Will NEET UG go online? Education ministry again mulls CBT mode for MBBS exam; what we know so far

The Union education ministry is once again considering conducting the NEET UG exam as a computer-based test (CBT). The officials are now examining the infrastructure data and analysing national-level entrance exams like JEE, to explore the feasibility of holding the medical entrance exam online.

This suggestion to switch from the traditional OMR-based pen and paper test to CBT mode has been deliberated several times before, especially after the formation of a high-level committee of experts to review the entrance exam following paper leaks, mismanagement, and alleged irregularities last year.

The Supreme Court, which heard a series of pleas against NEET UG paper leak and other cases, decided not to cancel the exam, noting that the question paper leak was not widespread, and directed the NTA to conduct a re-test for affected candidates.

Additionally, it directed the education ministry to form a high-level committee to test the functioning of the NTA and recommend reforms in the conduct of the entrance exam.

NEET UG 2026 in online or hybrid mode?

The National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) has been conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) since 2019. Since its inception, the exam has received opposition, especially from southern states like Tamil Nadu, where NEET-related suicide cases have been reported every year.

"We are examining whether conducting NEET in CBT mode may disadvantage certain groups of students… Once the findings are ready, we will engage with the Health Ministry for further discussion," the Times of India reported.

The high-level committee headed by former ISRO chief K Radhakrishnan had said earlier that the CBT with multiple shifts is the “preferred mode of exam” and suggested using Kendriya Vidyalayas (KVs) and Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas (NVS) as exam centres.

Addressing concerns over repeated and increasing paper leak cases, the panel also proposed a hybrid mode – sharing NEET question papers digitally with the centres, where the officials would print and distribute them. This, they said, would reduce vulnerabilities of both pen-and-paper and CBT formats.

NEET: Multi-stage exam like JEE

One of the recommendations included conducting the NEET exam in two-stages, like the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE).

Around 13 lakh candidates appear for JEE Main, conducted by NTA, for admission to BE, BTech, and BArch programmes in Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), National Institutes of Technology (NITs), and other engineering colleges across India. Candidates who qualify the NTA exam by securing a rank in the top 2.5 lakh will be eligible for the second-stage exam — JEE Advanced — exclusively for IIT admissions.

On the other hand, NEET is the single-largest medical entrance exam in India held every year for admission to MBBS, BDS courses, wherein over 22 lakh appear. Despite the large participation, the exam continues to be conducted in pen-paper format.

Taking note of this, the panel recommended multi-session testing with a pre-defined score normalisation method.

Also read Digvijaya Singh: ‘NEET paper leak shows how BJP functions…corrupt people chosen as VCs’

Mobile exam models

In December, the high-level committee recommended setting up at least one exam centre, in every district, that can conduct the entrance test in multiple formats — paper-and-pencil test (PPT), computer-based test CBT), computer-assisted secure PPT (CPPT) and others, based on the demand.

For rural, remote, and thinly-populated areas such as the north-east, northern Himalayan states, Andaman Nicobar Islands and others, the report suggested establishing “mobile testing centres” and 5-to 10 single test centres on PPP mode.

Strict biometric verification, DIGI exam

The experts strongly recommended a multi-stage verification process to curb impersonation, cheating cases, and the use of unfair means in the exam. The measures included CCTV monitoring, AI-based monitoring, biometric verification of candidates throughout the application and exam process.

The experts explained that the “DIGI exam” will continuously monitor all candidates through CCTV throughout the exam and the data gets stored on cloud servers. Post exam AI-based analysis of candidates’ photos in the application, testing centre, CCTV image captured every 15 minute interval will be used under this mode, the report read.

Offline NEET UG 2025 sees delay, biometric failures

Even though the expert committee made several recommendations, the ministry of education decided to conduct the NEET UG exam 2025 in offline mode. Around 23 lakh registered for this year's entrance. Despite high security, multi-stage verification, strict measures in place, several reported biometric failures defying the purpose of "smooth conduct" of the exam.

Students and parents reported delays and mismanagement in NEET exam centres across the country. The ministry announced its decision to stick to pen-and-paper format, citing rural students

Growing dependency on coaching centers

“There is a feeling among students and parents that some entrance exams cannot be given without coaching. The data analysis is to check if that is the case. If there is a mismatch, we will have to look at how we can correct that,” the Indian Express quoted officials.

Addressing the growing dependency on the coaching centres, the panel also reviewed the question paper with Class 12 syllabus to study if there is any mismatch between the difficulty level. This step was undertaken to find if the difficulty level is what is leading students to rely heavily on coaching centres.

In June, the ministry set up a nine-member committee, led by Vineet Joshi, secretary of the department of higher education, to reduce the growing dependency of students on coaching centres. Joshi was also given an additional charge as chairman of the University Grants Commission (UGC) in April.