54,163 students from State clear NEET

However, not one from Karnataka among the top 50

Around 63% students from Karnataka, who appeared for the National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test (NEET) 2018 on May 6, have qualified. The percentage of students who qualified from Karnataka is higher than the country’s average.

Of the total 85,288 students who appeared for the test from the State, 54,163 qualified. Across the country, 56.2% of the total 12.69 lakh candidates who appeared for the test have qualified.

However, none of the top 50 ranks in NEET were bagged by students from Karnataka.

The test is a gateway to seats in all medical and dental institutions across the country. All seats, including the all-India quota, State government quota seats, institution quota, deemed university, and Central pool quota seats, will be filled based on the NEET scores.

The number of candidates who registered this year is a 16.49% increase compared to the previous year. While a total of 13.26 lakh students registered for the test, only 12.69 lakh candidates appeared.

Kannada medium

As many as 818 candidates registered for the test in Kannada medium this year.

This year, the cut-off scores for general candidates is 119, while it is 96 for SC, ST and OBC candidates. In 2017, the cut-off for general candidates was 131, while it was 107 for students belonging to OBC as well as SC and ST category.

Sridhar G., founder of Deeksha Centre for Learning, said since the number of students appearing for the examination has increased, this has led to the reduction in the cut-off marks.

State merit list soon

The Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA) is likely to open registrations for the counselling process for admissions into medical and dental seats in institutions in the State on Tuesday. It will also later publish the State merit list based on the NEET all-India rank.

The State government, however, is yet to decide on the fee structure and seat sharing matrix as there is still no clarity on whether consensual agreement would be signed this year or whether the recommendation of the fee regulatory committee of 8% hike for medical courses would be applicable to colleges.