The Impact and Perspicacity of National Eligibility cum Entrance Test among Dental Undergraduates in India

Abstract

Background: National eligibility cum entrance test (NEET) was first proposed in the Vision 2015 by

Board of Governors (BOGs) in India. This exam was supposed to be a single window for admissions into

medical colleges and dental colleges. NEET-UG (Undergraduate) was put into action in order to reduce

stress of multiple examinations which was conducted in different states within India. Aim: The aim of this

study is to assess the impact of National eligibility cum entrance test (NEET) among the first and second

year undergraduates studying in various dental colleges in Chennai, India, qualified through the NEET

examination. Materials and Method: A cross sectional questionnaire study was conducted among 17 to 22

year old dental undergraduate students. 110 participants were recruited by simple random sampling. A pre

tested self- administered questionnaire was distributed to all the participants and data were obtained about

NEET. Data was collected during the period of September to October 2017.Descriptive statistics and SPSS

version 23.0 was used to analyze the data. Results: Out of the total 110 participants, 55 (50%) were males

and 55 (50%) were females. 71(64.5%) chose dentistry by choice. 75 (68.2%) studied state board syllabus.

A significant p value (0.005) was obtained while assessing the association between difficulty of NEET and

efficiency of syllabus. Conclusion: It is evident to a certain extent that the system has attained stability and

the admission procedures have become easy and transparent for the students as well as for the institutions.