"Need to consider computer-based tests": ALLEN CEO after NEET cancellation, says students should 'not be disheartened'

New Delhi [India], May 12 : CEO of ALLEN Career Institute Nitin Kukreja on Tuesday urged students not to be disheartened with the recent cancellation of the National Eligibility cum Enterance Test (NEET) UG exam due to an alleged paper leak, while calling for reforms in the examination system. Kukreja suggested that just like the Joint Enterance Exam (JEE), NEET could also be moved to a computer-based test, while calling on the National Testing Agency (NTA) to ensure secure and transparent testing.

In an interview with ANI, Kukreja emphasised that it is the National Testing Agency's (NTA) responsibility to ensure that the re-tests are secure and transparent.

"My only suggestion to students is: do not get disheartened. Tune out the external noise and prepare just as diligently, if not more so, than you did for the previous exam; hope for the best...It is the NTA's responsibility to identify anyone who has engaged in wrongdoing and ensure they face exemplary punishment. Furthermore, they must ensure that the re-test is completely free of glitches or irregularities. It must be conducted as securely and transparently as possible so that everyone's faith, specifically the faith of every child, is restored," he said.

Drawing a contrast with the NEET and JEE model of testing, he said, "The JEE examination is conducted as a Computer-Based Test. We need to consider whether the NEET examination should also be conducted similarly. It is high time to think very seriously about this. In a pen-and-paper examination, there are bound to be numerous logistical issues, which means the chances of a leak will always persist. In the JEE examination, however, since it is broken down into multiple sections or multiple distinct exams (e.g., Section 1 and Section 2), there are significant advantages. The stress on the student is reduced; if they miss one opportunity, they get a second chance; if not the second, then a third. Even if a capable student does not perform well in the "Main" exam, they still have the opportunity to excel in the "Advanced" exam. A deserving student secures admission to a good college while simultaneously minimising the risk of leaks," he said.

Highlighting that a similar incident occured two years ago, he expressed that the alleged paper leak is "disheartening and disappointing".

"The priority is that whoever is found guilty in this matter, whoever is responsible for this misconduct, must face exemplary punishment, so that no one even dares to contemplate such actions in the future. The NTA must restore the faith, trust, and credibility of the entire system...We should simply focus on two things: helping our children regain their strength and ensuring they are fully prepared to take the test once again," he said.

The NTA said fresh examination dates and the revised admit card schedule would be announced through official channels in the coming days.

NEET-UG, the single entrance examination for admission to MBBS, BDS and other undergraduate medical courses across India, was conducted on May 3 in pen-and-paper mode across over 5,400 centres in 551 cities in India and 14 cities abroad. Around 22.79 lakh students appeared for the examination.

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