Top 11k ranks evenly distributed across 800 NEET centres: NTA | India News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: The National Testing Agency (NTA) has said that only 175 candidates from 12 centres in Patna and eight of two Godhra centres managed to score 640 or above in the NEET-UG examination. None of the candidates from the Godhra centres surveyed scored 680 or above, and only 35 candidates from the Patna centres secured this score, the report said.
Claiming that there is no “systemic leak“, agency officials told TOI that the top 1,000, 5,000 and 10,000 students were spread across the 800-plus centres and were not necessarily from the group of centres under its purview.
NTA said that the Data analysis did not indicate any “bigger leakage” outside Patna. It also said that the candidate whose test booklet was examined scored only 103 marks. “Roshni, whose booklet was seized by the Bihar police, scored 103 marks out of 720,” an NTA official said.
Agency officials claimed that data analysis of the top 11,000 ranks showed an even distribution across 800-plus centres. Explaining the analysis, an official said after the alleged leak that NTA was not only examining the top scorers but also those outside the top 100.
“We looked at the scoring patterns for each group of 1,000 candidates and their distribution. For instance, the top 1,000 candidates are spread across 800 centres,” the official said. He added that the top 1 lakh candidates, who are most likely to secure an MBBS or dental seat, are spread across 4,500 of the 4,750 centres, debunking claims that toppers were concentrated in specific centres. “If we look at even smaller groups, such as the top 5,000 candidates, they too are spread across 780 centres,” he said.
Over 13 lakh of the 23 lakh candidates who appeared in the medical entrance test on May 5 qualified. The official argued that if there were widespread irregularities and access to exam questions as alleged, the qualifying average for Patna and Godhra would have been much higher. “The qualifying average for Patna and Godhra is not only lower than the national average but also lower than their neighbouring cities and centres,” the official said.
Another concern raised by the petitioners and the SC was the significant increase in perfect scorers. This year, 67 candidates scored 720, compared to only seven in the past four years. Later, six candidates were stripped of their gratuity points for wasting time, which would have earned them perfect scores, and were offered a retest. Five who took the retest on June 23 scored below 720.