MD aspirants challenge change in NEET-SS exam question pattern

MD aspirants challenge change in NEET-SS exam question pattern

Dhananjay.Mahapatra@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:21.09.2021

The Supreme Court on Monday sought responses from the National Board of Examinations, National Medical Commission and the Centre within a week on a petition filed by doctors challenging the NMC’s arbitrary last-minute decision to change subject-wise distribution of marks in the question papers for the NEET-Super Speciality 2021 exam, the gateway for MD course admissions.

Appearing for the 41 postgraduate doctors, who are intending to appear for the NEET-SS examination scheduled for November 13/ 14, senior advocate Shyam Divan told a bench of Justices D Y Chandrachud and B V Nagarathna that the NMC without authority effected changes in the rules of the game after the play has commenced.

Divan said that the examination dates were announced on July 23 and the aspirants began their preparations suiting to the pattern of the question papers and subject-wise distribution of marks as was announced in 2018 and continued for the years 2019 and 2020.

By this uncalled for change in pattern of questions, announced on August 31, the National Medical Commission has changed the rules of the game after the play has begun, he said.

The bench issued notices to NBE, NMC and Centre and sought their responses within a week. The petitioner doctors through advocate Javedur Rehman have challenged the abrupt last-minute changes made to the exam pattern/scheme, when the NEET-SS 2021 exams were just two months away. National Medical Commission does not have any power to change the pattern of questions and mark allocations, Rehman said.

Rehman said the aspirants have been preparing in terms of the pattern that has been in place for the last three years, when the sudden change in pattern/ scheme was made public.

Full report on www.toi.in