A committee led by former ISRO Chief K. Radhakrishnan has suggested important changes to improve the NEET exam after a recent paper leak incident. The goal is to make entrance exams in India more trustworthy and efficient.

Key Recommendations

• Online and Hybrid Exams: The committee recommends holding exams online whenever possible. If not, a hybrid model will be used, where question papers are sent digitally, and students mark answers on paper.
• Multi-Stage Exam: For NEET-UG, they suggest using a multi-stage exam format, similar to JEE Main and JEE Advanced. This will help manage the large number of candidates almost 20 lakh this year.
• Limit Subjects for CUET: The committee wants to limit the number of subjects in the Central University Entrance Test (CUET) to make the exam process easier and safer. Right now, students can choose from over 50 subjects.
• Permanent Staff for NTA: To make these changes work well, the committee recommends hiring more permanent staff for the National Testing Agency (NTA).

Improved Security Measures

By sending question papers digitally, the committee believes security will improve. This method reduces the risk of leaks because there’s no need to store physical papers. The NTA can release question papers closer to the exam time, further lowering leak chances.

Capping NEET Attempts

Another important suggestion is to limit how many times a student can take the NEET-UG exam. Currently, students can take it as many times as they want, but capping attempts may help simplify the process.

Expert Committee Composition

The committee includes well-known experts, like former AIIMS Director Randeep Guleria and Hyderabad Central University Vice-Chancellor B.J. Rao. Their diverse backgrounds aim to make the recommendations effective.

If these reforms are put into action, they could lead to a more secure and efficient exam process for medical students in India.