July 19, 2025

In a surprising turn of events, 23 candidates above the age of 32 have successfully qualified for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) in Karnataka, with the oldest candidate being 52 years old. These candidates have defied age barriers to pursue their dreams of becoming doctors. The top scorer among them, born in 1973, secured 181 marks, while the second and third oldest candidates, aged 48 and 38 respectively, scored 133 and 288 marks. Particularly impressive are two candidates who scored 480 marks, placing them in the All India rank range of 76,000. This achievement could potentially land them general merit seats in medical colleges in Karnataka. Surprisingly, despite their qualifications, none of these senior candidates have registered for counselling with the Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA), indicating that they may be considering other options such as the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC), which provides access to seats in deemed universities. Education experts speculate that these older candidates might include individuals who have harbored long-standing dreams of pursuing a medical career or teachers from coaching institutes seeking to deepen their understanding of exam patterns and nuances without necessarily enrolling in medical courses. Notably, similar instances have been reported in Tamil Nadu, where three senior citizens aged 68, 67, and 60 years qualified for NEET and applied for counselling. The National Medical Commission's decision to lift the age barrier for NEET candidates in 2022 has opened up opportunities for individuals of all ages to pursue medical education. Last year, the state of Karnataka witnessed a significant rise in the number of students repeating a year to appear for NEET, with 53,616 repeaters taking the exam. Notably, two candidates from the class of 1997 were among the oldest participants. As students await the seat matrix for medical undergraduate programs in the state, the draft seat matrix for dental courses has already been released. With a total of 3,315 dental seats available, including quotas for All India, government, private, NRI, ESI colleges, and other categories, aspiring dental students have a range of options to consider.

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Tags: Neet, Karnataka, Medical education,