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The Health Ministry has previously resisted suggestions to switch to an online mode, but a computer-based test, like the Joint Entrance Exam (JEE) Main or JEE Advanced, is now being considered a viable option.
New Delhi: Amid the ongoing controversy regarding the sanity of NEET UG Exam, the centre has hinted that it is considering the chances of switching NEET UG Exam from Pen-and-paper to Online mode from the academic session 2025-26. The reports of paper leaks and malpractices before and during the exam have led the authorities to consider the above move.
Currently, NEET is an annual pen-and-paper MCQ test – where candidates have to choose their answer from the options given and mark this on an OMR sheet which is optically scanned.
The Health Ministry has previously resisted suggestions to switch to an online mode, but a computer-based test, like the Joint Entrance Exam (JEE) Main or JEE Advanced, is now being considered a viable option. The Health Ministry’s concern pertaining to computer-based test was that it would put poor and rural students at a disadvantage.
A senior government official said, “There are many students from rural backgrounds who qualify take the JEE Main and qualify for JEE (Advanced), which are both computer-based tests. Then why should it be a problem for NEET aspirants from rural areas?”
The transition has its challenges because a computer-based test involves “normalisation” given that there will be multiple versions of the paper.
“This year, 24 lakh candidates appeared for NEET-UG… If we move online, the exam will need to be conducted over multiple shifts and days. Approximately 1.5 lakh to 2 lakh candidates can appear in one shift in an online test,” a senior official said.
“Therefore, to accommodate NEET numbers, we will need to have multiple shifts over different days – just as we do with the two cycles of JEE Main — and that means having different question papers. For results preparation, we will have to normalise marks to take care of any differences in the difficulty level of question papers. We’ve never had to do that for NEET in the past,” the official added.
Overall, the shift to an online NEET-UG exam aims to address security concerns and ensure a more robust and reliable testing process for medical aspirants across the country.
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