Why was NEET PG 2024 Counselling delayed? Explains NMC Secretary

New Delhi: The National Eligibility-Entrance Test Postgraduate (NEET-PG) 2024 counselling had to be kept on hold since the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) had to issue state-specific ranks and both the State and Central counselling had to be conducted together, the secretary of the National Medical Commission (NMC) Dr. B Srinivas informed Education Times recently.

He further mentioned that the pending court case against NBEMS also resulted in the delay in setting the timelines for the entire counselling process for admission to postgraduate medical courses.

"By early November, the counselling for the All India Quota which was kept on hold, has been resumed. Since states have their own ranks, the NBEMS has to issue the state-specific ranks. Both the AIQ rounds at the central level and the state counselling have to be conducted in tandem. The MCC had to withhold the counselling since the NBEMS had to calculate the state-specific ranks over two sessions of NEET PG 2024 where scores at the All-India level were calculated using the normalisation process. This is unlike last year when the exam was conducted over a single session. Moreover, the NBEMS has had a pending court case. This led to the delay in setting the timelines for the whole counselling process," Dr. Srinivas informed.

Clarifying that the issue of ranks has now been resolved, Dr. Srinivas further mentioned that the counselling will now start at both the Central and State levels. 

Also Read: MCC NEET PG 2024 Counselling registrations open, Know how to apply

Meanwhile, due to the pending case before the Supreme Court seeking transparency in the NEET PG 2024 exam and due to the issue concerning the creation of state-specific ranks for PG medical admissions, the counselling has already been postponed and the academic session will now commence late- in November-end.

When asked about this, Dr. Srinivas told Education Times, "There are enough buffers in the system to make up for the academic loss with classes being held over weekends and summer breaks to cope with time constraints in completing the syllabus."

However, experts have not agreed with this view as many of the doctors pointed out that the delay may create a manpower shortage, considering the fact that the final-year PG students are set to appear for their exams in December and January.

Commenting on this, Dr B Unnikrishnan, dean, Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore, Manipal Academy of Higher Education told ET, "A delayed admission process can push back the start of academic programmes which could result in shortened academic terms or rushed instructional periods, affecting the overall quality of education."

Some academicians have opined that the admission test for PG medical courses should have been conducted over a single session as only around 2.2 lakh students appeared for the exam that was held online. 

"The exam-conducting authority should also bring more transparency in the examination to ensure that the process is fair and accountable. Allowing access to question papers, raw scores, and answer keys can increase candidates' confidence in the integrity of the examination process. This can help mitigate allegations of malpractice or bias," added Dr. Unnikrishnan.

After much await, the Medical Counselling Committee recently announced the counselling schedule for NEET PG 2024. As per the official notice, the Counselling will begin on November 7, 2024 when the Round 1 counselling will start. All the rounds of counselling including the Online Stray Vacancy Round will be completed on January 30, 2025.

Also Read: NEET PG Counseling Schedule Announced for 2024: Key Dates and Details