Officials defend cutoff reduction in NEET-PG

NEW new delhi: subject room of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) officials on midweek defended the room’s decision to reduce the qualifying percentile to zero for reserved-category candidates in the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Postgraduate), or NEET-PG 2025, saying all applicants are MBBS graduates and “fully qualified medical practitioners eligible for postgraduate training.” They also pointed out that cut-off percentile has been reduced to zero previously as well.NBEMS, which conducts examinations for admission to postgraduate and super-specialty courses, announced in a notice on January 13 that it had reduced the NEET-PG 2025 cut-off for the third round of counselling. Over 18,000 PG medical seats remain vacant across the country after two rounds of NEET-PG 2025 counselling, prompting NBEMS to lower the qualifying percentile to expand the pool of eligible candidates for the third round of counselling, officials said.The qualifying percentile for the general category was lowered from the 50th to the 7th percentile and reduced to zero for candidates belonging to SC, ST and OBC categories. This allows candidates from reserved categories scoring as low as negative 40 out of 800 in NEET-PG 2025 — the exam consists of 200 multiple-choice questions, with each correct answer fetching 4 marks while a negative mark is awarded for each incorrect answer — to participate in the third round of counselling.“The primary goal of NEET-PG and its counselling process is to ensure optimal utilisation of these seats, increase the number of trained specialists, and address the shortage of medical professionals in the country. Leaving so many seats unfilled undermines this objective and wastes valuable medical education resources,” a senior NBEMS official said, requesting anonymity.“All candidates appearing in NEET-PG are already MBBS graduates, having successfully completed a recognised medical degree and compulsory internship, and are therefore fully qualified medical practitioners eligible for postgraduate training,” the official added.India has a total of 80,291 PG medical seats for 2025-26 academic year.Officials cited an example from the past to underscore that the cut-off reduction announced a day ago was not unprecedented. In 2023, the Union health ministry had reduced the qualifying percentile to zero across all categories.“Reduction in cut-off percentile has also been adopted in previous academic years under similar circumstances and has proven effective in preventing seat wastage while maintaining academic standards,” a second NBEMS official said, also declining to be named. “Reduction in percentile does not dilute merit or academic standards, but merely enables already-qualified MBBS doctors to be ranked and considered for admission, thereby ensuring fair competition, transparency, and optimal utilisation of available seats.”The NEET-PG 2025 was conducted on August 3, 2025, and results were declared on August 19. The Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) conducted the first round of counselling during October-November 2025, followed by the second round in late November and early December. The MCC is expected to announce the schedule for the third round shortly.The decision to lower the cut-off has drawn sharp criticism from sections of the medical fraternity, who argue it reflects a worrying decline in academic standards in medical education.The Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA), a medical group, has written to Union health minister JP Nadda “expressing grave concern” over NEET-PG cut-off reduction and demanded the withdrawal of January 13 NBEMS notice and “restore a reasonable, merit-based cut-off.”“Lowering educational standards merely to fill vacant seats in certain private medical colleges is unacceptable and sets a harmful precedent for the future of India’s medical education system,” it said in the letter to the minister.Federation of Resident Doctors’ Association (FORDA) has termed the move “unilateral”, claiming it “undermines meritocracy, transparency and public trust in the medical education system.”However, several professionals as well as the Indian Medical Association (IMA) have welcomed the NBEMS’ decision.“NEET-PG is for merit list for studying in PG medical courses and not for quality tests of doctors. All MBBS graduates appearing for NEET-PG exams are allowed for private practice and hence allowing them to study PG medical courses is not reducing the quality of medical education. They will still have to study three-year PG medical courses, learn in hospitals and pass the exams to become specialised doctors,” IMA national president Anilkumar J Nayak said.Dr Manish, belonging to a reserved category and working in a renowned central government hospital in Delhi, said targeting reserved-category candidates was “unfair”, emphasising that cut-off has also been reduced for general category as well. “Minimum passing percentage in MBSS is same for reserved and general category and they have to study the same subjects with rigour and clear the exams to get MD and MS degree,” he argued.