NBE Confidential Letter Leaked! Concerns raised on Sanctity of NEET PG 2024 Exam

New Delhi: With only days left for the National Eligibility-and-Entrance Test Postgraduate (NEET-PG) 2024 exam, a confidential letter issued by the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) has been leaked on social media, raising concerns about the integrity of the entire exam process.

Abhijat Sheth, the President of NBEMS, addressed the District administrations in that letter asking them to ensure the smooth conduct of NEET PG exam, scheduled to be held on August 11, and make sure that the integrity and sanctity of the exam is preserved.

Emphasizing the high stakes and national importance of the test, the letter outlined specific details such as the exam date, time, the number of candidates, and the mode of conduct etc and all these details are now publicly accessible due to the leak of the confidential letter.

Sharing the letter on its X (formerly Twitter) handle, the All FMGs Association (AFA) on August 3 questioned if a confidential letter could be leaked what are the chances that NEET PG paper is secured?

"It appears that a confidential letter from NBEMS has been leaked in public, containing information about the exam shift and the number of students taking the exam. If a confidential letter can be leaked, can we be confident about the security of the NEET PG paper?" the association mentioned on the X post.

What the Letter Stated? 

In the letter dated August 1, 2024, NBEMS President Dr. Sheth sought the support of the officials for the smooth conduct of the very high-stakes examination adding that the exam "assumes national importance and will be now be conducted by NBEMS on PAN India basis for 228542 candidates at 376 examination centres in 169 cities..."

The date of the examination, the timing of the exam, entry timing of the candidates, mode of conduct of the exam, number of candidates appearing in the NEET PG exam, its coverage, along with the list of test centres of the NEET PG exam (attached with the letter) are included in the NBE letter.

"Given the critical nature of this examination, which significantly impacts the academic and professional future of a large number of medical students, it is imperative to ensure that the process is conducted in a secure and uninterrupted manner," the letter said.

"Whereas NBEMS has left no stone unturned to ensure a smooth & safe conduct of this examination, we respectfully request your assistance in the following areas..." it further stated.

He sought support in ensuring a continuous power supply at all examination centres during the examination hours, PTI has reported.

This is essential to maintain the electronic systems and lighting, and to prevent any disruptions that could adversely affect the candidates' performance and the overall examination process, he said in the letter.

Sheth also said, "Though the examination is conducted on computers connected over a LAN with no Internet connectivity at examination centres during the conduct of examination, the availability of the Internet is essential to download the encrypted question papers at all examination centres before the start of the examination and to upload the candidate response and other exam related data to central data centres after the conduct of the examination."

"Your support is solicited in ensuring this minimal availability of internet connectivity at all examination centres," he stated in the letter to the district magistrates.

He also sought the district administrations' help in maintaining law and order around the examination centres.

Given the high stakes involved, it is crucial to deploy adequate security personnel to manage the crowd, and traffic and to prevent any untoward incidents, the letter stated.

"We request to direct all state functionaries concerned to take all possible measures to preserve the integrity and sanctity of the examination. It is requested to depute the staff of district administration to observe the conduct of examination at test centres in areas of your jurisdiction.

"Your support will be instrumental in facilitating a seamless examination process, and will greatly contribute to upholding the credibility and fairness of the examination," Sheth said in the letter.

The letter contained a detailed schedule of the examination, including the locations of all centres which have been shared with them.

"We trust that with your esteemed support, the examination will be conducted successfully and without any untoward incident for students of your district," the letter added.

Needless Hype, say Official Sources: 

Amid the concerns regarding the sanctity and integrity of the NEET examination, PTI has reported that the official sources maintained that the letter contained general instructions and a needless hype is being created by alleging that it has been leaked.

Also Read: NEET PG 2024 aspirants upset over allotted exam cities