NEET’s shift to computer-based testing faces single-shift hurdle

The article reports that more than a year after the October 2024 panel's recommendation, NEET-UG CBT transition remains stalled due to NTA infrastructure constraints and a health ministry condition that exams be conducted in a single shift. NTA says it is ready to move but requires written instruction; about 20 shifts would be needed to administer around 2.2 million candidates, and normalisation across shifts would be necessary to maintain fairness. The article also notes the planned network of testing centres proposed by the Radhakrishnan panel has not progressed.

In a related ruling, the Supreme Court directed the National Board of Examinations to cancel plans for a two-shift NEET-PG 2025 and ordered a single-shift exam to prevent arbitrariness arising from differing difficulty levels.

The government-appointed Radhakrishnan panel, formed after the NEET-UG 2024 controversy, released its October 2024 report urging a shift from pen-and-paper to computer-based testing, arguing CBT reduces leak points and allows algorithm-driven delivery.

The health ministry communicated that online examinations should be conducted in a single shift, a position described as hard to reconcile with a multi-shift CBT model.