NTA ties higher NEET scores to textbook changes and grace marks for time loss

New Delhi: The National Testing Agency (NTA) officials cited several reasons behind the surge in students’ scores in the recently announced NEET-UG 2024 results.

Among these factors, changes made in NCERT textbooks and the provision of grace marks for candidates facing time loss at examination centers were highlighted. This explanation emerged following concerns raised by parents and students regarding the unusually high scores and the phenomenon of 67 students sharing the top rank.

The NTA clarified that the decision to award grace marks stemmed from representations made by students and various high courts, including those in Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, and Chhattisgarh, regarding time loss during the exam. Subsequently, a committee was convened to address this issue, which devised a formula endorsed by the Supreme Court in a 2018 judgment. This formula aimed to compensate candidates for lost time by awarding grace marks, thus impacting the scores of students at certain examination centers.

Regarding the disparity in scores among students using different editions of NCERT textbooks, the NTA explained that the question paper was crafted based on a new NCERT textbook. However, some students relied on older editions, resulting in discrepancies in the correct answers.