The National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) on Tuesday reduced the qualifying percentile to zero for candidates in reserved categories, enabling even those who scored as low as minus 40 marks out of 800 in the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Postgraduate), or NEET-PG 2025, to participate in the third round of the ongoing counselling process for postgraduate medical admissions. The decision has drawn sharp criticism from sections of the medical fraternity, who argue it reflects a worrying decline in academic standards in medical education.
The NBEMS, which conducts examinations for admission to postgraduate and super-speciality medical courses, announced in a notice dated January 13 that it had reduced the NEET-PG 2025 cut-off for the third round of counselling. The qualifying percentile for the general category was lowered from the 50th to the 7th percentile and for disabled people from the 45th to the 5th percentile. For candidates belonging to SC, ST, and OBC, it was reduced to zero.
This means all candidates from reserved categories who appeared for the NEET-PG 2025 are now eligible for admission to MD and MS seats that remain vacant after the first two rounds of counselling, as the minimum qualifying mark requirement has been removed. NBEMS said the decision was taken on the Union health ministry’s directions.
The NEET-PG 2025 examination was conducted on August 3, 2025, and results were declared on August 19. The Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) conducted the first round of counselling during October–November 2025, followed by the second round in late November and early December. The MCC is expected to announce the schedule for the third round shortly. The MCC recently revised the seat matrix by adding 540 seats following candidate resignations in the first two rounds. In addition, 135 new PG medical seats were introduced, bringing the total number of seats to 32,215.
{{/usCountry}}The NEET-PG 2025 examination was conducted on August 3, 2025, and results were declared on August 19. The Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) conducted the first round of counselling during October–November 2025, followed by the second round in late November and early December. The MCC is expected to announce the schedule for the third round shortly. The MCC recently revised the seat matrix by adding 540 seats following candidate resignations in the first two rounds. In addition, 135 new PG medical seats were introduced, bringing the total number of seats to 32,215.
{{/usCountry}}Health activist Dr Dhruv Chauhan said the decision to lower the cut-off to zero “will benefit the private medical colleges more than the deserving doctors who spend years working hard...Seats will be sold for crores again.” In 2023, the health ministry had reduced the qualifying percentile to zero across all categories.