NEET PG 2025 To Be Held in Two Shifts: Medical Community Raises Concerns Over Fairness and Normalization

New Delhi, March 20, 2025 — The National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) has confirmed that the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test for Postgraduate (NEET PG) 2025 will be conducted in two shifts on June 15, a decision that has sparked a wave of apprehension among medical aspirants and medical organizations.

While the official information bulletin — detailing eligibility criteria, exam patterns, and the marking scheme — is eagerly awaited on natboard.edu.in, the lack of clarity regarding how scores will be adjusted across the two shifts has become a major concern.

Why Two Shifts Are Causing Concern

Many aspirants and medical experts believe that conducting the exam in multiple shifts could create an uneven playing field. Variations in the difficulty levels of question papers could inadvertently put some students at a disadvantage, even if only slight differences.

As Dr. Shubham Anand, a resident doctor at AIIMS Deoghar and chairman of the Global Association of Indian Medical Students, noted, the NBEMS should reconsider the two-shift format:

“Conducting the exam in a single shift would ensure uniform difficulty levels for all candidates. NBE still has three months remaining for NEET PG 2025 and it can utilise the time for increasing the security measures and centres to conduct the exam in a single shift,” he said.

Calls for Transparency

Concerns about transparency in the results and normalization process aren’t new. Candidates who appeared in NEET PG exam in 2024 had raised similar questions, demanding that NBE release the NEET PG answer key, response sheets, raw and pre-normalized scores, and normalized results of all shifts.

As one final-year MBBS student from Delhi stated, “This is a high-stakes exam where even a single mark can make a huge difference in rank. If one shift is even slightly more difficult than the other, students in that shift will be unfairly impacted.”

In response to the NEET PG exam being conducted in two shifts, Dr. Rohan Krishnan, founder of FAIMA stated that “NEET PG is taken by a total of only two lakh aspirants and it can easily be conducted in a single shift”.

In line with the concerns of many candidates, many petitions have also been issued, demanding a release of the answer keys for the NEET PG exam, and that question papers should be released to ensure transparency. These petitions have even requested that the Court suspend the counselling process until all concerns are addressed.

Many doctors have also expressed their preference to revert to the single-shift exam to ensure more fairness and uniform difficulty levels. Dr. Dhruv Chauhan, a national council member of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) has expressed that the exam is conducted in two shifts because the centres do not have appropriate and proper security measures.

Concerns about fairness and the potential for bias have also been amplified by medical organizations like the Federation of All India Medical Associations (FAIMA). In a letter to NBEMS, FAIMA criticized mark normalization, calling it inconsistent and potentially biased.

Questions Abound Ahead of NEET PG 2025

With just three months until NEET PG 2025, candidates are eagerly awaiting the official information bulletin on the official website. Until then, the debate over multiple shifts and the need for a transparent, fair normalization process will likely continue.

FAQs – NEET PG 2025 Controversy

Q1: Why is NEET PG 2025 being conducted in two shifts?

While the specific reasons haven’t been officially disclosed, there are many factors to consider when releasing the exam in two shifts. These include the number of candidates and logistical constraints.

Q2: What is the main concern with conducting NEET PG in two shifts?

The primary concern is that variations in the difficulty level between the two shifts could create an uneven playing field, impacting candidates unfairly.

Q3: What are candidates and medical bodies demanding?

They are requesting greater transparency in the results and normalization process, including the release of answer keys, response sheets, raw scores, and details of the normalization methodology.

Q4: What if NBEMS doesn’t address these concerns?

If the concerns aren’t addressed, there is a possibility of petitions being filed with higher authorities or court interventions.

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