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This year's NEET PG, National Eligibility cum Entrance Test for Postgraduation, is being called out by the candidates for allegedly being "abnormal" and "scam". The worried candidates told EdexLive that they were shocked and disappointed with the results which were released on August 23.
Well, this is not the regular disappointment which comes after any usual exam. NEET PG, the toughest medical entrance exam, was held on August 11, 2024, in two shifts. Tougher question paper in the second shift, inflated ranks, rank calculation, normalisation process and lack of transparency are a few serious concerns of the candidates.
The disparity
"The NEET PG results are such that the scores are inflated by ten times. The disparity between ranks is about thirty thousand, despite identical grades," a candidate from Assam stated, adding, "Several candidates obtained a score of 18,000 with only 110 correct answers, while others obtained a rank of 60,000 with 140 correct answers."
"Thousands of other applicants have reported experiencing identical oddities, with a few getting 577 but ranking approximately 65,000, and others with 505 marks ranking approximately 42,000," the candidate, on the condition of anonymity, shared.
Another candidate from Madhya Pradesh, stated, "This looks like a senseless distribution of ranks," and demanded a re-evaluation based on the difficulty level of both shifts. Because the same percentile bearers have varying gaps of 30,000 rank, "We are moving down the rank list," the candidate pointed out.
Furthermore, the candidate made a startling claim by saying that the issue goes beyond Shift 2. "The board proposed a normalisation rule to equalise both shifts, on the contrary, candidates of both shifts are affected by it."
Not just Shift 2!
Speaking to EdexLive, the candidate said, "Initially, Shift 2 candidates assumed that the rank inflation was limited to them alone. Later on though, we discovered that a number of candidates from both shifts were impacted."
"Those who were content with their ranks were able to get away with it. However, individuals whose rank fell outside of the recall levels are disappointed and anxious," the candidate remarked. Recall ranks are those that are determined by recalling the answers given in the exam by coaching centres and also by candidates.
A candidate from Shift 1 told EdexLive, "The majority of those who appeared for the exam in the first shift, like me, felt that our ranks did not correspond with the percentile that we got."
"At first, I believed this was just because I had forgotten my answers, but over time, friends and coworkers on social media started to voice similar opinions. The range of differences from recall scores should be +/- 5, however, in our case, the ranks varied by almost 10,000," the worried candidate said.
The candidate who was disappointed and shocked to get a rank which was below the expectation said this would impact the branch he wants to choose. "Based on my performance and answer key analysis, I was confident of securing a much better rank, between 483-503 marks and a rank between 17 to 23,000. This unexpected outcome of ranking around 54,000 not only affects the branch I might ultimately choose but it also means a significant loss of time and opportunity," the candidate said.
The candidates alluded that the serious questions concerning the exam's fairness and transparency have been raised by the marks' unpredictability and the ranking that followed.
No normalisation or abnormalisation
Candidates allege that the board has followed abnormalisation instead of normalisation method while calculating ranks.
"On the day of NEET PG results, several students messaged me regarding the expected rank vs real rank and the majority of them felt there was no normalisation done as the exam was conducted in two shifts and the difficulty level for both were different," said Dr Alisha Lakhani, a MBBS student from Gujarat.
As per an Instagram poll launched by Lakhani on August 25, more than 3,000 candidates agreed that there were irregularities in the exam results.
Similarly, a parent of a candidate and Director of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, BLK Max Hospital, New Delhi, Dr Tripti Sharan, said, "Neet PG 2024 is full of anomalies and has been conducted irresponsibly. There was no explanation of the normalisation procedure. There was also no explanation of how ranks will be announced."
"Oddly, the National Board of Examination (NBE) has just announced ranks rather than scores. My son received a inflated rank while expecting a rank of 5000–6000. That is completely unreal," the distressed mother proclaimed.
A medico on X (formerly Twitter) said:
Demands include
Overall, the candidates are urging the board to issue their raw scores immediately. Additionally, they demand the disclosure of the method of calculating ranks.
Here are the questions the candidates have posed:
1. Unlike previous tests, where the ranks and marks were disclosed simultaneously, why were they not released together this time?
2. Why, rather than taking into account the difficulty level of the two shifts, was normalisation based on percentiles, thereby, compromising the examination's fairness?
3. Why was the two-shift approach abruptly put into place and normalisation instituted?
4. What is the reason behind withholding the question papers and answer keys, which has resulted in inaccuracies and a lack of transparency?
5. How can applicants make sure that the answers they gave are transparent and confirm that the evaluation and scoring of their answers were done correctly?
Let's recall how the candidates have previously expressed anxiety regarding the NEET PG 2024 exam.
They were first worried and nervous about the exam's postponement and preparation. After the date was confirmed, selecting exam cities became challenging because of a technical glitch that was followed by the allocation of faraway exam cities.
