The results for the NEET UG 2024 medical entrance exam were announced by the National Testing Agency (NTA) on June 4. A total of 67 students achieved the top rank, with the highest number, 11, from Rajasthan, followed by 8 from Tamil Nadu and 7 from Maharashtra. These students attained a score equivalent to 99.997129 percentile.
The National Testing Agency (NTA) has acknowledged that the record number of toppers in NEET UG 2024 can be attributed to the relatively easier difficulty of this year’s exam and the significant increase in the number of registrations. The exam took place across 4750 centres in 571 cities, including 14 cities abroad. Out of the 24,06,079 registered students, 23,33,297 appeared for the exam, and 13,16,268 candidates qualified. The NTA has stated that the merit list will be prepared using a tie-breaking formula, giving preference to those with higher marks or percentile scores in Biology, followed by Chemistry and Physics.
It’s worth noting that the high number of toppers may also be attributed to the National Testing Agency (NTA) awarding ‘Grace Marks’ in certain instances. For instance, in the 2024 NEET UG Chemistry exam, a question regarding atoms had to be re-evaluated due to conflicting information in different editions of NCERT books. As a result, the NTA had to award 5 marks to all students who chose specific answer options for this particular question. This adjustment resulted in 44 students seeing an increase in their marks from 715 to 720, consequently leading to more students achieving the status of a topper.
In another instance, according to the NTA, it received a few representations and court cases from NEET (UG) 2024 candidates regarding concerns about the loss of time during the conduct of the examination on 05.05.2024. The NTA carefully considered these cases and implemented the normalization formula approved by the Hon’ble Apex Court to address the issue of time loss. As a result, candidates who faced time loss were compensated with grace marks, which could potentially increase their scores to 718 or 719.
Looking ahead, the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) is responsible for the counselling process for 15% of All India Quota (AIQ) seats, while the respective authorities of each state will oversee the remaining 85% of admissions. Eligible candidates who meet the minimum NEET UG 2024 cut-offs can anticipate the announcement of the counselling schedule by the NTA.
It is notable that the cut-off scores have increased across categories for NEET UG 2024. The UR/EWS category saw the highest cut-off at 720-164, followed by the OBC, SC, and ST categories with a cut-off range of 163-129. Additionally, specific cut-off scores for candidates with disabilities across categories have also been outlined.
