Why Did NEET PG 2024 Get Preponed? NMC responds to RTI

New Delhi: The National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test Postgraduate Examination- NEET PG 2024 was preponed from 7th July 2024 to 23rd June 2024 due to the RathYatra festival, the National Medical Commission (NMC) revealed while responding to a Right to Information (RTI) application.

Filing the RTI application, social and political activist Dr Vivek Pandey sought the details of the meeting held to prepone the NEET PG 2024 exam. Dr. Pandey filed the RTI after receiving requests from the aspirants who were confused about the rationale behind such a decision to prepone the exam by around 15 days.

Responding to the RTI, the Postgraduate Medical Education Board (PGMEB) of NMC shared the minutes of the meeting dated 23.02.2024 when the Commission decided to prepone the exam. The meeting was held under the chairmanship of Dr. Vijay Oza, President of PGMEB on 21.02.2024 at 4:00 PM through virtual mode to discuss the examination and counselling schedule for NEET PG 2024 and the pattern of examination for NEET SS.

"Dr. Vinay Gupta informed that NEET PG-2024 which was initially planned to be held on 7th July 2024 has now been scheduled for 23rd June 2024 due to festival of RathYatra, falling on the 7th July, 2024," stated the minutes of the meeting, a copy of which was shared by Dr. Pandey on X (formerly Twitter).

It further added that "Dr. B Srinivas shared the tentative Counselling schedule keeping in view the fact that cut off for completion of internship to become eligible for NEET PG-2024 is 15th Aug 2024."

After detailed discussion, it was decided that the tentatively NEET PG 2024 would be conducted on 23rd June 2024 and its results would be declared on 15th July, 2024. As per the tentative schedule, the seat matrix would be finalised by NMC PG Board on 31st July 2024, counseling would be held between 5th August 2024 to 15th October 2024, and the academic session would start on 16th September 2024.

Commenting on the matter, Dr. Pandey told Medical Dialogues, "As an organization committed to ensuring fairness and accessibility for all candidates, the decision by the National Medical Commission to reschedule the examination date due to the Rathayatra festival is a commendable step. Acknowledging the potential challenges students may face regarding transportation on such a significant day, the NMC's decision reflects sensitivity to the needs of aspirants."

"However, it would be more helpful for aspirants if NMC to consider shifting the examination date to a period between 8th to 15th July. Rather than preponing it to 23 June," he further added.

Also Read: Why Did NEET PG 2024 Get Preponed? RTI Filed Before NMC

Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that the aspirants of the NEET PG 2024 examination were upset with the NMC notice dated 20.03.2024 through which the Commission preponed the NEET PG 2024 exam date from 7th July to 23rd June.

Taking to social media platforms, the aspirants started questioning the logic behind such a decision taken by the authorities, while some of the users and experts expressed their concern about the impact of preponement on the students preparing for the exam.

Referring to the notice dated 20.03.2024, Dr. Pandey mentioned in the RTI application, "Kindly provide the details of minute of the meeting held to preponed the NEET PG 2024 exam. please provide the information of suggestions given to preponed NEET PG 2024 exam."

Addressing the issue, Dr. Pandey mentioned in an X post, "We must know why exam is Pre-Poned, if result is coming late, counselling is late, then what is benefit of conducting exam 15 days before previous date ?"

The schedule for NEET PG 2024 has been changed a couple of times since last year. Earlier, releasing the tentative schedule of exams, NBE had last year announced that the NEET PG 2024 would tentatively be conducted on 3rd March 2024. Thereafter, media reports started speculating that the exam would be held in the first week of July.

Confirming such speculations, NBE, the authority in charge of conducting the exam then announced that NEET PG 2024 would be conducted on July 07, 2024, and the cut-off date for eligibility to appear in the NEET-PG 2024 shall be 15th August 2024.

However, recently while preponing the exam, the National Medical Commission (NMC) declared that the NEET PG 2024 exam would be held on June 23, 2024. On the cut-off date for eligibility to appear in the NEET PG 2024, the NMC stated, "It has also been decided that the cut off date for completion of internship to become eligible for NEET PG-2024 is 15th Aug 2024."

Also Read: NEET PG aspirants upset with NMC decision to prepone exam