Medical bodies slam NBEMS’s decision to reduce NEET PG cut-off percentile

Several sections of the medical community have termed as “unprecedented and illogical” the NBEMS’s decision to drastically reduce the cut-off percentile for candidates across all categories for NEET-PG 2025-26 and said the move may compromise the quality of healthcare delivery as serious concerns are raised about the quality of future specialists.
With over 18,000 postgraduate medical seats across the country remaining vacant, the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) on Tuesday revised the qualifying percentiles for NEET-PG 2025 admissions, reducing it to zero from 40 percentile for reserved categories — which will make even those scoring as low as minus 40 out of 800 to take part in the third round of counselling for PG medical seats.
According to the notice published by NBEMS, the NEET PG cutoff for the general category has been reduced to seven percentile from 50.
The decision follows the completion of round two counselling.
Bodies such as doctors’ group Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA) and Federation of Doctors Association (FORDA) have sought the notification to be withdrawn.
In a letter to Union Health Minister J P Nadda, FAIMA president Dr Rohan Krishnan said reducing the percentile to zero sets a dangerous precedent for the future of India’s medical education system.
Failing timely corrective action, FAIMA will be compelled to initiate nationwide protests in consultation with resident doctors and medical associations across the country, the doctors’ body said.
Echoing similar concerns, FORDA also has written to Nadda wherein it expressed disappointment regarding the National Board of Examinations (NBE)’s recent decision.
FORDA also highlighted that this slash favours private medical colleges by filling seats with lower-scoring candidates at exorbitant fees, prioritising institutional profits over student welfare.
Official sources said the revision aims to ensure optimal utilisation of available seats, which are vital for expanding India’s pool of trained medical specialists.
Leaving such seats vacant undermines efforts to improve healthcare delivery and results in the loss of valuable educational resources, the sources said.
NEET-PG serves as a ranking mechanism to facilitate transparent, merit-based allocation of seats through centralised counselling.
The previous percentile thresholds had restricted the pool of eligible candidates despite the availability of seats.
The Indian Medical Association (IMA) had formally requested a revision of the qualifying cut-off on January 12, citing the need to prevent seat wastage and strengthen healthcare services.