NEET, CUET Twice a Year Like JEE? Education Ministry Proposes Major Exam Reforms
NEET and CUET exams may be conducted twice a year like JEE Main, under a proposal by the Ministry of Education. Read further to know the proposed changes, question paper reforms, and what the proposal means for NEET UG and CUET UG aspirants.
NEET and CUET Twice a Year? The Ministry of Education (MoE) is considering major changes in the national-level entrance examination system. The major reform includes a proposal to conduct exams such as NEET and CUET twice a year, similar to JEE Main. Reportedly, a draft prepared by a nine-member committee has recommended holding major entrance examinations at least twice a year to give students more opportunities and reduce the pressure of a single attempt. Further, the proposal also aimed at reducing students’ dependence on private coaching centres and strengthening preparation at the school level.
NEET and CUET Twice a Year: What Has Been Proposed?
As per media reports, the proposal includes conducting a national-level entrance test twice a year. It further includes reviewing the difficulty level of entrance exam questions, addressing disparities in the syllabus followed by different state boards and providing special training to school teachers for competitive examinations.
At present, JEE Main is conducted twice a year, while NEET UG and CUET UG are held once a year. The proposed change would give NEET and CUET aspirants one more opportunity to appear in the exam without waiting for another year. However, the proposal still needs to go through the government’s approval process before implementation.
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Major Change in NEET & CUET Exam: Question Difficulty to Be Reviewed
The proposal also recommends reviewing the difficulty level of questions asked in these entrance examinations. The committee has cited concerns that some questions are more difficult than what students usually study at the Class 12 level. Hence, the proposed review aims to ensure that the difficulty level is within the understanding of Class 12 students.
The draft suggests that the exam pattern should not be based only on the NCERT syllabus, but should also take into account curricula followed by different state and other school boards. The proposal aims to provide equal opportunity to state board students with different educational backgrounds.
Furthermore, the Education Ministry also proposes special training for school teachers to help them prepare students for competitive and entrance examinations. The idea aims to increase the academics at the school level so that students are not required to rely too much on private coaching.
Commonly asked questions
The NEET exam is conducted offline in pen and paper mode. The NEET exam pattern is as such-
- There are 180 MCQs.
- 45 are from Physics, 45 from Chemistry and 90 from Biology (Botany and Zoology).
- Each question is of 4 marks.
- The total marks are 720.
- The exam duration is 3 hours.
The NEET UG exam comprises Physics, Chemistry and Biology sections. There are a total 180 questions in the exam. The exam carries 720 marks. The section wise-wightage of these three sections is shared below-
NEET Physics- 45 questions (180 marks)
NEET Chemistry- 45 questions (180 marks)
NEET Biology (Botany & Zoology)- 90 questions (360 marks)
There are generally four Sets of NEET question papers, which are further segregated into six parts. However, in NEET 2025, there were four sets of the NEET question paper, which were named as 45, 46, 47, and 48, and these were not further divided into six subsets, which was followed till the previous year. The names of the NEET 2024 question paper Sets and codes are Q, R, S and T. For the NEET 2024 re-exam, the question paper sets were A, B, C and D. The multiple Sets and codes in the NEET question papers ensure that there is no malpractice in the conduct of the exam. The names of the Sets and codes of the regional NEET question papers are different from the English ones. While distributing the question papers of NEET invigilators had to ensure that they did not give the same set of question papers to two consecutive candidates. Once candidates are given the NEET question paper by invigilators, they need to check whether the question paper and test booklet, or answer sheet, is of the same code. In case of a mismatch, they need to bring the matter to the invigilator's notice. In case they submit the NEET test booklet with a different code from that of the NEET question paper, their exam will stand cancelled.
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Mayank Uniyal is an MCom graduate in International Business. He has over 7 years of experience in content writing. He has been working in the education domain since the beginning of his career. He covers news and up
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