JEE's computer-based testing model offers blueprint for NEET reform; Fewer attempts & stronger infra key to restore confidence in medical entrance exam

As emotions run high with students taking to the streets to protest against the NEET paper leak, it's important for the government to dive deep and settle the root cause of problem, which is the debate around continuing with a single-shift pen-and-paper examination as opposed to Computer-Based Testing (CBT). The JEE-Main, only comparable exam to NEET-UG, has run successfully on the CBT model.

Broadly, 13 lakh students for Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Main for Engineering admission, 11.6 lakh for Common University Entrance Test (CUET) of Delhi University, 1 lakh for the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT), and 22 lakh for National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) for Medical entrance. There would be several students who appear in multiple exams of the above four.

All the above exams are conducted in CBT mode barring NEET-UG, which is a pen-and-paper exam, now signatured infamously by paper leaks.


The National Testing Agency (NTA), which conducts three of the main UG-level entrance exams, faces no problems with JEE (Main) or CUET in CBT mode. However, conducting a countrywide pen and paper test for 22 lakh students has multiple vulnerabilities at various stages.

NEET-UG can be compared in scale to JEE-Main. But the two have followed different trajectories. JEE (Main) is one of the examinations for Engineering Entrance while many States and Private Universities conduct their own entrance examination for the 85% state quota. NEET-UG is the only entrance test for admission to a medical seat anywhere in the country. JEE (Main) was conducted in hybrid mode between 2013-2018 with the student having the option of either pen and paper mode or CBT but has become 100% CBT since 2019 after NTA was formed. NEET-UG, which subsumed all medical examinations like AIIMS, JIPMER in 2019, remained pen and paper.

CBT is administered in computer labs of Engineering colleges and schools. The limitation is to find good credible centres because while paper leaks are not possible, centre-level malpractices like screen mirroring, assistance through bluetooth devices and mass copying are still possible. Though, these would be localised.

Today, only about 1,50,000 reliable computer terminals are available across the country, keeping in mind other restrictions like proximity for students. This leads to the issue of conducting the same exam in multiple sessions and then normalising the results. JEE (Main) has perfected the normalisation process. The exam is held in two cycles in January and April and over 5-7 days in each cycle. The scores are normalised and students are allowed to appear again to improve their scores. This reduces the pressure on the students as well as the conduct of exam becomes easier.

On the other hand, the Medical Council of India (MCI) and later the National Medical Commission (NMC) have not agreed to multiple sessions for NEET-UG leading to a single session pen and paper test as it is not possible to conduct CBT for 22 lakh students in one session.

The other major difference is the number of attempts and age limit. While JEE (Main) allows a student to appear within three years of passing Class 12th, it restricts the number of attempts to two. There is no limit to the number of attempts or age bar for NEET-UG.

Reform measures on these lines were discussed within the government and also recommended by the K Radhakrishnan panel in 2024 after localised paper leaks in some centres of NEET -UG that year.

Separately, in 2025, some associations of Doctors approached the Supreme Court against normalisation in the NEET-PG held through CBT in 2024. SC in its wisdom held that the exam should be conducted in a single shift. And even though SC had not mandated, the same logic was extended to NEET-UG for 2026.

What's the way forward? Street protests are an outcry for the system to be made more robust. Some suggestions:

* Switch to 100% CBT for NEET-UG from 2027. Accept normalisation as a well-established principle being deployed successfully for JEE (Main).

* Limit the no. of attempts and introduce age limit for NEET-UG on the lines of JEE (Main).

* Introduce two cycles in a year to reduce stress on students and allow them to improve scores.

* Some States have demanded that they be allowed to conduct State level exams for this quota as in Engineering. However, this should not be permitted as it will open a Pandoras Box. NEET-UG exam and counselling system are now well established and should not be tinkered with as the present system is much better than the anarchy which prevailed before NEET was mandated in 2015.

*Increase the reliable testing centres and computer terminals for CBT and ensure geographic disbursal

The major reforms in the NEET-UG exam system are for the NMC and the Health Ministry to carry out. The NTA needs to focus on infrastructure improvement. Only this can ensure no paper leaks in future.

Writer is Former Health Secretary, Government of India