Sikar Is India's Surprise NEET-UG Topper Hub. Here's What It Has To Say About Rajasthan's Exam Irregularities

Rajasthan has accounted for the largest share of top scorers on the NEET-UG exam among Indian states this year.

As many as 482, or 20 per cent, of the 2,317 top scorers — those who scored over 700 marks out of a total of 720 — hail from Rajasthan. 

Among these top scorers, 149 are from Sikar, thereby surpassing the famous coaching hub of the state and nation, Kota, which accounted for 74 top scorers.

Naturally, Sikar, a small town 115 kilometres (km) from Jaipur, has gained national attention for the high concentration of successful NEET-UG results. To sum up the scorecard, this year, 6.8 per cent of government medical seats will go to candidates from Sikar alone.

While the results from Rajasthan on a key national exam like NEET are remarkable, the state does have a history of paper leaks and unfair practices in several state-level recruitment exams.

Between 2011 and 2022, there were 26 instances of paper leaks, 14 of them occurring under the previous Ashok Gehlot-led government, as per a report by The Print. Since 2019, the state has averaged over three paper leaks per year, affecting nearly 40 lakh students.

After taking an inside look at the ecosystem of exam paper leaks in Uttar Pradesh, Swarajya now turns its focus on Rajasthan, trying to see the link, if any, between the recent success and a much longer history of examination irregularities in the state.

Due to past irregularities, and the controversies around the NEET-UG exam this year, some educators remain wary of Rajasthan's recent NEET results, suspecting that the high concentration of top scorers might be linked to paper leaks or other unfair practices.

Many petitioners have questioned this anomaly, especially in Sikar, where, of the 27,216 students who appeared for the exam, 7.48 per cent scored over 650 marks — significantly higher than the national average of 1.29 per cent.

What Institutes In Sikar Say About The Results

“It is the hard work and dedication of both students and teachers. For three months, we conducted continuous mock exams, day and night, and this outcome is the result of that effort,” Sahil Choudhary, the chief executive officer of CLC Institute, told Swarajya.

CLC Institute, a source of many of Sikar's top results, is the oldest coaching centre in Sikar. It came up in 1996. Today, a visit to the campus reveals a sprawling facility, comparable in size to a degree college, packed with students.

Following the success of CLC, several other coaching institutes emerged in Sikar over the years.

Today, Sikar’s economy revolves around this coaching industry. Most of the town’s infrastructure and many neighbourhoods are dedicated to students, with facilities for accommodations, while others rely on commerce related to the coaching industry.

Nearly all these facilities are concentrated along two major roads in the city: Piprali Road and Nawalgarh Road.

However, all throughout Sikar, students can be seen carrying the identity of these institutes on their uniforms, bags, and even umbrellas.

"People are sceptical about the success here, but they need to see that this is not a sudden spike in results; it is the gradual outcome of years of effort. It was only when the results came out in a different format this time that it became noticeable," CLC's Choudhary said.

Drawing comparisons to Kota, he adds, "Kota has been a hub for years, but the industry there has been commercialised, with the concept of 'celebrity teachers'. Meanwhile, Sikar remained a more convenient and economically viable option. Most students here come from middle or lower income groups, so they arrive with serious intentions to prepare."

Sikar, like Rome, was not built in a day. "People are only discovering it now because of the results, but we've been developing these facilities and conveniences for students for years," Choudhary tells Swarajya.

On concerns around the exam results, he adds, "Yes, there are concerns about paper leaks, but these are just rough allegations made by a few.”

“Most of the students who scored the highest on the exam did their preparation here in Sikar but took their exam at the centres in Haryana. So, how can the coaching or centres here be questioned?”

This year, Sikar and Kota have significantly increased their share of the top 500 rankers, with 29 and 18 students, respectively, compared to 14 and 4 last year.

Similarly, representation among the top 1,000 rankers has also risen, with 55 from Sikar and 35 from Kota, up from 27 and 13 last year.

While teachers and students are pleased with the outcomes, concerns remain regarding the examination process.

Another teacher adds, "Earlier, we used to set targets for scores above 600, but with these results, questions arise about the quality of the exam papers. With such high cut-offs and a large number of students scoring well, it will be challenging to secure good seats."

In 2022, only 350 students achieved scores above 700, but in 2024, that number has crossed 2,000.

"With so many high scorers, how will everyone get the same opportunities?" the teacher asked, adding that this spike needs to be addressed, either by increasing the number of seats or by revising the exam pattern.

Issues With State Recruitment Exams

Despite Sikar and Rajasthan’s success in the NEET-UG results, the state continues to wrestle with concerns around exam leak controversies and the integrity of its state-level examinations.

While Piprali Road remains packed with students preparing for NEET and IIT-JEE, Nawalgarh Road is lined with institutes and hostels catering to those focussing on state-level recruitment exams.

For these exams, teachers have accepted paper leaks as an unfortunate but established pattern while continuing their efforts to prepare students each year.

Coaching centres along Nawalgarh Road share the same view: 'The situation is so severe that many students prioritise obtaining leaked papers over actual preparation. That's the environment in Rajasthan.'

Apparently, even those who don't buy into this practice initially eventually get influenced by those around them who are focused on getting the papers.

The centres say it is almost a given that every state-level exam paper will be leaked in some remote area.

“Almost all will have access to some version of the paper or questions before the exam, whether they are correct or not. It’s not just the students — relatives, friends, and everyone around them start focussing on getting the paper."

This has long been the case in Rajasthan, but concerns have escalated drastically during the Congress tenure between 2018 and 2023.

Most exam leaks have occurred under the Rajasthan Public Service Commission (RPSC), affecting major exams like the Second Grade and Third Grade Teacher exams, as well as the Rajasthan Eligibility Examination for Teachers (REET).

All of these exams see large female participation, but they are also affected by irregularities.

"How can the system address this when the majority of students have become complicit?" another teacher asked. “The issue continues to exist across party lines, but is only increasing now with the growing influence of social media.”

"While there haven’t been any vacancies yet, with the new BJP government, there are talks that changes might come. But honestly, no teacher in this coaching hub is very confident that things will get better in the state," the teacher added.

Meanwhile, students who are serious about their preparations and are not connected to the widespread irregularities are the ones who suffer the most from this situation.

Students preparing for recruitment exams, mostly in the age group of 20-27 years, tell Swarajya, "Most of us have stopped focussing on state-level exams. Instead, we concentrate more on the Staff Selection Commission (SSC) and Delhi Police exams. When a vacancy comes, we still fill out the forms and appear, but our preparation is never specifically focused on state examinations."

This is also the pattern that coaching centres have adopted. Teachers focus on overall preparations, owing to the unreliability of the state exams.

Focus On Preparation; Avoid Distraction Of Unfair Means

While the issue of exam leaks remains prevalent in Rajasthan, both students and teachers are embracing the recent success and recognition of their preparations.

For institutes focussing on NEET and JEE, they choose not to give attention to the continued allegations and concentrate on their expansion and preparation efforts. They believe, until the time results show, that these allegations are inconsequential.

However, they assert that while the quality of coaching has improved, the exam boards should also focus on enhancing the exam process to maintain the rising scoring patterns seen over the years.

For state-level exams, students continue to favour these institutes, despite some coming under scrutiny by authorities, as their primary goal remains to maximise the chances of passing the exams.

For the institutes, if the government is serious about addressing and breaking the cycle of irregularities, they are ready to support the effort by all means.

Within their limits, many institutes also encourage parents to relocate with their children to ensure that their focus remains on legitimate preparation rather than getting distracted by unfair means.

Here's what the teachers suggest:

One, increase the number of question papers and conduct exams in groups over longer periods. With more question papers, the chances of leaks are reduced, and the probability of obtaining the correct paper also decreases.

Two, stricter laws are essential, as breaking this corrosive environment requires decisive action against exam centres, institutes, officials, and students involved in the leaks.

Only through such measures can this issue, which has become so common, be effectively addressed.