Leaving his hometown of Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, 19-year-old Utkarsh moved to Kota—known as India’s ‘coaching capital’—with his mother, joining the thousands of medical aspirants (NEET candidates) who flock there every year in hopes of securing a seat for undergraduate medical studies.
On May 3, over 2.2 million students appeared for the ‘NEET’ examination. In the days that followed, the primary topic of discussion was the question paper itself, which many candidates felt was relatively easier than usual. Consequently, there has also been speculation about a significant rise in the ‘cut-off’—the minimum score required for admission to medical courses.
For Utkarsh, appearing for the exam a second time, the path to securing a seat in a government medical college already seemed quite daunting. Yet, he was unaware that allegations of a question paper leak would soon emerge—sparking a major, widely discussed controversy—and raising questions about whether some candidates had gained an unfair advantage.
As the controversy intensified, Utkarsh recalled seeing an Instagram Reel on the day of the exam; it featured a question that turned out to be identical to one that later appeared in the NEET question paper. Although the method of solution shown in the video differed, the underlying concept was the same. According to him, the Reel had been uploaded four days prior to the exam.
Utkarsh says, “The exam didn’t go well. I was expecting around 550 marks, but after seeing the question paper, I felt the cut-off—or the minimum qualifying score—would be very high. Many students in the coaching circles were saying that over 300 candidates might score the full 720 marks. If that happens, securing a seat will become even harder for the rest of us. However, I was stunned to see the exact same questions on my social media feed. I didn’t know how to react or whom to tell about it.”
Clear frustration was evident as he spoke. Like many other candidates, Utkarsh had spent months preparing for an exam where results were supposed to be determined solely on merit. Fears of question paper leaks and the possibility of some candidates gaining an unfair advantage have further heightened the uncertainty among the aspirants.
A report by a national media outlet has highlighted such an experience faced by a NEET candidate belonging to a quota category.
Although the National Testing Agency (NTA) announced the schedule for the re-conducted NEET exam on June 21, uncertainty persists among many candidates. The NEET question paper from the May 3rd exam was leaked due to the NTA’s mismanagement. The agency faced widespread outrage from candidates and parents over the leak and was also subjected to severe reprimand by the Supreme Court. Subsequently, the CUET exam was delayed due to technical issues. The National Testing Agency was also responsible for conducting that examination. Recently, the ‘Cockroach Janata Party’ staged a protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, demanding the arrest of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the question paper leak incident. Following the protest in Delhi, they are organizing demonstrations in city after city, including Pune. Alongside the CJP, the Left-wing student organization SFI was also present at the protest site at Jantar Mantar.
However, it remains to be seen whether the NTA has truly learned the right lessons from past mistakes regarding the June 21 exam.
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