The National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) is a national-level medical entrance examination, a concept designed to standardize and streamline admissions to undergraduate medical courses in India. It is the sole mandatory examination for admission to courses like MBBS, BDS, and AYUSH across all government and private medical colleges.
The concept of NEET was proposed in 2010 by the Medical Council of India (MCI) to replace the multitude of entrance exams conducted by various states and institutions, such as the All India Pre-Medical Test (AIPMT), thereby solving the problem of confusion and stress caused by multiple tests. NEET was first conducted in 2013 by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), but it faced legal challenges and was temporarily replaced by AIPMT in 2014 and 2015. It was reintroduced in 2016 following a Supreme Court verdict, making it mandatory for medical admissions.
The mechanism of NEET involves a single, all-India examination, which is currently conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA), an autonomous body under the Ministry of Education, which took over from CBSE in 2019. The test is a multiple-choice question format, covering Physics, Chemistry, and Biology, based on the Class 11 and 12 syllabus prescribed by the NCERT.
NEET is closely connected to the National Medical Commission (NMC) Act, 2019, which solidified its position as the single entrance test for all medical colleges, including institutions like the All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education & Research (JIPMER), which previously held separate exams.
Recently, the examination has been subject to significant changes and scrutiny, particularly following paper leak controversies in 2024 and 2026. The government has introduced the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024, a specialized statutory framework to address malpractices like paper leaks and organized cheating, with stringent penalties. Furthermore, the Union Education Minister announced that NEET-UG will shift from the current pen-and-paper mode to a Computer-Based Test (CBT) system starting from 2027, a move recommended by the K. Radhakrishnan Committee to enhance security. The NTA itself, which functions as a society under the Societies Registration Act, 1860, is facing calls in the Supreme Court to be transitioned into a statutory body accountable to Parliament.