NEET PG 2025: Doctors Push for Urgent SC Hearing, Demand Single Shift Exam Without Normalisation

New Delhi: As the date of the National Eligibility-Entrance Test Postgraduate (NEET-PG) 2025 examination is drawing nearer, the demand for holding the upcoming PG entrance test in a single shift without normalisation is also escalating.

The candidates, who challenged the National Board of Examinations' (NBE) decision of holding the exam in two shifts, requested the Supreme Court for an urgent hearing of the matter, citing that the admit cards are scheduled to be issued on June 2.

Taking note of the submissions, the Apex Court bench comprising CJI BR Gavai and Justice AG Masih agreed to list the matter soon, Live Law has reported.

Meanwhile, doctors and PG medical aspirants have started expressing their demands for a single-shift NEET PG exam on social media platforms as well. Expressing their views on the matter on X (formerly Twitter), doctors and PG medical aspirants are demanding "No normalisation only single shift exam".

Speaking to Medical Dialogues, the National President of FAIMA Doctors Association, Dr. Akshay Dongardive, explained why NEET PG exam should be conducted in a single shift. He said, "NEET PG should be conducted in a single shift to ensure fairness and equality for all candidates. A uniform paper eliminates differences in difficulty levels, ensuring that every student competes fairly. This system increases transparency and trust in the examination process and removes the stress of comparing shift papers. It also reduces mental stress for candidates."

Also Read: SC's NEET PG Reforms Win Doctors Praise, But Double-Shift Doubts Remain

Doctors Demand Single-Shift Exam on Social Media:

Explaining why the exam should be held in a single shift, an X user wrote, "I doubt that our health minister Shri J P Nadda even know the gravity and importance of NEET PG in the life of doctors It's not about qualifying and getting seat it's about getting a dream branch which u shall cherish life long Sir even 1 marks matters to us."

"NEET PG isn’t just any other exam — it decides our rank, branch, and future. Yet NBE continues to conduct it in multiple shifts, where paper difficulty varies and luck plays a bigger role than merit. This is deeply unfair. We demand a single shift exam," read another X post.

Referring to an RTI reply by NBE, an X user pointed out that it was the Union Health Ministry that gave the nod for a double-shift NEET PG exam. Urging the Union Health Minister J P Nadda, not to jeopardize doctors' careers by conducting the exam in multiple shifts, the user mentioned in an X post, "Dear @JPNadda, These are RTI replies provided by the National Board of Examinations and @MoHFW_INDIA regarding the conduct of #NEETPG in two shifts. Please do not jeopardize doctors' careers by conducting the #NEETPG2025 exam in multiple shifts."

Recently, FAIMA wrote to the NBEMS Executive Director to hold NEET PG 2025 exam in a single shift to ensure fairness and transparency.

While there has been no positive response from the authorities yet, the doctors are waiting for justice from the Apex Court, where two pleas were filed seeking directions to the authorities to conduct the NEET PG exam in a single shift. One of these pleas was filed by the United Doctors' Front (UDF), and the other one was filed by a group of petitioners, including Dr Aditi.

Why Doctors are Opposing NEET PG Double Shift Exam?

Even though the doctors have wholeheartedly accepted the Supreme Court's recent directive asking NBE to publish the raw scores, answer keys and normalisation formula for NEET PG exam, they are demanding that the upcoming NEET PG 2025 exam, scheduled to take place on June 15, should be conducted in a single shift.

One of the main reasons why the doctors are opposing the double-shift NEET PG examination is that they have raised doubts regarding the normalisation formula. Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that the normalisation formula, regarding which the aspirants have been expressing their doubts, was introduced to neutralise the effect of tougher or easier papers for NEET PG held in multiple shifts. This formula is used to calculate the score, based on which the merit list is prepared.

However, doctors expressed their concerns regarding the normalisation process. Even though the normalisation formula was introduced for NEET PG 2024 to adjust the scores across different exam shifts to ensure fairness, critics have argued that the process is flawed.

A few candidates who appeared in the second shift of the NEET PG 2024 exam had questioned the normalisation formula adopted by NBEMS and further claimed that the board had scammed them in the name of a competitive exam. They pointed out that the Shift 2 paper was tougher compared to Shift 1 and further termed the process of calculating scores as debatable. These concerns were also raised before the Supreme Court, where the aspirants prayed for transparency in the NEET PG 2024 exam.

Plea in Supreme Court:

While considering the plea challenging the NEET PG double shift exam, the Supreme Court on May 5 had sought a response from the National Board of Examinations, National Medical Commission and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

The matter is yet to be decided and when it was mentioned before the Apex Court bench led by CJI Gavai on May 23, the bench had agreed to hear the matter in the last week of May.

As per the latest media report by Live Law, again on May 26, the NEET PG candidates requested the Apex Court for an urgent hearing of the matter. In this regard, the counsel for the petitioners mentioned before the top court bench for listing the plea urgently, as the Exam Admit Cards would be issued on June 2.

The Counsel for the petitioners submitted, "My lords had said they would list the matter this week.. it has not come in the list. The urgency is that the admit cards will be issued in the first week of June, June 2- kindly have it tomorrow or the day after." Taking note of this, the top court bench agreed to list the matter soon.

Also Read: Supreme Court to hear NEET PG Double Shift matter Next Week