NEET repeaters double in Karnataka, had bagged most seats last year

Sruthy Susan Ullas / TNN / Updated: Jul 6, 2024, 14:02 IST

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The number of repeater-candidates for NEET in Karnataka has nearly doubled this year, with fierce competition as 24 students vie for one medical seat on average. Repeaters, highly focused on the required subjects, are outperforming freshers. KEA data reveals successful candidates from various batches.

NEET repeaters double in Karnataka, had bagged most seats last year

Repeater-candidates are those who would have written II PU or equivalent exam in years preceding the year they appear for NEET.

BENGALURU: The number of repeater-candidates seeking admission to MBBS and BDS courses through NEET in Karnataka has nearly doubled from 28,064 in 2023 to 53,616 this year. This shouldn't come as a surprise since the repeaters outperformed freshers in medical admissions last year: Of the 11,000 MBBS and BDS seats up for grabs in Karnataka last year, as many as 7,012 were secured by repeater-candidates.

NEET repeaters double in K’taka, two go back to 1997 II PU batch

Repeater-candidates are those who would have written II PU or equivalent exam in years preceding the year they appear for NEET. Unlike JEE for technology courses, NEET has no bar on the number of attempts to write the exam. Data suggests fierce competition among candidates as nearly 24 candidates vie for one medical seat on average. The number of students who registered for NEET this year had 11,111 students from 2023 and 10,658 students 2022 batch. Two students who had graduated in 1997, too, had appeared for NEET this year.
Highest number of successful repeat candidates last year from batch 2022

Pass-outs from 1999, 2000 and 2002 were among those who wrote NEET this year.
"We've been seeing an increase in the number of repeaters in NEET. Repeaters land more seats because they are highly focused on the required subjects and are dedicating time exclusively for it. MBBS continues to be an attractive course," said H Prasanna, ED, Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA), which oversees admissions to undergraduate professional courses in the state.

According to KEA data, repeater-candidates, who took NEET 2023 and landed MBBS/BDS seats, included a candidate each from 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011and 2014 batches. The highest number of successful repeat candidates, 4,600, were from the 2022 batch, followed by 1,640 from the 2021 batch.
"A whopping 24 lakh students are vying for 1 lakh seats. Writing NEET is becoming like civil services, cracking it in one attempt is hard. It is unfair for freshers as many bright students do not get seats as they are outsmarted by repeat candidates," Sridhar G, founder of Deeksha, a home-grown school, focused on NEET and JEE coaching, which is preparing to start a batch exclusively for repeaters for NEET.

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