‘We Need To Understand Problems Holistically’: Top Official On NEET-PG Percentile

The National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBE) issued a notification on 13 January regarding the revised qualifying cutoff for the 2025-26 NEET-PG admissions. According to the top official, the decision was taken from a "national perspective," stating, “We need to understand problems holistically from a national perspective.”

The official source further explained, “All students have cleared state university degree exams and internships. NEET PG is a competitive entrance test to built up merit list. since the seats are much lower than those of aspirant students. Here we are not changing scores of the students, and the biggest reason for negative scores is due to the structure of the examination with negative marking for wrong answers.”

"In a significant move to address the large number of vacant postgraduate medical seats across the country, the qualifying percentiles for NEET-PG 2025 admissions were revised by the National Medical Commission (NMC). This decision follows the completion of Round-2 counselling, where over 18,000 PG seats remained unfilled in government and private medical colleges," sources said.

"The revision aims to ensure optimal utilisation of available seats. Leaving a large number of seats vacant undermines national efforts to improve healthcare delivery and results in the loss of valuable educational resources," sources further added.

All NEET-PG candidates are MBBS-qualified doctors who have completed their degrees and internships. NEET-PG serves as a ranking mechanism to facilitate transparent seat allocation through centralised counselling.

"This reduction in percentile widens the pool of eligible candidates to fill the available seats, thereby addressing specialist doctor shortages and ensuring the utilisation of public investment in medical education and the health sector. It is emphasised that the allotment will be made strictly according to the merit list and availability of vacant seats in various disciplines," sources explained.

This measure is consistent with past academic years and has proven effective in ensuring maximum seat utilisation. Also, final competence is not at entry but at exit in these cases, where all PG students undergo 3 years of supervised training and must clear final university exams, with no relaxation permitted.

"The key Highlights is for revising percentile are that admissions remain strictly merit-based, determined by NEET-PG rank and candidate preferences. Allotments will be made only through authorised counselling mechanisms; no direct or discretionary admissions are permitted. In the interim, merit and choice-based allocation will continue to guide seat distribution. The revised percentile expands eligibility among already-qualified MBBS doctors," said sources

"Transparency and fairness remain central to the process," it said

However, the move has sparked debate within the medical fraternity, with some associations calling it a controversial issue.

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