Aafaq
New Delhi – The National Testing Agency (NTA) declared the final results of the NEET-UG entrance exam on Friday. The results show that 17 candidates have shared the top rank, a significant drop from 61 in the revised results. Thousands of candidates have experienced changes in their marks and rankings.
The number of qualifying candidates and the cut-off scores have also seen a marginal decline.
The “re-revised” results were released three days after the Supreme Court rejected multiple petitions calling for a NEET-UG 2024 retest due to alleged paper leaks and other malpractices. However, the court did instruct the NTA to revise the merit list due to a controversial physics question with two possible answers, as recommended by a three-member expert panel appointed by the SC.
This led to a complete reworking of NEET ranks and scores for all 2.3 million students. Scores for at least 420,000 students, including 44 of the 61 who initially achieved a perfect score of 720, decreased by five points due to the invalidation of marks for the disputed Physics question. The exact impact on rankings is not yet clear.
The exam was held on May 5, and results were initially announced on June 4. Concerns about the exam’s integrity emerged when 67 students scored a perfect 720, an unprecedented number in the NTA’s history.
Following the NTA’s revised results on July 1, the number of top scorers was reduced to 61 after withdrawing grace marks awarded to six candidates. The “re-revised” results now show that 17 candidates have retained the perfect 720 marks, while six scored 716, and 77 scored 715, forming the top 100 candidates.
Of the 67 candidates previously declared toppers on June 4, 44 had achieved full marks due to the Physics question. The percentage of female toppers increased from 16% to 23%, with four female candidates in the top 17. Among the top 100, the percentage of female candidates is 22%.
The top-performing states include Rajasthan (4 toppers), Maharashtra (3), and two each from Delhi and Uttar Pradesh, with the remaining six from Kerala, Chandigarh, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Bihar, and West Bengal.
The total number of qualified candidates stands at 1,315,853, a decrease of 415. Fifteen states and Union Territories saw an increase in qualified candidates, including Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Uttarakhand, and West Bengal.
Despite the slight decrease in qualifiers, Uttar Pradesh has the highest number with over 165,000, followed by Maharashtra (142,000) and Rajasthan (121,000). Karnataka (88,887) and Kerala (86,713) also have over 85,000 qualifiers.
The revision also led to a reduction in qualifying cutoffs. For unreserved and economically weaker sections, the new cutoff range is 720-162, down from 164. For OBC, SC, and ST categories, the cutoff is 161-127. The number of qualifiers decreased for unreserved, EWS, and OBC categories but increased for SC and ST.
In a setback for NEET-UG 2024 aspirants, the Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed pleas seeking the cancellation and re-test of the exam, ruling that there was no evidence of a “systemic breach” affecting the exam’s sanctity.
This decision supports the NDA government and the NTA, which faced criticism and protests over alleged malpractices including question paper leaks and fraud. The CBI is investigating alleged irregularities in NEET-UG 2024 and has filed six FIRs. The NEET-UG is conducted by the NTA for admissions to MBBS, BDS, AYUSH, and other related courses in government and private institutions.
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