The 2024 NEET controversy stemmed from various irregularities during the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Undergraduate) (NEET-UG) 2024 examination—one of India's largest entrance exams for undergraduate medical programs. The National Testing Agency (NTA) administers this nationwide test. Upon the declaration of results, widespread concerns arose due to discrepancies such as candidates receiving seemingly unattainable scores and a significant surge in the number of candidates achieving perfect scores. Additionally, there were allegations of unfair practices and suspicions of a leaked exam paper. As a result, many candidates requested a re-examination. In 2024, approximately 2.4 million candidates took the examination across India, continuing the trend of rising applicant numbers. As per previous year's statistics, out of 2.08 million students who appeared for the exam, nearly 1.14 million students qualified.

This is not about giving grace marks, question paper leaks, cheating, impersonation, endless malpractices, and making it a total mess . This is also about the very tricky dealings between the NTA and some private Coaching Centres in India. 

The physics section of NEET UG 2024 has experienced controversy due to a question which required the evaluation of two statements regarding atoms. The first statement, concerning the electrical neutrality of atoms with equal numbers of protons and electrons, is universally accepted as correct. However, the second statement, which asserts that atoms are stable and emit characteristic spectra, has become a point of contention. Discrepancies arise between the old and new textbooks of NCERT, with the former affirming the statement's correctness while the latter indicates its inaccuracy.
The National Testing Agency (NTA) addressed this issue by accepting both options as correct, effectively deeming the second statement simultaneously correct and incorrect. This decision is concerning, as it permits an ambiguous question in a national-level exam. The amendment in the new textbook suggests that the older textbook contains erroneous information. An examination of national significance like NEET must rely on precise and scientifically accurate information. Awarding marks to students who regurgitated incorrect information from outdated sources is questionable, especially when modernized materials are freely accessible.
This discrepancy underscores the inadequacy of NTA's question-framing committee. Despite basing the NEET 2024 exam on updated syllabi and rationalized textbooks, the inclusion of a question yielding different answers in distinct textbooks raises concerns.
Only students who conscientiously studied the new textbook or questioned the veracity of the old textbook's statement by marking it as incorrect demonstrate a genuine understanding of the material. The fact that 44 out of the 67 top-performing students selected the logically incorrect option and still received marks indicates that the majority may have relied on the outdated textbook. NTA should reconsider its answer key to align with scientifically accurate information.