Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Why an exam has sparked national outrage in India
The National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET), formerly the All India Pre-Medical Test is an
Indian nationwide entrance examination conducted by the National Testing Agency
(NTA) for admission to undergraduate medical programs. Being a mandatory exam
for admission to medical programs, it is the biggest exam in India in terms of the
number of applicants. A total of 180 questions are asked in the 200-minute
exams from Physics, Chemistry, Botany, and Zoology evenly, and the maximum mark
is 720. Since colleges and universities aren’t allowed to conduct their own
medical entrance exam, getting a high score on this national exam is the only
way to be admitted to medical schools. A record-high 2.33 million candidates
took the exam on May 5 this year, about 300,000 more than last year for just
110,000 admissions. Ever since the results were announced on June 4, the exam
has come under scrutiny for reasons ranging from errors in the question paper, compensatory
marks, paper leaks, and fraud because there were too many candidates who scored
extremely high scores, including 67 who marked full scores. Usually, only a few
or no exam takers achieve the perfect score of 720 marks. The issue was brought
up to the Supreme Court and several suspects have been investigated by the
police. Just like China’s Gaokao, India’s NEET is a once-a-year high-stakes exam
that is taken by millions of candidates.
Read the article and learn about what India’s entrance exam for medical
school is like.
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