The Supreme Court on Monday asked the Director of the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi to set up a team of three experts to go into the particular question of Physics asked in the medical entrance exam, National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test-Undergraduate (NEET-UG 2024), the results of which were released last month and have been marred by leaked questions and the award of ‘grace marks', or preferential marking.
A bench comprising Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and Justice JB Pardiwala was hearing a clutch of pleas, including those that are seeking a re-test of the controversy-ridden NEET-UG and asked the IIT-Delhi to submit a report on the correct answer by Tuesday noon.
The three experts confirmed there was only one correct answer to the question and that the answer was the same as provided in the answer key issued by the National Testing Agency (NTA), the exam body that conducts NEET.
How Controversy Over Question In NEET-UG Began
The controversy started after the claims that question number 29 in the May 5 NEET-UG had two possible correct answers.
The petitioner in the Supreme Court argued that the ambiguity had significant implications for the exam results. At least 44 students, who chose the alternative answer, received “grace marks” and achieved a perfect score of 720/720.
However, the petitioner chose not to answer the question and scored 711/720.
The petitioner said she didn't answer the question because it had two possible correct answers, and she didn't want to risk losing marks due to negative marking. She said it was logical to assume that only one answer could be correct.
Lawyers pointed out that the ambiguous question affected students in three ways. Some students answered correctly but got minus five marks. Others chose a different correct answer and got four marks. The third group consisted of those who skipped the question for fear of getting negative marks.
This situation could significantly impact the merit list, the Supreme Court was told, as per PTI.
The NEET-UG Question In “Question”
Here's the NEET-UG question in “question”:
Given below are two statements:
Statement I: Atoms are electrically neutral as they contain an equal number of positive and negative charges.
Statement II: Atoms of each element are stable and emit their characteristic spectrum.
In the light of the above statements, choose the most appropriate answer from the options given below:
(1) Statement I is incorrect but Statement II is correct.
(2) Both Statement I and Statement II are correct.
(3) Both Statement I and Statement II are incorrect.
(4) Statement I is correct but Statement II is incorrect.
The Answer
Chief Justice Chandrachud reported that the expert panel from IIT-Delhi reviewed the question thoroughly and concluded that “option four” was the correct answer, which states: “Statement I is correct but Statement II is incorrect.”
Naveen Gaur, an Associate Professor from Delhi University, also supported the IIT panel's finding, stating that option four was the only correct answer.
The top court then asked the NTA why they gave marks for both answers, to which the exam body said both were “possible answers”.
The petitioner disagreed, saying the two options can't be correct. She pointed out that the old textbook supports one answer, while the new textbook supports the other.
The NTA said students were expected to follow the new textbook, which makes one of the options the correct answer. Despite this, over 4.2 lakh students chose the other option and got extra marks.
The NEET-UG is conducted by the NTA for admissions to MBBS, BDS, AYUSH and other related courses in government and private institutions across the country. More than 23.33 lakh students took the test this year, which was conducted at 4,750 centres in 571 cities, including 14 overseas.
