Students from Mumbai mull challenging ‘errors’ in NEET answer key

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) released the answer key and Optical Mark Recognition (OMR) sheets along with students’ marked answers for the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test-Undergraduate (NEET-UG) on Thursday. Students have pointed at some questions with more than one possible correct answer and have decided to challenge the board regarding the same.

“As per CBSE rules, the board gives marks only to those students who have challenged the questions. Only when there’s an error on part of the board, do the bonus marks go for all students. So invariably, everyone ends up sending their challenges to the board,” said Anita Karkera, a parent. Students have to pay ₹1,000 for every challenge made, and if the challenge is not accepted, then there is no refund offered either. The window is open till May 27 for students to write to the CBSE about their doubts.

“Most students who are unsure about their answers will end up challenging answers, but past experiences show that CBSE has almost never accepted challenges. Hopefully this year will be different,” said Sudha Shenoy, another parent.

A circular released by the CBSE mentions that the board will go through all challenges and accordingly announce the results.

NEET-UG results will be released on June 5 this year.