NTA's dual answers in NEET 2025 draw fire
Chennai: The final answer key released by National Testing Agency minutes before the results, which gives two answers as options for two multiple-choice questions — one in Physics and the other in Chemistry in NEET 2025 — has caused a furore among candidates, teachers, and counsellors.
The agency, which conducted the entrance-cum-eligibility tests for MBBS/BDS admissions on May 4, released a provisional key for the question paper a month later with two answers for one question in Chemistry. Based on feedback and objections from candidates, the agency added one more question in Physics with two answers. NTA said students who opted for any of these two answers for these two questions would be awarded four marks each.
On Saturday, student counsellor Manikavel Arumugam argued that the agency cannot give multiple answers to multiple-choice questions in competitive negative marking examinations. Students lose five marks if they picked the wrong one or lose four marks if they skipped it. "Two answers for a question means a potential litigation. Last year, the Supreme Court pointed out there can't be two answers to a question. Changes upset ranking and delayed admissions.
Won't they ever learn?" he asked.
In 2024, the Supreme Court sought the expertise of IIT Delhi to resolve a Physics question on atomic theory for which the agency awarded marks to two correct answers. The ranks were revised after the IIT Delhi panel confirmed that only one answer was the correct response. It resolved ambiguity, but the decision impacted the ranking of over four lakh students.
With students and tutorials gearing up to move the court, legal experts point out that NTA has four more options: stay with its decision and fight the case in court, assess students for 712 instead of 720, or give eight marks to all students irrespective of whether they ticked it or not. The fourth option, as the Supreme Court did in 2024, will be tossing the questions to expert institutions like IIT and asking for one correct answer and awarding marks to only those who ticked it.
NTA officials, on conditions of anonymity, said there have been instances before 2024 when marks were awarded for more than one answer. "This decision is based on that precedence," the official said.
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