As speculations swirl around potential changes to the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test - Undergraduate (NEET-UG) 2025 exam, including the introduction of an age limit and attempt limit, students and experts from the medical community have shared strong concerns.
Though these proposed changes have not been officially confirmed, the growing debate has sparked widespread discussion about their potential impact on students.
Medical activist Vivek Pandey has already written to the National Testing Agency (NTA), voicing his concern that imposing age and attempt limits would disproportionately affect students from economically weaker sections.
"Students from weaker sections, remote areas, or those who have studied in state boards often need a few attempts to familiarise themselves with the exam pattern and adapt to the CBSE (Central Board of Secondary Education) and NCERT (National Council of Educational Research and Training) syllabus. If you introduce an age limit, it will unfairly disadvantage these students,” he explained.
Pandey further emphasised that medical entrance exams are already among the toughest in the education system.
"Introducing these limits will only fuel the coaching culture, pushing students to start their preparations at increasingly younger ages. When we were preparing for medical entrance, students began coaching in Class XII. Now, many start as early as Class VI. The competition is already fierce, and adding such restrictions will only increase the mental pressure on students," he added.
The debate has continued to unfold as medical aspirants and stakeholders wait for further clarification from authorities.
Kapil Gupta, Founder and CEO of NEETPrep, an education platform dedicated to NEET preparation, also weighed in on the age limit issue. He argued that there should be no age restrictions for pursuing a healthcare career, especially given the current job crisis in India.
"Anyone who decides, at any point in their life, that they want to enter the healthcare field should be allowed to do so," Gupta said, "With the ongoing job crisis in India if someone wants to transition into healthcare later in life, where opportunities are still available, they should be given the chance."
Gupta also acknowledged the practical challenge of implementing such a change, particularly so close to the exam date.
"The issue is that such a change cannot be announced just six months before an exam. If any age limit were to be introduced, it would require a sufficient notice period to ensure fairness. It would be unfair to students who have already committed financially and mentally and started preparing for the exam," he said.