Vidya Bharti advocates for a change in the current pattern of entrance exams to prevent paper leaks

New Delhi: Amid the controversy over the leaked NEET-UG papers, RSS-affiliated Vidya Bharti on Thursday called for changes in the current 'pattern' of competitive exams to prevent a recurrence of such incidents and also to end the dependence of candidates on coaching institutes.

Addressing a press conference here, Vidya Bharti Akhil Bhartiya Shiksha Sansthan Chairman D Ramakrishna Rao expressed his “concern” over the leak of NEET-UG papers and said the current examination system needs to be changed to assess “competence, aptitude, attitude and intelligence quotient” and not just memory of the candidates in the various competitive exams.

“There should be reforms in the conduct of these types of exams. Our exam pattern should be completely revamped on the lines of institutions like the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs). The examination system of the IITs is foolproof,” he told reporters.

The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test – Undergraduate (NEET-UG) is conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) for admission to MBBS, BDS, AYUSH and other related courses in government and private institutions.

Rao suggested that the assessment methods should also be changed and advocated the introduction of an open-book examination system for competitive examinations to test “competence, aptitude, attitude and intelligence quotient” of the candidates.

“Candidates can be provided with question banks of, say, 2,000 questions in advance so that they understand the scope of their exams and can prepare well for them on their own,” he said.

If the current examination pattern of NTA is changed, there will be no more exam leakage and dependence of students on coaching institutes, he said.

A total of 67 students secured a perfect score of 720 in NEET-UG 2024, which is unprecedented in the history of NTA. The list includes six students from a centre in Haryana, raising suspicions of irregularities. It is alleged that only good marks contributed to 67 students sharing the top spot.

Later, the number of candidates sharing the first place dropped to 61 after the NTA announced the revised results on July 1.

The Central Bureau of Investigation is currently conducting an investigation into the alleged irregularities in NEET-UG 2024.