Doctors across the country are raising a chorus of concerns regarding the upcoming NEET PG 2025 exam, scheduled for June 15, 2025. The National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) has announced that the exam will be split into two shifts, running from 9:00 AM to 12:30 PM and again from 3:30 PM to 7:00 PM. This decision has sparked significant backlash from medical aspirants and professionals alike who are advocating for a single-shift exam.
The crux of their dispute centers around the normalization process employed in past examinations to adjust scores between different test sittings—a method that many have labeled as flawed. Critics argue that this system compromises the fairness of the exam, making it difficult to ensure equitable results for candidates.
In a formal letter to the Executive Director of NBEMS, the Bihar Chapter of the Indian Medical Association Junior Doctors Network (IMA-JDN) emphasized, "As a crucial examination determining the career prospects of medical graduates, NEET-PG must be conducted with the highest standards of fairness and transparency." The IMA-JDN's appeal reflects growing frustrations surrounding the anticipated normalization disparities, asserting that conducting the exam in two shifts raises serious concerns about the integrity of the selection process.
This plea has resonated beyond Bihar, with doctors in Uttar Pradesh, represented by the Doctors Welfare Federation (DWF), also urging intervention from the Union Health Minister, Shri J.P. Nadda. In their correspondence, they reiterated, "The conduct of multiple-shift examinations has resulted in serious challenges in fairness, transparency, and trust in the evaluation process..." Their message underscores a collective sentiment that the ongoing two-shift system compromises the health of the evaluation process.
Pursuing further action, Kerala MP Kodikunnil Suresh also raised alarms over the matter in the Lok Sabha, requesting an adjournment motion to address the transparency issues tied to the NEET PG 2025 examination. Sharing this initiative on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), he stated, "Transparency & accountability are non-negotiable!" Suresh's call for attention reflects the critical implications of the exam on thousands of medical aspirants and the future of healthcare in India.
The concerns pivot on an inadequate disclosure of the normalization criteria and the absence of clarity on evaluation processes—a worry that many candidates are echoing. For instance, critics pointed out that last year's NEET PG saw a significant discrepancy in paper difficulty across shifts, prompting allegations that the normalization process was misapplied. The stress and unease caused by such inconsistencies have led to longstanding unrest.
Adopting a single shift format for the NEET PG 2025, advocates argue, would help in creating a uniform playing field for all candidates, while also minimizing legal challenges and delays in the admissions process. It would alleviate the fuel of anxiety among aspiring doctors who often already juggle immense pressure.
In the face of these demands, the IMA-JDN advocates stress that a return to a single-shift model would not only uphold standards of transparency but also enhance the merit-based evaluation expected of such significant professional examinations.
In addition to controlling the challenges posed by multiple shifts, advocates point out needs for a clearly defined framework that addresses service PG scores, as many students from service backgrounds have expressed confusion. The lack of standardized measures could potentially disadvantage eligible candidates, raising alarms about fairness in medical admissions.
Suresh's adjournment motion highlights several unresolved concerns: the non-disclosure of answer keys contributing to worries over evaluations, and the government's failure to release a reliable and transparent normalization formula which could extinguish biases and inconsistencies associated with previous examinations.
In a statement reflecting on the broader implications of these issues, Suresh asserted, "Given the widespread distress and lack of clarity in the NEET-PG 2025 process, it is imperative that the government takes immediate action to ensure fairness in medical admissions. This issue directly impacts the careers of thousands of medical graduates and the future of healthcare in India."
As voices continue to amplify across the medical community, the pressure is mounting on the NBEMS to reconsider its deterministic decisions about the NEET PG 2025. As the scheduled date approaches, many are questioning whether transparency and fairness can be guaranteed in an environment clouded by anxiety and unresolved disparities. With the future of many aspiring doctors hanging in the balance, clarity and action from authorities are more crucial than ever.”
