NEET-PG 2025: Supreme Court Ends Multiple Shift Format

New Delhi : The Supreme Court on Friday directed that the NEET-PG 2025 (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test for Postgraduate) be conducted in a single shift rather than in multiple shifts. The apex court’s decision comes in response to petitions challenging the previous practice of conducting the exam in two or more shifts, which, according to petitioners, created disparities in the level of difficulty and resulted in unfair advantages or disadvantages for different sets of aspirants.

A bench comprising Justice Surya Kant and Justice Dipankar Datta issued the directive while hearing a batch of petitions filed by aspirants and stakeholders from the medical fraternity. The court noted that while the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) had put mechanisms in place to normalize scores across shifts, such normalization has repeatedly drawn criticism from students and experts alike.

“An examination that determines the future of thousands of young doctors must be conducted in a manner that inspires confidence in its integrity and fairness,” the bench observed. “Having different question sets in different shifts may inherently carry varying degrees of difficulty, despite normalization efforts. A single shift examination ensures a level playing field for all candidates.”

The court also directed the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the NBEMS to make necessary logistical and infrastructural arrangements to accommodate all candidates in one shift. The authorities were advised to begin preparations well in advance, including identifying sufficient exam centers and managing staff deployment, to avoid any last-minute chaos.

The directive is expected to impact the scheduling and organization of NEET-PG 2025, which typically sees over 2 lakh medical graduates appearing for postgraduate medical admissions.

Reacting to the development, several student bodies and aspirant groups welcomed the move, terming it a “much-needed reform” to bring transparency and consistency to one of India’s most competitive medical entrance exams. Some experts, however, raised concerns about logistical challenges, especially in accommodating such a large number of candidates across the country in one sitting.