Last year’s NEET PG exam, held in a similar two-shift format, drew significant backlash and led to legal challenges due to concerns over the fairness of the statistical normalisation process used to adjust scores across shifts.
Published Mar 19, 2025 | 7:00 AM ⚊ Updated Mar 19, 2025 | 7:00 AM
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Synopsis: The NBEMS has announced that the NEET PG 2025 exam will be conducted in two shifts on 15 June, sparking concerns among candidates and medical professionals over the fairness of the statistical normalisation process used to equate scores across different exam papers.
The National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) has decided to hold the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test – Postgraduate (NEET PG) 2025 examination in two shifts on 15 June, prompting concerns among candidates and medical professionals.
NBEMS announced its decision in a notification issued on 17 March.
This marks only the second time that the crucial exam, which determines admissions to postgraduate medical programmes across India, will be conducted in two shifts.
Last year’s NEET PG exam, held in a similar two-shift format, drew significant backlash and led to legal challenges due to concerns over the fairness of the statistical normalisation process used to adjust scores across shifts.
In a letter sent to the executive director of NBEMS on 18 March, the Federation of All Indian Medical Associations (FAIMA) strongly urged the board to reconsider and conduct the exam in a single shift.
“A single-shift examination ensures uniformity in difficulty level, eliminates the need for normalization, and upholds transparency and fairness in the selection process. Conducting the exam in multiple shifts could also lead to legal challenges and unnecessary disputes, ultimately delaying the admission process and causing distress among aspirants,” the letter read.
Central to the objections raised is the statistical normalisation method used to balance the scores of candidates across different exam shifts.
Since the exam occurs in two separate shifts, candidates face different sets of questions, potentially varying in difficulty. The normalisation process aims to compensate for these differences.
However, Dr Lakshya Mittal, National President of the United Doctors Front, says the approach is fraught with issues.
“The statistical normalisation method used to equate scores across shifts has been widely questioned by aspirants due to the inherent variability in question paper difficulty,” he told South First.
“Candidates have reported discrepancies in final scores and ranks, leading to unfair disadvantages.”
Each candidate’s raw score is initially calculated based on the official marking scheme – four marks awarded for every correct answer, one mark deducted for each incorrect response, and no marks for unanswered questions.
Afterwards, a percentile score is calculated to compare each candidate’s performance relative to others. For example, a candidate in the 85th percentile will have performed better than 85 percent of all test-takers.
When exams occur across multiple shifts, a process called equating and scaling is used to account for question difficulty variations. Although this approach aims to ensure fairness, candidates fear it could lead to inconsistent scoring outcomes.
Many also believe the normalisation method could result in students with significantly different performances receiving similar normalised scores, ultimately undermining meritocracy.
The NEET PG 2024 was fraught with controversy, sparking numerous legal disputes and allegations of malpractice linked directly to the normalisation of scores.
This has contributed to increased distrust among candidates regarding the fairness of the exams.
“The multiple-shift format in NEET PG 2024 led to legal disputes, including petitions filed in the Supreme Court challenging the transparency and fairness of score normalisation,” Dr Mittal said.
“A single-shift exam would eliminate such legal uncertainties and uphold the integrity of the examination process.”
He added that a significant number of candidates expressed dissatisfaction with the two-shift format in 2024, which anxiety and uncertainty around rankings and admissions.
Dr Mittal emphasised that “a single-shift examination guarantees that all candidates answer the same questions under identical conditions, eliminating the need for normalisation and preventing potential disputes arising from score adjustments. Moreover, a single exam enhances legal robustness by minimising perceived score discrepancies and variations in question papers.”
Furthermore, a uniform exam pattern would significantly boost public trust in the medical entrance examination system by ensuring greater transparency and fairness.
(Edited by Dese Gowda)
