NEET PG 2025 Cut-Offs Slashed Dramatically, Raising Alarm Across Medical Community
The National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences has implemented a shocking revision of cut-off criteria for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test for Postgraduate courses. This decision fundamentally alters the qualification landscape for aspiring medical specialists across India.
Drastic Reduction Across All Categories
For general category candidates, the required percentile has plummeted from fifty to just seven. Students belonging to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Other Backward Classes now face a zero percentile threshold. Persons with benchmark disabilities must achieve only the fifth percentile.
This unprecedented move effectively permits candidates with negative marks to enter counseling for postgraduate medical seats. The change represents a seismic shift in medical education entry standards.
Official Justification: Filling Vacant Seats
Officials defend the decision as a necessary response to practical challenges. After two rounds of counseling, over nine thousand postgraduate seats remained unoccupied. India possesses between sixty-five thousand and seventy thousand postgraduate medical seats annually.
Leaving thousands of positions vacant would weaken teaching hospitals and strain healthcare delivery systems. Government institutions particularly rely on resident doctors for patient care services. NBEMS officials emphasize that NEET PG primarily serves as a ranking exercise for doctors who have already cleared their MBBS and university examinations.
"You cannot afford to let nine to ten thousand postgraduate seats go to waste," an official stated. Authorities maintain that the change does not alter individual scores or ranks. Merit-based allocation through authorized counseling mechanisms continues to guide seat distribution.
Medical Associations Voice Strong Opposition
The medical community has responded with immediate and forceful criticism. The Federation of All India Medical Association described the decision as "unprecedented and illogical." FAIMA president Dr. Rohan Krishnan warned that allowing candidates with negative marks to pursue postgraduate training cannot be justified under any academic or ethical standards.
In a letter to Union Health Minister JP Nadda, Dr. Krishnan wrote, "This decision raises serious concerns about the quality of future specialists and poses a direct threat to patient safety, particularly in government hospitals."
The Federation of Doctors Association echoed these concerns, noting that years of rigorous preparation by aspirants who met previous cut-offs are being devalued. FORDA emphasized that private medical colleges may benefit disproportionately from this change.
"Lowering educational standards merely to fill vacant seats in certain private medical colleges is unacceptable," the association stated. "It sets a harmful precedent for the future of India's medical education system."
Broader Implications for Healthcare Standards
The decision forces difficult questions about medical education priorities. If candidates with negative marks can qualify, does NEET PG remain a credible measure of merit? Are administrative needs to fill seats overshadowing the competence required to train the next generation of specialists?
Medical bodies highlight that patients deserve merit-based specialists, not diluted standards. With public faith already strained by past controversies, lowered cut-offs further undermine perceptions of doctors as highly skilled experts.
The Indian Medical Association had formally requested the cut-off reduction on January twelfth. They cited the need to prevent unfilled seats from weakening hospital functioning and affecting patient care. Yet even among MBBS graduates, critics question whether reducing entry standards to zero undermines the fundamental rigour of postgraduate medical education.
Long-Term Consequences and Calls for Review
While the government's immediate logic addresses real concerns about wasted training capacity and hospital staffing shortages, the longer-term implications cannot be ignored. If entry standards are loosened too far, India risks producing specialists who are less prepared, potentially eroding both patient care quality and the credibility of the country's medical education system.
Medical associations now demand merit-based cut-offs be restored immediately. They call for establishing a high-level committee including NBEMS, the National Medical Commission, and resident doctors. This committee would ensure future decisions remain transparent and evidence-driven.
NEET PG serves as more than just an examination; it functions as the gatekeeper for India's next generation of medical specialists. Reducing cut-offs to zero may temporarily address seat vacancy issues, but it forces society to confront essential questions about medical education's purpose and standards.
