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How are NEET questions decided? What is the NEET exam pattern? How are papers sent after printing? What happens to misprinted copies? Why JEE Main exam is smoother, News18 explains
Students at a NEET exam centre. (PTI File)
The National Testing Agency (NTA) typically outsources the printing of NEET question papers to high-security, confidential printing presses across various states in India. While the exact locations are kept secret to maintain the integrity of the exam, recent investigations into paper leaks have identified specific cities where printing has taken place.
NEET QUESTION PAPERS
How is the NEET question paper prepared?
Making the question paper for the country’s biggest medical entrance exam, NEET, is a very secret and controlled process. NTA forms a secret committee of senior professors, scientists, and subject experts from across the country for this. All these people work under strict confidentiality agreements. The entire process is based on the NCERT syllabus. The questions are either directly from NCERT or based on those concepts. First, a large question bank with thousands of questions of different difficulty levels is prepared.
How are NEET questions decided?
To keep balance in the NEET question paper, questions are divided into different categories. About 30 per cent are based on basic theory and formulas so that students with normal preparation can also solve them. Around 50 per cent are concept and application-based, testing how deeply the student understands the subject. About 20 per cent are tough and analytical, identifying top-ranking students.
Where are NEET question papers printed?
While the specific facilities are classified, recent investigations into exam irregularities have identified certain areas involved in the printing chain. They are printed in Nashik, Jaipur, West Bengal, Delhi, and Gujarat.
What is NTA’s protocol for printing?
NTA’s printing protocol for the NEET paper is considered very strict. According to the tender document, only selected printing presses are given the job after high-level audits and security checks. NTA officials are present at every step from composing to printing and packaging. CCTV cameras are installed everywhere in the press, and the footage is kept safe for at least a year.
How is the security at the press?
During printing, security is so tight that NTA-appointed guards are at every gate. No outsiders are allowed in during paper-related work. Even press staff cannot bring mobile phones or cameras. The question paper reaches the press in digital encrypted form. Each page has a unique code so that any problem can be traced back to its source.
What happens to misprinted copies?
If any copy is misprinted during printing, it is immediately destroyed as per NTA’s instructions. After printing, the question papers are sealed in GPS-locked trunks. Usually, three sets are prepared for NEET so that cheating or problems can’t happen based on just one set.
How is the paper sent after printing?
After printing, the question papers are fully sealed and sent to strong rooms and then exam centres in GPS-tracked vehicles. Every movement is recorded. At exam centres, the papers are not opened before the set time, and there are several layers of monitoring there too.
What is the NEET exam pattern?
The NEET exam has a total of 200 questions, out of which students have to answer 180. There are 45 questions from Physics, 45 from Chemistry, and 90 from Biology. Each correct answer gets 4 marks, and each wrong answer gets a 1-mark negative marking. The whole paper is for 720 marks.
WHY JEE MAIN SEES FEWER BREACHES THAN NEET
The question is, why does the NEET paper get leaked again and again, while such complaints are very rare in big exams like JEE Main?
Experts believe the main reason is the different patterns and management of both exams.
Offline versus online: NEET UG, conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA), is still held in pen-and-paper mode. This means millions of question papers have to be printed, transported to various cities, and kept safe. There are many steps in this process where the risk of a leak increases. The papers come in contact with many people while being stored, transported, and delivered to exam centres.
On the other hand, JEE Main is a fully computer-based test (CBT). The question papers are kept on secure encrypted servers and are opened digitally just a few minutes before the exam starts, making it very hard to steal or leak the paper in advance.
One-day exam vs multiple shifts: NEET UG is held across the country on a single day with the same question paper everywhere. This means if the paper leaks at even one place, the whole exam is affected. In contrast, JEE Main is held over several days and in multiple shifts, with different questions in each shift. So, even if there is a problem at one centre, it doesn’t affect the entire exam.
Exam centres: For NEET UG, about 4,700 to 5,000 centres are set up, mostly in regular schools and colleges where security is not the same everywhere. JEE Main, however, is held at limited and special digital centres with better facilities like high-quality CCTV, biometric systems, and network monitoring.
NEET vs JEE Main: NEET UG is offline (OMR sheet), uses physical papers, is held on one day, has the same question set for everyone, has 4,700-5,000 centres, and local monitoring. JEE Main is online (CBT), uses digital servers, is held over several days and shifts, has different questions in each shift, about 600 centres, and centralised digital monitoring.
Will NEET’s pattern change now?
After repeated controversies, there is now talk of conducting NEET UG online or in hybrid mode like JEE Main. Experts believe that switching to a computer-based exam could greatly reduce the chances of a paper leak.
However, there are many challenges, such as lack of digital infrastructure, internet connectivity, and computer facilities in rural areas. Also, since more than 2 million students take NEET every year, organising such a big online exam will not be easy.
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