Should NEET exam be conducted on the lines of JEE? Know the difference between the two exams

There is also a discussion that to conduct the JEE exam in a better manner, NEET should be conducted on the lines of JEE. Considered to be one of the most prestigious entrance exams for medical aspirants, NEET was introduced in 2013 replacing the then All India Pre-Medical Test or AIPMT.

JEE is another important entrance exam for those who wish to get admission in the top engineering educational institutes of the country. According to experts, despite being important entrance exams, the purpose of both NEET and JEE is quite different.

Speaking to HT Media in this regard, the expert on the matter, Dr Arijit Tomar, Associate Professor of Computer Science and Engineering at Noida International University (NIU), shared his views. He said that NEET and JEE are national level exams, which serve different purposes in different formats and have different formats.

JEE and NEET: Two exams with different objectives and format

NEET is used for admission to undergraduate medical programmes (MBBS/BDS), which includes Physics, Chemistry and Biology (Botany and Zoology). It consists of 200 multiple choice questions (MCQs), 180 of which have to be completed within 3 hours and 20 minutes. Each correct answer is awarded four marks, while one mark is deducted for each wrong answer.

JEE focuses on admission to undergraduate engineering programmes (B.Tech/B.E) and is divided into two stages – jee mains and JEE Advanced. JEE Mains consists of 90 questions (30 from each subject: Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics), and is conducted for three hours, while JEE Advanced consists of different types of questions including MCQs, numerical value questions and matching type, and consists of two three-hour papers.

NEET focuses on medical courses with an emphasis on biological sciences while JEE focuses on engineering degrees with an emphasis on mathematics. According to the same HT report, Gaurav Tyagi, founder of Career Expert, says that NEET and JEE play different roles in determining the academic path of candidates aspiring to become doctors and engineers. However, despite being different, NEET can be improved by learning a few things from the JEE model.

It is important to bring objectivity:

JEE's focus on problem solving could improve NEET by introducing complex scenarios that assess not just memory but also critical thinking and the application of medical knowledge in a real-world setting. A multi-session format similar to JEE could ensure fairness of the exam, reducing annual variation in difficulty. Future healthcare development, regularity, and fairness should also be prioritized in adapting the JEE model for NEET.