The Education and Health Ministries are actively deliberating on whether the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test Undergraduate (NEET UG) should continue in its current pen-and-paper format or transition to an online mode. Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan stated that the decision will be finalized soon and communicated to aspirants.
Discussions have already taken place in two rounds with the Health Ministry, led by Union Minister JP Nadda. Currently, NEET UG is conducted in pen-and-paper mode where candidates answer multiple-choice questions (MCQs) on OMR sheets. Last year, NEET UG saw a record participation of 24 lakh candidates, making it India’s largest entrance exam.
“The administrative ministry of NEET is the Health Ministry, and we are holding discussions with them about whether NEET should be conducted in pen-and-paper mode or online. We’ve already had two rounds of talks. Whatever option is deemed best for conducting the exam, NTA is prepared to implement it,” Pradhan said. He further assured, “What will be NEET’s methodology, what will be the protocol… a decision is expected soon. We will notify it soon.”
Conducted by the NTA annually, NEET UG serves as the gateway to medical admissions, including MBBS, BDS, and courses in Ayurveda, Unani, and Siddha. Of the total 1.08 lakh MBBS seats available, around 56,000 are in government medical colleges, and 52,000 in private institutions.
Also Read: NEET-UG Paper Leak Scandal: CBI Files 5th Chargesheet
The proposal to shift NEET to a computer-based format gained urgency after the recent paper leak controversy, prompting calls for immediate reforms. In response, the government set up a high-level panel in July to enhance the transparency and integrity of NTA-administered exams. Headed by former ISRO Chief R Radhakrishnan, the panel suggested multi-stage testing as a potential reform. Their report emphasized developing “an acceptable framework with thresholds, scoring methods, ranking objectives, and defined test attempts.”
The NEET controversy, alongside UGC-NET’s cancellation due to compromised integrity, has sparked nationwide scrutiny. Both incidents are under investigation by the CBI. As a preventive measure, other exams like CSIR NET and NEET PG were also cancelled.
The reform panel includes prominent figures such as former AIIMS Delhi director Dr. Randeep Guleria, University of Hyderabad Vice-Chancellor B J Rao, IIT Madras Professor Emeritus K Ramamurthy, IIT Delhi Dean Aditya Mittal, and MoE Joint Secretary Govind Jaiswal. Additionally, IIT Kanpur professors Amey Karkare and Debapriya Roy, along with People Strong co-founder Pankaj Bansal, have been appointed to the committee.
The panel’s mandate is to review current exam security protocols, analyze vulnerabilities, and recommend improvements to strengthen the system’s resilience and fairness.
