Blog: Over 24 Lakh Appeared In NEET And Grace Marks For Some: A NEET Coach’s Note On Latest Controversy
“Sir, I can’t handle this anymore. For years, I’ve been chasing this dream, and for the first time in my life, I’m seeing my father cry. This year, everybody was in celebration mode, hoping that I would be enrolled in a government medical college in Kerala. But once the scores and ranks were published, now they are crying,” shared one of my very dear students.
There are many other relatable situations similar to this. One student, Naachi (a nickname), is in his fourth year of preparing for the NEET examination. Compared to last year, his score has greatly improved. However, when the rank list was published, the all-India rank and cut-off were so high and the National Testing Agency (NTA, the national examination conducting agency that organised the NEET undergraduate medical entrance examination for admission to medical courses) hasn’t provided a valid reason for giving the grace marks. How is it possible to get scores of 718 or 719, which are impossible under the NEET marking scheme?
Read also: NEET UG 2024 Exam And Result Controversy: 10 Key Highlights
Compared to last year, the 2024 NEET paper was a little bit lengthier and of a higher standard. Hence, as a physics faculty member, my expectation was that the cutoff for NEET would go down compared to last year’s. However, once the rank list was published, even after scoring 640, which could have assured a government medical college seat last year, this year the all-India rank is 40,000—almost impossible to get a government medical seat.
We found that last year, in some centers in Kerala and other parts of India, students lost time due to the negligence of the invigilators. They were not given any grace marks or consideration in their results, even after proper complaints. There was no response or a single tweet from the NTA regarding this. So, what is the rationale behind the normalisation of marks this year, which has caused many students’ distress despite their great scores in NEET? All these issues related to competitive exams and the stress it each student goes through reverberates in one’s mind keeping this fact in consideration: The state schooling system in India focuses only on securing high marks in school, and many students find it difficult to clear competitive examinations even after scoring 100% in school.
Read also: NTA Releases Statement As Demand For NEET Re-Exam Soars
Many students depend on coaching centers to crack all-India level competitive exams after their school life, sometimes spending three or more years to achieve their dream of becoming a doctor or an engineer from reputed institutions. During these years, many students become detached from their relatives and friends, and once they fail to achieve their goals, they gradually move away from society. The NTA, in their explanation notice, stated that they have given grace marks this year to 1,563 students in the NEET UG examination, raising their marks from -20 up to 720. This is clearly unfair in such a highly competitive examination when more than twenty-four lakh students have appeared this year. Due to the high stress and pressure of losing marks, we find students taking antidepressants when they go through the preparations for highly competitive exams like JEE and NEET.
Read also: Aspirants Demand Re-Exam Alleging “NEET Scam”: What Is The Grace Marks Controversy
Scoring 630 or nearly close is believed to be a great score, now the students’ sleepless nights of preparation and hard work are seemingly of no worth because of this ‘NEET scam’. We, as a team of NEET faculties, students and parents, are planning to approach the Supreme Court of India to look in to the matter at the earliest.
(This blog is written by a NEET coach who does not want to be named.)
