NEET PG 2025: Exam to be conducted in two shifts; candidates express concerns over scoring and lack of transparency

The National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) has confirmed that NEET PG 2025 will be held in two shifts on June 15, as was the case last year.

However, details on score normalization between the shifts are still pending, which has raised concerns among candidates.

Candidates are particularly anxious about how scores will be adjusted across different shifts, as they await the official information bulletin detailing eligibility, exam pattern, and marking scheme.

Many candidates believe that administering the test in different shifts could create an uneven playing field, as varying question types may disadvantage some students.

Dr Shubham Anand, a resident physician at AIIMS Deoghar and chairman of the Global Association of Indian Medical Students, believes that NEET PG should be administered in a single shift.

"Conducting the exam in one shift would ensure uniform difficulty levels for all candidates. NBE still has three months to NEET PG 2025 and can use the time to increase security measures and exam centers to facilitate a single-shift exam," he said.

He added that many aspirants feel the normalization process is ineffective and lacks transparency, leading to multiple court cases across the country last year.

Candidates who took the 2024 NEET PG expressed concerns about the normalization process and result transparency. Petitioners called for the NEET PG answer key, response sheets, raw and pre-normalized scores, and normalized results for every shift.

They also requested that the distribution of NEET PG question papers and answer keys be made a routine process.

Additionally, the petitioners urged the court to delay the counseling procedure until all issues had been resolved.

"This is a high-stakes exam where even a single mark can make a huge difference in rank," said a Delhi-based final-year MBBS student. "Students in the more difficult shift will be disproportionately impacted."

"NBEMS should release the normalization formula along with the information bulletin. Last year, students raised concerns, but there was no clear answer. If normalization isn't done properly, students in one shift could be unfairly ranked lower," another NEET PG aspirant said.

Experts in medical education stress the importance of score normalization to ensure fairness. However, the lack of a publicly announced method has increased uncertainty.

For the first time, NEET PG was conducted in two shifts rather than one last year. The sessions took place on August 11, from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm and 3:30 pm to 7:00 pm.

To ensure equal group sizes and minimize bias, candidates were assigned shifts at random. As a result of this change, the Board implemented a normalization process.

Raw scores and percentiles, calculated to seven decimal places, formed the basis for the results.

Older candidates were given a higher rank in the case of a tie. Percentile rankings for each shift were used to create the final merit list.

The Federation of All India Medical Associations (FAIMA) criticized the normalization process, calling it arbitrary and potentially discriminatory.

They argued that the difficulty of papers across different shifts varied, making fair normalization challenging and possibly disadvantageous for candidates.

FAIMA contended that a single-shift exam guarantees consistency, transparency, and fairness. They urged the board to revert to a single-shift format to uphold meritocracy.

Dr Rohan Krishnan, the founder of FAIMA, expressed dissatisfaction with the decision to conduct the postgraduate medical entrance exam in two shifts.

He said, "Only two lakh candidates take the NEET PG exam, which can easily be completed in a single shift. The issue of bias arises when a test is conducted over multiple shifts."

"I don't fully understand the mechanics and math behind the normalization process, but I do know that controversies should be avoided when possible. I urge the relevant authorities to consider holding the NEET PG exam in a single shift. If NEET UG can be conducted in one shift for over 20 lakh candidates, then NEET PG should not face any issues being held in one shift," he added.

To ensure consistent difficulty levels, many doctors and candidates prefer a single-shift exam.

Dr Dhruv Chauhan, a member of the Indian Medical Association's (IMA) national council, stated that the exam is conducted in two sessions because there aren't enough exam centers with adequate security measures to conduct it fairly in one shift.

"In short, the insufficiency of NBE/NMC to conduct a fair exam is leading to a burden on doctors across the country. When the government can approve 'One Nation—One Election,' why can't an exam-conducting body hold a 'One Nation One Exam'?" he said.

Candidates are anxiously awaiting the information bulletin to be posted on the official website, as NEET PG 2025 is just three months away.