The latest data from the National Testing Agency (NTA) unveils intriguing trends in the landscape of the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test for undergraduate programs (NEET-UG). Maharashtra state board students emerge as the most prominent cohort of NEET-UG applicants in the past five years, while Uttar Pradesh takes the lead in producing the highest number of qualified candidates.
This year, an impressive 2.57 lakh students from Maharashtra pursued the medical entrance exam, marking an increase from 2.31 lakh last year. The ranks of applicants are then followed by Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Uttar Pradesh state boards in sequential order.
Broader Insights
The NEET-UG saw a significant surge in participation this year, with more than 20.38 lakh candidates taking the examination—a substantial escalation from 14.10 lakh in 2019.
Zooming out to encompass the period from 2019 to 2023, students from the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), responsible for Class 12 exams nationwide, clinch the lead with 5.51 lakh NEET-UG applicants this year.
Conversely, the Kerala state board produced over 1.07 lakh applicants, while the Bihar state board contributed more than 71,000. In contrast, Tripura, Mizoram, and Meghalaya reported the lowest applicant counts, each below 5,000. Nagaland, Goa, and Uttarakhand also featured in the category of state boards with fewer than 5,000 NEET-UG applicants.
NEET-UG: Pathway to Medical Education
Serving as the gateway to various medical courses such as MBBS, BDS, and BAMS, the NEET-UG holds profound importance. The landscape encompasses over 80,000 MBBS seats dispersed across 540 medical colleges throughout India.
NTA took over the responsibility of conducting NEET-UG from the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) in May 2019, acting on behalf of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
Qualifications and Geographical Distribution
Out of the expansive pool of 20.38 lakh applicants this year, an impressive 11.45 lakh achieved qualification—a remarkable 48% surge from the previous year.
Uttar Pradesh shines as the state producing the highest number of qualified candidates (1.39 lakh), closely followed by Maharashtra (1.31 lakh) and Rajasthan (over a lakh). Kerala and Karnataka also feature in the ranks, boasting over 75,000 qualifying candidates each.
Despite Tamil Nadu’s stance against NEET-UG, the state produced the highest number of candidates within the top ten rankings. Notably, the top 50 features eight candidates from Delhi, seven from Rajasthan, and six from Tamil Nadu.
The examination, conducted in May, engaged final-year medical aspirants across India and 14 global cities, facilitated in 13 different languages.