A parliamentary panel has recommended that the National Testing Agency examine the feasibility of a two-stage format for large entrance examinations such as NEET UG: a common preliminary examination for all medical streams, followed by specialised mains for specific courses. The idea is that a candidate seeking nursing or AYUSH admission would be tested and ranked apart from one seeking admission to MBBS, reducing avoidable competition across different courses.

Why a two-stage format

The panel noted that unlike the Civil Services Examination, which follows a multi-stage format for filtration of candidates, NEET UG remains a single-stage test that covers MBBS, BDS, nursing and AYUSH admissions together, handling more than 22 lakh students. It opined that the NTA should examine whether a common prelims for all medical streams with specialised mains for specific courses would work better. The proposal would require detailed consideration of examination design, admission rules, implementation costs and fairness for students, and no final decision to introduce the format has been announced.

Other reform ideas

The committee also suggested a data-based, year-wise review of the qualifying percentile and cut-off methodology, noting that NEET UG currently qualifies far more candidates than the seats available across MBBS, BDS, AYUSH and nursing put together. It asked the education ministry to explore reasonable age and attempt limits for major examinations in consultation with the health ministry, noting that NEET UG currently has no attempt limit or effective upper age limit, with candidates older than 70 also participating.

The panel further recommended shifting examinations to a computer-based test model using government-owned centres, building a large and frequently refreshed question bank, and creating a national registry of blacklisted examination vendors. For aspirants, the message is that these are proposals for consideration, and they should continue to follow the current syllabus and rules published by the NTA until official notifications say otherwise.