18,000 seats remain vacant, NEET-PG cut-off lowered after second round of counselling, Pg12

Key Highlights:

• Over 18,000 postgraduate medical seats remain vacant in India after the second counselling round.
• NBEMS reduced the NEET-PG 2025 qualifying percentile to zero for reserved categories.
• The cut-off for the general category has been reduced to seven percentile from 50.
• The NEET-PG 2025 result was declared on August 19, 2025.
• The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare issued directions for the cut-off reduction on January 9.

Detailed Insights:

• The reduction in qualifying percentile aims to ensure optimal utilization of available seats and expand India’s pool of trained medical specialists.
• All NEET-PG candidates are MBBS-qualified doctors who have completed their degrees and internships.
• Admissions remain strictly merit-based, determined by NEET-PG rank and candidate preferences, through authorized counselling.
• The Health Ministry asserts that the revised percentile expands eligibility among already-qualified MBBS doctors without diluting academic standards.
• Doctors have expressed concerns that lowering the qualifying percentile may negatively impact the quality and credibility of medical specialists.

Key Concepts Involved:

• NEET-PG: A national-level entrance exam for postgraduate medical courses in India.
• NBEMS: National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences, responsible for conducting NEET-PG.
• Counselling: The process of seat allocation to candidates based on their NEET-PG rank and preferences.