NEET-PG Cut-Off Reductions Reignite Medical Training Quality Debate
The government's repeated decision to lower NEET-PG qualifying percentiles has sparked fresh worries about postgraduate medical training standards. Critics argue these successive relaxations risk watering down educational quality when India's healthcare system already faces patient care challenges.
Officials Defend Policy as Necessary Trade-Off
Health ministry officials acknowledge these concerns but defend the policy as a difficult balancing act. They must preserve academic standards while addressing acute doctor shortages and utilizing substantial public investments. Each postgraduate medical seat costs the government several crores of rupees to establish, and unfilled seats cannot be carried forward to the next academic year.
"Final competence is not tested at entry but at the exit stage," explained a senior official. All postgraduate students undergo three years of supervised training and must clear final university examinations where no relaxation is permitted.
Vacancy Crisis Drives Cut-Off Reductions
The immediate trigger for the latest cut-off reduction is the staggering scale of vacancies. Approximately 9,000 postgraduate seats remain unfilled under the All India Quota alone. When state quotas are included, the total number of vacant postgraduate seats nationwide reaches around 18,000.
This vacancy crisis persists despite 1.5 to 2.2 lakh candidates appearing for NEET-PG each year. The problem becomes particularly evident after the first two rounds of counseling, when seats in less developed institutions are repeatedly skipped by candidates.
Why Do So Many Seats Remain Empty?
Medical aspirants cite multiple reasons for avoiding certain institutions:
- Poor infrastructure and limited clinical exposure
- Low stipends and difficult geographical locations
- Weak career prospects after graduation
- Preference for waiting another exam cycle or choosing private colleges selectively
While 70-80% of postgraduate seats are in clinical disciplines, a disproportionate share of vacancies occur in pre- and para-clinical subjects. These include anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, pathology, microbiology, and pharmacology. Some clinical seats also remain unfilled, particularly in peripheral government hospitals, district hospitals, and DNB institutions.
How the Percentile System Actually Works
Dr. Naval K Vikram, an AIIMS professor from the medicine department, clarified common misconceptions about the percentile system. "If 100 candidates appear and the top scorer gets 76 marks, that candidate is assigned the 100th percentile. Percentile does not mean percentage marks," he explained.
Because of negative marking in the examination, candidates can score zero or even negative marks. "A zero percentile only means the candidate is at the bottom of the ranking. It does not mean zero medical knowledge," Dr. Vikram emphasized.
Recent History of Cut-Off Reductions
The reduction in NEET-PG qualifying percentiles is not a new phenomenon. Authorities have used this approach repeatedly in recent years to address large numbers of vacant postgraduate seats:
- In 2023, the qualifying percentile was lowered to zero across all categories
- In 2024, it was reduced to the 5th percentile for all categories
- In 2025, authorities relaxed criteria further in a graded manner
The 2025 adjustments brought cut-offs down to the 7th percentile for General/EWS candidates, 5th percentile for General PwBD candidates, and 0 percentile for SC/ST/OBC candidates including PwBD. These changes reflect continuing efforts to widen eligibility and fill unoccupied postgraduate seats.
Experts Voice Quality Concerns
Medical education experts note that in most examinations, cut-offs serve to preserve quality standards. Lowering them excessively risks diluting educational benchmarks - a concern that remains central to the ongoing debate.
A postgraduate student who cleared the examination offered a different perspective. "Seats remain vacant because many colleges and subjects are unattractive, not because there are no candidates," the student observed.
Infrastructure Inequality at the Core
Officials admit that quality concerns cannot be ignored. According to them, the core problem is uneven development across medical institutions. Well-equipped government colleges and metropolitan hospitals fill their seats early during counseling rounds, while under-resourced centers struggle year after year.
Critics warn that lowering cut-offs shifts focus away from improving institutions. "Lowering cut-offs fills seats, but unless hospitals and training quality improve, it risks diluting postgraduate standards," said an official familiar with counseling data.
Private College Benefit and Merit Concerns
Dr. Dhruv Chauhan, spokesperson for the IMA junior doctors' network, expressed concern that the move would disproportionately benefit private colleges. "Money and class will decide healthcare outcomes instead of merit. Seats will again be sold for crores," he cautioned.
However, officials maintain that until infrastructure improves and peripheral institutions become viable training centers, lowering cut-offs remains a temporary but necessary measure to address immediate vacancy challenges.
The debate continues as India balances the urgent need for more doctors with maintaining the high standards required for quality medical care.
