Mumbai: The National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) announced on April 16, 2025, that the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) for Postgraduate (PG) 2025 will be held on June 15 in two separate shifts on a computer-based platform. This marks the second consecutive year that the postgraduate medical entrance exam will follow a multi-shift format, drawing sharp criticism from aspirants, parents, and education activists over issues of transparency and fairness.
“Till 2023, NEET PG — a secure, computer-based exam — was conducted in a single shift without any reports of paper leaks,” stated Brijesh Sutaria, a Mumbai-based medical education activist, speaking to The Free Press Journal. “But in 2024, fearing a repeat of the NEET UG leak — a pen-and-paper exam — the government suddenly slashed PG exam centres and split the exam into two shifts just 10 hours before its scheduled start. No raw scores were declared, only All India Ranks (AIRs), which led to legal petitions. Sadly, despite multiple mentions, the Supreme Court has not yet been able to hear the case.”
According to NBEMS’s latest notice, results for NEET PG 2025 will be declared by July 15, with the application process starting on April 17. Critics argue that the continuation of the two-shift system — intended to be a temporary adjustment — lacks justification, especially given NEET PG’s secure, online format. “Why must 2.4 lakh PG aspirants, who will become India’s next specialists, suffer due to problems in another exam with ten times the number of candidates?” asked Sutaria. “NEET PG papers are uploaded just minutes before the test. There’s no logic here—only forced normalisation.”
Parents, too, have expressed deep concerns over NBEMS’s handling of the process. Sudha Shenoy, a parent representative, questioned the board’s ability to manage the normalisation process. “It’s simply not justified. Unlike the Institute of National Importance Combined Entrance Test (INI-CET), which has experience and competence in multi-shift exams, NBEMS lacks transparency. Just look at the huge variation in the number of questions from each subject between the two shifts in 2024—it’s shocking when compared to the uniformity maintained over the previous five years,” she said.
Data from 2019 to 2023 shows remarkable consistency in the subject-wise distribution of questions, with 200 questions asked annually. However, in 2024, discrepancies between Shift 1 and Shift 2 were significant—for example, Anatomy had 7 questions in Shift 1 and 16 in Shift 2, and Pathology jumped from 16 to 21. “Such fluctuations raise questions about the fairness of evaluating candidates through normalisation,” said Shenoy.
The NEET PG 2025 notification was officially released by the National Board of Examinations (NBE) on its website, natboard.edu.in. The online application window will open on April 17 after 3 PM and will remain open until May 7, with the deadline set at 11:55 PM. Approximately two lakh MBBS graduates are expected to compete for around 52,000 postgraduate medical seats across India.
For the first time in 2024, the NEET PG was held in two shifts on August 11. The first shift took place from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and the second from 3:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Aspirants are now seeking the abandonment of the two-shift format and calling for a return to the traditional single-shift exam, citing inconsistencies in the question paper difficulty and doubts regarding the fairness of the score normalisation process. As of now, NBEMS has not provided an official response or indication about any changes to the exam pattern or steps.
The NEET PG entrance exam is administered for entry into the nation’s medical MD, MS, or postgraduate diploma programmes. This year, NBE will conduct the entrance examination on June 15, 2025, in computer-based mode in two shifts at various exam centres across the country. The application fee for General, OBC, and EWS category candidates is Rs 3,500, while for SC, ST, and PWD category candidates, it is Rs 2,500.
The NEET PG 2025 examination will be held online for three hours and thirty minutes, featuring 200 multiple-choice questions divided into three sections: A, B, and C. The questions collectively comprise a total of 800 marks, with candidates awarded four marks for each correct answer and one mark deducted for each incorrect response.
Students who wish to appear for the NEET PG 2025 examination must fill the application form in online mode. The registration link will be activated at natboard.edu.in, and students are advised to complete the registration process as early as possible rather than waiting until the last date.
Eligible candidates must possess an MBBS degree or provisional pass certificate recognized by the Indian Medical Council Act and have completed their one-year internship before the specified deadline. The NEET PG 2025 registration window will remain active until May 7, 2025.
In case of any discrepancies in filling the NEET PG 2025 forms, students can contact NBE authorities at +917996165333 between 9 AM to 6 PM on all days except Sundays and gazetted holidays.
As the NEET PG 2025 registration process begins, students are encouraged to stay updated with the latest news and updates about the examination by visiting the official NBE website.
