An examination centre from Gujarat’s Rajkot is among 50 boasting the highest number of top scorers (above 700 marks) across the country, according to an analysis of results of the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test–Undergraduate (NEET-UG) 2024, which were published by the National Testing Agency (NTA) on its website for public view on Saturday following a Supreme Court order.
The exam centre at Unit-1 School of Engineering RKU in Rajkot has 12 candidates who scored 700 marks and above out of the total 720. Of these 12, one student is also a perfect scorer who bagged 720/720 marks, as per the results tally published on the NTA website. A total of 1,968 students sat the test in this exam centre.
The list of the top 50 exam centres shows that a total of 45,338 candidates appeared for the test here, of which 174 scored 700 and above. A total of 2,188 candidates from these centres scored above 650 marks. These centres are located across 11 cities and nine states.
The Gujarat exam centre is followed by centres in Sikar (Rajasthan), Namakkal (Tamil Nadu), Howrah (West Bengal), Mohali (Chandigarh), Bengaluru Urban (Karnataka), Malappuram (Kerala), Mahendragarh (Haryana), Patna (Bihar), Ahmedabad (Gujarat), Surat (Gujarat) and Kota (Rajasthan).
The NTA announced the centre and city-wise results for medical entrance exam NEET-UG, which is under the scanner over a paper leak and alleged irregularities. The results, which were initially announced on June 4, have been published in this format following an order of the Supreme Court, which is hearing a batch of petitions about the alleged irregularities in the conduct of the exam. The SC while hearing the case on July 18 had asked the NTA to publish the city/centre-wise results of all candidates (while masking their identity) on its official website by Saturday noon for transparency. The SC will resume hearing the pleas on July 22.
According to the results tally, Gujarat’s two other exam centres, located in Ahmedabad and Surat, respectively, are among the top 50. Both these centres have five candidates each scoring 700 marks and above.
Godhra
However, this tally does not feature Godhra on it, where complaints of manipulation of the OMR sheets of some candidates have been reported.
The NTA has submitted in the SC that the attempt of manipulation was foiled in time by the district administration and hence there is no abnormality in the scores of candidates appearing for the exam here.
There were only two exam centres allotted in Godhra.
Patna and Hazaribagh
The tally shows Patna’s AN College exam centre among the top 50. It is one of the 12 centres under the scanner of investigation agencies in the city for allegations of paper leak. At this particular centre, which had 1,746 candidates appearing for the exam, none scored 700 or above. Of these, 29 students scored above 650, 84 above 600, and 123 students got above 550 marks.
Notably, the results tally of the Oasis School exam centre located in Jharkhand’s Hazaribagh, which investigation agencies have linked with the paper leak in Patna, does not have a single perfect scorer or anyone getting above 700 marks. Only two candidates at this exam centre scored marks above 680. A total of 701 candidates sat the test at the centre.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which is probing the NEET-UG case, had arrested the principal and vice-principal of Oasis School, Hazaribagh, for their alleged involvement in the leak this June.
Jhajjar
According to the revised results of candidates at the Hardayal Public School exam centre in Haryana’s Jhajjar, none of the candidates scored above 682 marks. The centre was under the scanner after six candidates from here got perfect 720/720 marks on May 5, when NEET-UG was conducted.
However, these candidates were among 1,563 from six centres across India, who were allotted grace marks by the NTA to compensate them for time lost due to administrative reasons such as the distribution of the wrong set of question papers. The retest was held for these candidates on June 23 and results were published on June 30, which showed that none of the candidates from the Hardayal centre scored perfectly or even above 700 marks.
The results tally published on Saturday shows that only 13 candidates from this centre scored above 600 marks.
NEET-UG 2024 was conducted on May 5 at 4,750 centres in 571 cities, including 14 cities abroad, for more than 23 lakh candidates.
The NTA in a notification issued on Saturday said that it has been conducting the NEET-UG exam since 2019 with the approval of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the Ministry of Education, in pursuance of the direction of the SC.