migration of NEET (UG) from the pen-and-paper mode to CBT, including the design of the transition, the sequencing, the infrastructure prerequisites, and the equity implications for rural, women and low-connectivity-district candidates, is being worked upon.
“However, the recommendations of the High-Level Task Force on exam reforms in structured consultation and concurrence of the Health Ministry and National Medical Commission, are awaited,” the official said.
NILEKANI TASK FORCE REPORT AWAITED
The leak of the NEET-UG paper earlier this year triggered student protests across the country and led to the resignation of then Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan. A day later, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a high-powered task force headed by Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani to suggest reforms to make the examination system leakproof. The panel is yet to submit its report.
NEET-UG is the countryтАЩs largest undergraduate entrance examination, with nearly 25 lakh candidates appearing for it. The test is conducted annually for admission to medical colleges, where 1,08,000 MBBS seats are available. Of these, around 56,000 are in government hospitals and about 52,000 in private colleges.
NEET scores are also used for admission to undergraduate courses in Dentistry, Ayurveda, Unani and Siddha.
NEET ONLINE EXAM PLAN
The idea of moving NEET to CBT mode has been discussed several times in the past, but the latest push has come after the paper leak controversy.
The government is now working on the infrastructure and transition plan while waiting for the task forceтАЩs recommendations before taking a final call.
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