Hazaribag NEET aspirant’s rank improves after retest

Chatra/Jamshedpur: Hema Mehta, a resident of Deepugarha locality in Hazaribag, had secured 1414th rank in the NEET-UG examination, the results of which were announced on June 4. However, after the National Testing Agency (NTA) conducted a re-test and declared the results on June 30, Hema's ranking was revised to 1403 even though she did not sit for the re-exam.
At the same time, the ranking of Kahkasha Parween, who hails from Jamshedpur and scored a perfect 720, did not change.
Meanwhile, Hema expressed her concerns about the controversy surrounding the exam, which has tarnished the image of NTA. “Our fate now hangs in balance and we all are waiting for the court hearing on July 8. Suppose the court asks to re-conduct the entire exam, how will NTA be able to instil confidence among candidates about its credibility?” She rued that while those responsible for the paper leak might escape punishment, the students will suffer for their entire lives.
Hema lost her father when she was only a year old, and her mother, Veena Mehta, decided to live with her parents to take care of her two daughters — Anuradha and Hema. Under the guidance of their maternal grandfather, Birju Prasad, a retired teacher, both girls remained focused on their studies. Anuradha is currently pursuing her MBBS from Rims, Ranchi, after cracking the exam in 2000.
Hema, who was proficient in both mathematics and biology, chose to pursue a career in biology. In her second attempt at the NEET-UG exam, she scored 702 marks with which she secured a revised ranking of 1403.
Similarly, a girl student, Ujjwal Kanta, of Aurangabad in Bihar said earlier her ranking was 23026 but after the re-test result, her ranking changed to 22996. Ujjwal said she secured 658 marks in the exam on May 5. “It’s very sad to see this controversy affecting our career. I want the immediate start of the counselling for the seats,” she demanded. Talking to TOI, Parween, also said she was against a retest as that would put a lot of pressure on students who have scored well. She said instead of a retest, the govt and the NTA should ensure a better and more transparent system.
“An online mode will be fine but it would be a pressure on us to prepare for the exam again. There’s already a gap of two months now as we were waiting for our counselling. Moreover, it’s not possible to prepare for an exam in a few days. It takes a couple of years for preparations,” Parween said.