NEET Exam Mode 2025 announced, NTA to continue exam in Pen Paper mode

Eelemating all the rumors and confusion, The national testing agency has announced the NEET Exam mode for the year 2025. As per the NTA official notice dated January 16,  the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test, or NEET (UG)-2025, will be administered in Pen and Paper mode (OMR-based) across a single day and shift. This decision follows the guidelines established by the National Medical Commission (NMC).

Candidates are wondering whether the authority will change the NEET exam mode in 2025 or not. The expert panel chaired by former ISRO chairman Dr. K Radhakrishnan has proposed significant changes for the NEET 2025 Exam including its exam mode, attempt limit, exam centers outsourcing, etc. The recommendations of the expert committee have suggested conducting the NEET UG online mode from the current system of pen and paper-based exams.

NEET Exam Mode 2025 confirmed by NTA

The NEET UG 2025 exam will be held in offline mode all over India and at foreign centers.  This decision follows the education and health ministries’ announcement last month that they had yet to decide whether the NEET-UG medical entrance exam for 2025 would be pen-and-paper or computer-based.

The Health Ministry is the administrative ministry in charge of NEET, and we are in discussions with them about whether it should be administered on paper or online. We have already had two rounds of talks with the Health Ministry, led by JP Nadda. “The NTA is ready to implement whatever option is deemed best for conducting the exam,” Pradhan stated. It has already been verified that the exam will continue in pen and paper format as usual.

Read what NTA Said in the recent press release

Is NEET Exam Mode 2025 Changed

No. The NEET Exam 2025 will be held in Pen and Paper mode (OMR-based) at the designated exam centers throughout the country. In the last edition of the NEET, with paper leak allegations and many cases surrounding the exam, the authority has been considering making changes in the NEET exam mode.  its watershed moment came in the NEET 2024 exam when the petition was filed for the re-conduction of the exam because of the proven paper leak at some exam centers. However, NTA continues with the last year exam mode in the 2025 edition.

NEET 2025 Exam Changes

The NTA-conducted National Eligibility and Entrance Test (NEET) 2024 for undergraduate medical admissions was marred by scandal, with claims of question paper leaks and exaggerated marks. The committee, formed in response to the NEET exam paper leak that sparked great public concern, has given a thorough report to the Ministry of Education. To address frequent NEET paper leaks, Dr. K Radhakrishnan’s expert team has proposed a hybrid exam mode and multi-stage testing for NEET UG 2025.

Traditionally, the NTA NEET, or National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test, is a three-hour and twenty-minute paper-pencil test (PBT). To ensure equitable opportunity and minimize students’ efforts to reach the exam city, NEET exam centers were situated in 557 cities across India and 14 cities outside of India. However, the decision to modify the NEET Exam Mode for 2025 is still being evaluated. Once finalized, the NTA will issue an announcement on its official portal.

NEET 2025 Committee Report, What Panel Suggests?

In an effort to secure entrance tests in India and streamline the National Testing Agency’s (NTA) processes, a seven-member expert team chaired by former ISRO chairman Dr. K Radhakrishnan has proposed significant changes. The proposed modifications are intended to improve data security and the general structure of the NTA’s operations. The recommendations are not restricted to NEET; they are designed to protect other national-level admission tests conducted by the NTA. Check the key recommendations of the panel as including

• Online and Hybrid Exam Formats: Wherever practical, encourage online testing; otherwise, use a hybrid format. In this configuration, the question paper is digitally delivered to centers, and candidates record their responses on OMR sheets. This change reduces the physical handling of papers, which improves security.
• Reduced Reliance on Private Exam locations: Currently, the NTA hosts exams at government institutions and AICTE-approved locations. Private centers, which are used by service providers to meet capacity requirements, may raise security problems. The committee has also suggested decreasing the use of these private facilities in order to avoid unethical practices.
• Preventing Malpractice with Technologies: One of the primary recommendations is the creation of a “Digi Exam” platform, modeled after the popular Digi Yatra initiative utilized in Indian airports. This platform would use biometrics, such as facial recognition, to ensure secure candidate identification and authentication. This might result in a paperless registration process, exam access, and possibly even remote testing.

The study emphasizes the need to ensure a level playing field for all Students. It suggests a multi-stage testing approach for NEET, the medical entrance exam, as well as a suitable maximum number of attempts. Furthermore, it proposes an oversight framework for coaching institutes to ensure ethical conduct.

• Improving Security and Infrastructure: The panel also suggests a five-point reform of the National Testing Agency (NTA), the central agency in charge of administering entrance tests. This restructuring aims to enhance the agency with subject specialists, more people, and specific verticals for areas such as research and development, test security, and test center infrastructure.

To further avoid exam fraud, the committee suggests multi-level biometric verification that includes registration, test centers, counseling, and even admissions. This complete method is intended to produce a more secure and tamper-proof testing environment.

• Hybrid Strategy and Long-Term Vision: The panel acknowledges logistical obstacles and proposes a “Hybrid Model” for examinations. This concept would allow for the strategic use of computer-based testing (CBT) as well as traditional pen-and-paper testing (PPT). Furthermore, the long-term strategy includes working with prominent schools such as Kendriya Vidyalayas and Navodaya Vidyalayas to create cutting-edge digital and physical testing infrastructure.
• Next Steps and Stakeholder Engagement: The panel’s suggestions are claimed to be divided into two phases of execution. The first phase focuses on making urgent improvements to the NTA and exam security. The second phase focuses on long-term infrastructure development and building inclusion among students from various backgrounds.

How Hybrid Examination Mode Combat Paper Leaks

In order to prevent frequent NEET paper leaks, Dr. K Radhakrishnan’s expert team has proposed a hybrid exam method for the NEET-UG. Entrance exams should be held online wherever possible, using a hybrid format in which question papers are transmitted digitally yet answered on paper. In the hybrid format, the question paper is sent digitally to the exam center, but applicants mark their answers on an OMR sheet. “This will significantly reduce the number of hands that the question paper passes through,” a panel member told a news outlet.

This notion is crucial given that the NEET-UG paper leak allegedly occurred when the question paper, after arriving at an exam center in Hazaribagh, Jharkhand, was illegally accessed and presumably handed over to individuals who solved it. Transmitting the paper digitally allows the exam-conducting agency to release the questions much closer to the exam start time, increasing security and eliminating the need for the paper to go first to a printing press, then to a bank-strong room, and finally to the exam center.

The reason behind Multi-stage Exam for Medical Aspirants

In this report, the committee also advised the MoE that NTA should construct a multi-stage exam for medical aspirants. If necessary, multi-stage tests will enable a thorough assessment of the most brilliant and devoted students seeking admission to medical schools. This multifaceted strategy assists in identifying the most qualified individuals for medical education, assuring a fair and impartial selection procedure.

Increase Government-owned Exam Facilities

In the recent investigation, the committee recommends reducing the usage of Private Exam Centers. Currently, the NTA’s tests are mainly held in government schools and institutions. When these locations are insufficient, the agency enlists AICTE-recognised institutes and colleges as service providers to meet capacity needs, which may raise security concerns. The group has recommended stronger government oversight of exam administration.

This would involve increasing the number of its own examination facilities rather than outsourcing exam administration to external companies, as well as hiring more permanent staff for the NTA, which currently depends primarily on contractual people. If that is still insufficient, service providers – businesses that assist with the online administration of tests — will bring in additional private centers. However, the panel has discouraged the usage of these private centers.

No More Countless Attempts in NEET UG Exam

Should the suggestions of the high-level committee led by former ISRO chief K Radhakrishnan to reform the National Testing Agency (NTA) be approved, significant alterations will be evident in the forthcoming examinations. In which the numerous chances provided to students in the crucial NEET-UG exam could possibly come to an end. Similar to JEE Main, they are now allowed up to four attempts for this exam. It is thought that this will lessen the number of students taking the NEET-UG exam.

Currently, because there is no ban on this exam, students typically take it around seven to eight times. At present, this exam occurs only once annually, while the JEE Main exam takes place biannually. In this, students have six opportunities over three years to take this exam. In 2024, roughly 24 lakh students took part in NEET-UG. The committee at a high level established to reform the NTA submitted its recommendations to the Supreme Court last week. Nevertheless, NTA has not yet disclosed these recommendations.

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