NEET PG 2025 in two shifts ‘flawed decision’; aspirants, doctors recall ‘mess’, want single-shift exam

NEW DELHI: Conduct of the National Eligibility Entrance Test - Postgraduate (NEET PG) 2025 in two shifts has sparked a wave of concern among the PG medical aspirants and doctors with many recalling the “mess” caused by the normalisation process last year. Several doctor associations have written to the health minister and NBEMS to reconsider the decision and the exam in a single shift in order to ensure transparency.

The National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) announced that NEET PG 2025 will be held on June 15 in a computer-based test (CBT) mode.

Many including the Right to Information (RTI) and medical education activist Vivek Pandey, UDF, CMJ Doctors Welfare Federation India have written letters to Jagat Prakash Nadda and the medical exam body demanding a single-shift exam. The doctors raised the issues of lack of fairness, effectiveness of the normalisation process used, stress on candidates regarding ranks, and legal disputes. The doctors’ bodies argued that the single-shift format will allow a uniform assessment, legal robustness, confidence among aspirants, and transparency and trust.

The national president of the United Doctors’ Front (UDF) said in a post on X, “NEET PG 2025: A Flawed Decision? NBEMS has announced NEET PG 2025 in two shifts despite the normalization mess in 2024! Unfair scoring, legal disputes, candidate anxiety - Why repeat the same mistakes? United Doctors Front (UDF) has officially written to HM J P Nadda to reconsider and conduct NEET PG 2025 in a single shift! We demand fairness, transparency & trust in medical exams!”

Referring to the two-shift exam decision, the Federation of Resident Doctors’ Association (FORDA) wrote, “Last year it was postponement. What’s their excuse this year You book a centre for 3 hours vs for 8 hours- Where do you get paid more? Are NBEMS officials getting bribed by exam centres to do it this way for NEET PG 2025 ? No other reason seems to justify this!”

NEET PG 2025: Why normalisation is "deeply flawed"?

Explaining why normalisation in NEET PG would prove to be “mathematically unfair” and “statistically absurd”, a doctor asked, “NBE has unleashed chaos again! NEET PG 2025 will be held in two shifts with normalization—a deeply flawed statistical gimmick. Are they afraid of a single-paper exam because they can’t prevent leaks?”

“The most damning fact? NBE has never transparently disclosed which normalization method they use! Each formula—whether Z-score, T-score, or percentile-based—yields different ranks. If NEET UG, AIIMS, and INI-CET can be conducted in a single shift, why can’t NEET PG? The real issue is not logistics—it’s a lack of confidence in preventing paper leaks. Enough of this statistical deception. Everyone wants a single-shift exam where merit, not normalization, determines ranks,” he added.

“The Govt that can conduct One Nation One Election cannot conduct One Nation One Exam,” said Dhruv Chauhan, national coordinator of IMA-JDN.

Uttar Pradesh Doctor Welfare Association also weighed in and said, “NEET PG 2025 on June 15th in 2 shifts? When 1 mark can shift ranks by thousands, how can you guarantee the same level of difficulty and a fair evaluation across shifts? If fairness is the goal, the solution is simple—one shift, one exam, a level playing field for all.”