NEET-UG: Toppers to drop from 61 to 17 after IIT-Delhi answer correction

The revised merit list was necessitated after IIT-Delhi, acting on the Supreme Court's direction, concluded that only one of the answers to a question in the physics paper was correct

The number of NEET-UG exam toppers is expected to decrease from 61 to 17 when the National Testing Agency (NTA) releases the revised merit list, likely on Friday.
 

The revision was required after IIT-Delhi, following the Supreme Court’s directive, determined that only one answer to a physics question was correct. Some students had contended that two of the four options could be deemed correct based on different NCERT books.

With only one answer being accepted, students who selected the other option lost five marks (four for the incorrect answer and one negative mark), significantly impacting the rankings of all examinees.

 

This ruling will notably affect the results of 420,000 candidates, including 44 who obtained perfect scores of 720, as they had chosen the answer previously marked incorrect by IIT-Delhi, for which the NTA had initially granted them four marks.

A Times of India report quoted an NTA official as saying, “The number of toppers, which stands at 61, will come down to 17, post the deduction of marks.”

Ranking shift to affect students

The shift in rankings could significantly affect many students, given that over 24 lakh candidates sat for the NEET-UG exam, competing for the 108,000 available medical seats in the country. Among these, 56,000 seats are in government institutions, which are highly sought after due to their superior infrastructure and lower tuition fees.
 

The most substantial impact will be on candidates ranked between 50,000 and 100,000, as over 16,000 candidates who were previously likely to secure a seat in a medical college may now fall out of contention, the report said.
 

The report further said that the 44 students who will no longer be top rankers will still be within the 33,000 to 50,000 rank range. However, this change in their ranks could affect their chances of getting into their preferred government medical colleges.

NEET-UG 2024 row

As many as 67 candidates got a perfect score of 720/720, with others earning 718 or 719 — scores previously thought to be impossible given the exam's design. The NTA explained these outcomes were due to several factors: a comparatively easier exam, the allocation of additional marks to students who experienced delays and errors caused by NTA staff and invigilators, and the presence of an incorrect question.