2024 exams affected by document leaks and last-minute cancellations

New Delhi: The Supreme Court hearing in the cases related to alleged irregularities in the NEET-UG medical entrance exam has been postponed to July 11 as candidates await clarity on the fate of the crucial exam. The NEET controversy has brought to light leaked papers and discrepancies in the examination system.

Here is a list of exams that were affected this year either due to leaked documents or last-minute cancellations for other reasons:

1. NEET-UG In NEET-UG 2024, a total of 67 students scored a perfect 720, a record in the history of NTA, with six from a Haryana centre making it to the list, suggesting that there were irregularities in the exam. It was alleged that the grace marks contributed to all 67 students sharing the top rank.

The number of candidates sharing the top rank in NEET-UG was reduced from 67 to 61 when the NTA announced the revised results on July 1 after conducting a retest for 1,563 candidates.

The exam has also been marred by allegations of leaked documents that are under investigation by the CBI, with several quarters demanding a retest. The education ministry maintains that it is not right to jeopardise the careers of lakhs of candidates who have rightly cleared the exam.

Observing that a retest must be ordered if the sanctity of NEET-UG 2024 is “lost”, the Supreme Court on Monday sought information from the National Testing Agency and the CBI about the timing of the question paper leak and the duration between the leak and the actual test.

2. UGC-NET The exam was cancelled a day after it was held after the education ministry received information that the integrity of the exam had been compromised. Later, the ministry said that the paper had been leaked on the dark web. The matter is being investigated by the CBI. The exam is likely to be re-conducted from August 21 to September 4.

3. Uttar Pradesh Police Constable Recruitment Exam Over 48 lakh aspirants, including around 16 lakh women, appeared in the Uttar Pradesh Police Recruitment Exam 2024 held on February 17 and 18. The exam was conducted at 2,385 centres in four shifts across all 75 districts of Uttar Pradesh with an aim to fill 60,244 vacancies in the state police. Following allegations of leakage of documents, the exam was cancelled and is now being investigated by a Special Task Force (STF). The exam is yet to be conducted again.

4. Joint CSIR-UGC-NET The Joint CSIR-UGC-NET is a test conducted to determine eligibility for Junior Research Fellowship and Assistant Professorship and admission to PhD in Science. The exam was postponed two days before the scheduled date due to logistical reasons. The exam is now scheduled from July 25 to 27.

5. NEET-PG The National Eligibility Entrance Test-Postgraduate (NEET-PG) was cancelled by the Health Ministry a night before the scheduled date as a “precautionary” measure. The exam will now be conducted on August 11 in two sessions.

6. CUET-UG The CUET-UG exam, which was held in hybrid mode across the country for the first time, was cancelled in Delhi a night before the exam, citing logistical reasons. The exam was held later in the national capital.

The results of the exam, which were scheduled to be announced on June 30, have been delayed. The National Testing Agency (NTA) announced on Sunday that it would hold a retest from July 15 to 19 for candidates whose grievances over the conduct of the exam are found to be justified.

7. NCET The National Common Entrance Test (NCET) for admission to the 4-year Integrated Teacher Education Programme (ITEP) was scheduled on June 12 with over 40,000 candidates expected.

The exam was cancelled because due to technical reasons, the exam could not be launched in all the exam centers and could only start in a few centers. The exam will now be held on July 10.