NEET PG 2024 Result: ‘NBEMS normalising harassment’, candidates demand answer key, normalisation rule

NEW DELHI: In yet another exam fiasco, the NEET PG aspirants have started flooding social media claiming higher percentile, mismatch in the NEET PG rank for application ID and roll number, and drop in marks for shift 2 among other discrepancies. Resident doctors have urged the National Board of Examinations in Medical Science (NBEMS) to issue the NEET PG answer key and question paper and disclose the details of the normalisation method adopted this year instead of ‘normalising harassment’.

The postgraduate medical entrance exam results 2024 were declared on August 23, however, the NBE had not announced the NEET PG cut-off. The board had also clarified earlier that it will be “sharing any content of the examination including answer keys/answer sheets”.

The NBE introduced multiple shifts, time-bound mandatory sections, and changes in exam pattern this year. These last-minute revisions were not received well by the students and asked the officials not to treat them as ‘lab rats’. Days before the exam date, the board informed that it has adopted the normalisation method used in Institute of National Importance Combined Entrance Test (INI CET) by AIIMS for NEET PG result.

However, after discrepancies reported by students, experts and doctors have urged the Centre, Union health ministry and NBEMS to issue the answer key, normalisation method used by the board and the raw score and percentile of individual candidates.

The National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test postgraduate (NEET PG 2024) exam was held for around 2,28,540 candidates who registered for the exam on August 11, Sunday, in two shifts. Aspirants, seeking admission into MD, MD, PG diploma courses, sat for the exam at 416 locations in 170 cities across the country.

The minimum qualifying percentile for general, EWS category candidates is 50th percentile, 45th percentile for general-PwBD candidates, and 40th percentile for SC, ST, OBC.

Also read NEET PG 2024 Result: AIR 1 chose radio-diagnosis at VMMC last year; courses, colleges allotted to top rank holders

100 score same percentile

Sharing NEET PG result data 2024, Dr Madhav, a medico, alleged that 100 candidates who appeared in shift 2 have scored the same percentile of 96.7789964 and the rank band of 7,047 - 7,085. “There has never been any controversy in INICET, why these guys can't conduct a single paper efficiently,” he said, and asked if it was possible for 100 candidates to score the same percentile.

#NEETPGResults #NEETPG2024

Is it possible? 100 Students - same percentile!!?? Is it even possible? pic.twitter.com/aqVGvBPZc0

— Dr. Madhav (@SSInfection) August 24, 2024

Dhruv Chauhan, the national council member of Indian Medical Association- Junior Doctors Network (IMA-JDN) posted on X: “First the NBE mentally harassed the NEET PG aspirants with postponement and preponement issue. Then they harassed with centre relocation issue. Then they harassed with double shifts and normalisation issues . Then when all this ended they now created ruckus with release of extremely unexpected NEET PG results where thousands are scoring opposite of what they were prepared for with no transparency of how the normalisation was done on percentile and still no grievance portal which actually responds to their issues!” “If This is not harassment i don’t know what is !” he added.

However, a candidate replying to the claims of discrepancies in ranks for application number and roll number, said: “I think my Application ID and roll number were different until I saw I was comparing my old roll number with my new. Initially I got Andhra Pradesh and later I got in Trivandrum ( Roll number changed) . Maybe that's the reason.” .

To clear the air, doctors have requested the NBEMS to release the result sheet which includes rank with percentile, and the raw positive and negative scores of each candidate.

NEET PG scam?

Deepak Aanjna, a medical officer at UPHC RATLAM wrote: “One of my friend who was scoring 500+ mark in GTs ended up with a 1lakh+ rank in NEETPG. A drop from 99% to 47% seems impossible. Is this another scam? How was normalization done?The NBE should release raw scores along with the questions and answers.” Grand Tests (GTs) are mock tests hosted on several platforms online and offline for aspirants to practice for the NEET PG entrance exam covering all 19 subjects.

Gaurav Kumar, MD Physician from Asian Medical Institute Presidential Candidate ASMI 2018 Education Minister, said: “NBE is normalizing the harassment. With zero accountability they’re successfully destroying #NEETPG examination with absurd #NEETPGResults.”

Supreme Court and exam fiascos

Some candidates pointed out how several irregularities are being reported in exams and are eventually taken by the apex court and ‘disposed off’. “Now comes the telegram groups and advocates lobby who all will show you the light of getting justice. But trust me they'll take your time and money and you'll be reduced to disposed application in the Supreme court, this happens every year. Try not to be a fool this year,” Pankaj Khatri, orthopaedic resident doctor said. Further, he asked: “Any coaching institute raised concern over #NEETPGResults discrepancy? You fight your own battle, you're just a subscription.”