NMC backs rank-based admissions proposal for NEET-PG, NEET-SS

The National Medical Commission has given in-principle approval to replacing percentile-based admissions with a rank-based system for NEET-PG and NEET-SS, following recommendations from a 12-member expert committee. The proposal remains under consideration and has not been finalised. Under the proposed system, examination results would report candidates’ ranks rather than percentile scores. The committee said the change could reduce repeated cutoff revisions during counselling and help admissions finish within the scheduled period. The National Medical Commission is preparing draft regulations for consultation with stakeholders. The recommendations were presented to the Supreme Court on November 3. The court adjourned proceedings to allow parties to respond to the committee’s report; it has not made a final decision on the proposal. The issue follows repeated reductions in qualifying cutoffs to fill vacant postgraduate medical seats. For the third round of NEET-PG 2025 counselling, the reported general-category cutoff fell from the 50th percentile, equivalent to 276 marks, to the seventh percentile, or 103 marks. The committee recommended maintaining minimum standards and said...