New Delhi, Jan 14: Thousands of MBBS graduates previously ineligible for specialization have been cleared to participate in medical counseling after the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) drastically lowered qualifying bars for NEET-PG 2025. The shift effectively moves the entry threshold to near-zero for several categories, ensuring that nearly all candidates who sat for the exam can now apply for MD and MS positions.
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare directed the revision to address a critical surplus of approximately 18,000 postgraduate seats that remained unoccupied following the second round of counseling. By expanding the eligibility pool, the government aims to optimize national medical infrastructure and mitigate a growing shortage of specialists across the country.
Candidates from the General and EWS categories saw their requirements tumble from the 50th percentile to just the 7th percentile. The drop was even more pronounced for reserved categories; SC, ST, and OBC candidates are now eligible at the 0th percentile, down from the 40th percentile. Under this new framework, even students with negative marks—as low as -40 due to the exam’s marking scheme—are qualified to enter the third round of the selection process.
“The decision was primarily driven by the need to fill approximately 18,000 postgraduate medical seats that remained vacant after the second round of counseling,” an official notice from the NBEMS stated.
For Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (PwBD) in the general category, the qualifying standard was reduced from the 45th percentile to the 5th percentile. Proponents of the move noted that the candidates involved have already demonstrated basic clinical competence by earning their MBBS degrees, suggesting that the competitive merit threshold was hindering the full utilization of available specialist training slots.
