NEET PG 2024 Results Controversy: Call for Transparency and Answer Keys

The National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) announced the NEET PG 2024 result on August 23, 2024. Following the result announcement, a lot of candidates have complained about discrepancies with their NEET PG result 2024, citing improper normalisation and a lower rank than expected. The candidates are asking NBE to release the raw score, normalised scores, and official answer key due to their lower rank compared to last year's NEET PG marks vs rank data.

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NBE's Non-Disclosure Agreement prevents them from releasing the official NEET PG answer key, but various leading coaching institutes release unofficial NEET PG answer keys that are based on memory-based questions received from candidates who took the NEET PG exam. Several candidates were expecting higher scores and better ranks based on the unofficial NEET PG 2024 answer key, but they were surprised to find their NEET PG marks to be relatively low, which resulted in a lower rank.

Supreme court hearing on NEET PG: Latest updates

The Supreme Court will hear NEET PG 2024 controversy case on September 20. The apex court on September 13 sought response from NBE over releasing of NEET PG answer key and question papers. The petition was filed by aspirants regarding the transparency of the NEET PG result, as well as the normalisation of scores by NBE.

The NEET PG result was announced on August 23, 2024. NEET PG candidates filed their petition on September 7, 2024, and a panel that includes CJI DY Chandrachud, Justice Manoj Misra, and JB Pardiwala is hearing it.

As per the petition filed, students have requested the Supreme Court to instruct NBEMS to release the NEET PG answer key for all shifts, response sheets, raw and normalised scores, and normalised results. The petitioners have raised concerns and pointed out that the NEET PG counselling, which is to be commenced on September 20 should be suspended until students' concerns are resolved. The petitioners have asserted that releasing the NEET PG answer keys and question papers for NEET PG should be standard practice to guarantee complete transparency.

Why is the NEET PG 2024 result raising concerns?

The NEET PG 2024 result has become the centre of attraction for various reasons since it was declared by NBE. The normalisation process has caused controversy due to candidates' claims of major discrepancies. Some of the major concerns that have arisen after the NEET PG result 2024 are:

• The NEET PG application form for 2024 was filled out by 2,28,540 candidates. Out of these, 2,16,094 candidates appeared for the NEET PG 2024. The NEET PG 2024 exam saw around 2185 candidates score above the 99 percentile, which is undoubtedly a high number given the difficulty level of the exam.

• The unofficial answer key for the NEET PG 2024 exam has been released by several coaching institutes since it was conducted. Based on the unofficial answer keys, the candidates were anticipating a much higher score than what they received after the result announcement. To ensure transparency in the NEET PG result, candidates are requesting the release of the official answer key for NEET PG 2024.

• The highly unusual increase in candidates' ranks is also a major concern for students. The candidates were expecting a much better rank than they actually achieved when compared to the NEET PG marks and rank data from previous years.

NEET PG 2024 controversy: Students express their views

The NEET PG 2024 result has been criticised by thousands of students on social media and they are questioning the integrity of NBE. A user wrote on “X”, “In high-stake exams like NEET PG with multiple sets and normalisation, transparency is crucial. NBE should release the answer keys, make the normalisation process public, and display the raw scores of each student. This would ensure fairness and build trust in the system”.

Another user highlighting the unusual NEET PG marks vs rank writes, “According to the recalls, I have correctly answered 148 questions, but I got only 550 marks from shift 1 and a rank of 44000. My friend who appeared in shift 2 is getting around 540 marks with a rank of 6000. Another friend from shift 2 with 530 marks is getting a rank of 8000. How is this possible?”

What has changed in NEET PG 2024?

Just before one month of the NEET PG exam 2024, NBE made several changes to the NEET PG 2024. The introduction of two shifts in the NEET PG exam and the sectional timing are the major modifications made in NEET PG 2024. To ensure the sanctity of the exam, NBE introduced the normalisation process since it was conducted in two shifts for the first time.

Normalisation method for NEET PG result 2024

In order to maintain a balanced level of difficulty in both shifts of the NEET PG exam, NBE implemented the AIIMS normalization method, which is used in the INI CET exam.

In August, NBEMS released a notice that explained the normalisation procedure for preparing the NEET PG result. A notice stating that NBE had adopted the process currently being used by AIIMS-New Delhi for various exams was issued one day prior to the exams. The notice reads, "NBEMS has adopted the process which is currently being used by AIIMS-New Delhi for its various examinations conducted in more than one shift in including but not limited to INI-CET, in preparation of result for NEET PG 2024.”