NTA's response on why results were announced on June 4

The national agency clarified that the results were released early as per its policy of timely declaration of results. “The result date was pre-scheduled and is not connected to the general election results. The early announcement aims to expedite the counselling and admission process for the benefit of all candidates. It is important to note that NTA consistently declares examination results within a month, whether conducted in CBT mode or offline mode," the agency explained in the FAQ sheet.

The agency reiterated that there were no paper leaks.

Explaining the incidents that took place in Bihar and Rajasthan on the day of the exam, the NTA said the exam was reconducted in Sawai Madhopur on the same day as the issue was with the distribution of incorrect question paper and the Patna incident is being investigated. The agency has also taken action against 63 candidates who used unfair means in the exam.

The testing agency highlighted that there was a 16.85 per cent increase in registration this year as compared to last year.

More registration became the basis for more students scoring better marks this year, as per the FAQ sheet. "The number of candidates who appeared in 2023 was 20,38,596, while the number of candidates who appeared in 2024 increased to 23,33,297. The increase in candidates naturally led to an increase in high scorers due to a larger pool of candidates," the agency said.

Out of the 67 candidates who got 720/720 marks, 44 are on account of the revision in one answer key of physics, and six are on account of compensatory marks for loss of time. This revision led to increased marks for many candidates, the agency clarified, contributing to the high number of perfect scores. This led to getting the full marks for 44 candidates.

Another factor that could have contributed to the increase in the number of high scorers, according to the agency, is the reduced syllabus, which was 22-25 per cent less than the previous year.

Answering a major query of the cut-off marks being higher this year, the NTA explained by showing the average marks and minimum scores to qualify for five previous years. "Reduced syllabus, moderate difficulty level, increased number of aspirants and the fact that NEET(UG) allows multiple attempts could be some of the reasons for higher scores," the agency said.

Year of Exam  Average Marks  Minimum score to qualify

2020                      297.18                    147

2021                      286.13                    138

2022                      259.00                    117

2023                      279.41                    137

2024                      323.55                    164

The agency said that the functionaries involved in the conduct of the exam included city coordinators, centre superintendents, observers and invigilators. A central control room was also opened to monitor and facilitate smooth conduct of the exam. CCTVs were installed in every exam room. Hence, any malpractice would have easily been noticed.

The agency said that the candidates were provided with an opportunity to see their OMR answer sheets from May 29, 2024 to June 1, 2024. A scanned copy was also sent to their email addresses.

The agency formed a Grievance Redressal Committee which considered the grievances of the students based on reports of the functionaries and the CCTV footage from concerned exam centres. To compensate for the loss of time, such candidates were awarded grace marks, the agency said. Due to the compensatory marks, two candidates secured 718 and 719 marks.

According to NTA, no student other than 1,563 students who faced loss of time, received compensatory marks. The 44 perfect scorers (720/720), who benefited from the physics question with two correct answers, also did not receive any compensatory marks.

Dismissing the allegation that all top scorers are from north India — mostly from three major states — the agency clarified that the top 100 candidates are distributed across 89 different centres located in 55 cities within 17 states or Union Territories. Of these top candidates, 73 belong to the CBSE Board, while the remaining 27 are from various state boards.