NCERT chief dismisses National Testing Agency’s claims over ‘out-of-syllabus’ questions in NEET UG exam 2024

Dismissing the claims of the National Testing Agency (NTA) that the questions in the NEET UG (Undergraduate) exam 2024 were “out of syllabus”, National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) director Dinesh Prasad Saklani has said that there was no truth in the statement made by the NTA.

While addressing the media at the Regional Institute of Education (RIE) of NCERT in Mysuru on Monday, Saklani said: “The revised textbooks of NCERT, from 2020, are available in both print and also online. We do not know why those who framed the questions referred to the pre-2020 textbooks.”

The NTA conducts the all-India pre-medical entrance exam.

NEET UG exam row

The NEET UG exam 2024 for admission to MBBS and other such courses was held on May 5 across 4,750 centres.

Around 24 lakh candidates had taken the test.

Allegations of question paper leaks in states like Bihar, and other irregularities related to out-of-syllabus questions have been raised across the country.

Protests were also held in several cities and petitions in several high courts and the Supreme Court have also been filed to seek a probe into alleged irregularities.

The results, earlier expected to be declared on June 14, were announced on June 4.

About 67 candidates scored a perfect 720 marks, with six from the same centre in the Faridabad district of Haryana, figuring in the top list.

It has been alleged that grace marks contributed to 67 students sharing the top rank.

While hearing a case related to the NEET UG 2024 exam, the Supreme Court on Tuesday said that even if there was “0.001 per cent negligence” in the conduct of the NEET UG 2024 examination, it should be thoroughly dealt with.

“Even if there is 0.001 per cent negligence on the part of anyone, it should be thoroughly dealt with,” the SC said.

On June 13, the Centre and the NTA told the apex court that the grace marks given to 1,563 candidates who took the examination were cancelled.

The candidates will have the option to either take a retest or forgo the compensatory marks awarded to them for the loss of time, the Centre had said.