Supreme Court Orders NEET-PG 2025 to Be Held in a Single Shift
The Supreme Court has directed the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) to conduct the NEET-PG 2025 exam in a single shift, overturning the initial plan to hold it in two shifts on June 15, 2025. The Court emphasized that conducting the exam in two shifts introduces arbitrariness, as it is impossible to ensure that two different question papers are of identical difficulty. This, the Court noted, undermines fairness and creates a non-level playing field for candidates.
Uniformity and Fairness: The bench stated that normalization of scores between shifts should be an exception, not a regular practice, because perfect equivalence between two question sets cannot be achieved.
Transparency: The Court stressed the importance of transparency and directed NBEMS to ensure secure and transparent arrangements for the single-shift exam.
Logistical Feasibility: NBEMS argued that a single shift would be logistically challenging due to the large number of candidates and limited exam centres. The Court rejected this, pointing out that NEET-UG, which has even more candidates, is conducted in a single shift, and India has the technological capability to manage such an exercise.
Time for Arrangements: The Court directed NBEMS to make all necessary arrangements before June 15, giving more than two weeks to identify and secure enough exam centres.
Next Steps for Candidates
The NEET-PG 2025 exam will now be held in a single shift on June 15, 2025.
NBEMS will release the city allotment slips and admit cards as scheduled, with no change to the exam date.
| Aspect | Supreme Court Directive (2025) |
|---|---|
| Exam Format | Single shift (not two shifts) |
| Reason | Fairness, uniformity, transparency |
| Exam Date | June 15, 2025 |
| NBEMS Responsibility | Arrange sufficient centres, ensure transparency and security |
| Previous NBEMS Plan | Two shifts (now cancelled) |
| Court’s View on Shifts | Two-shift model creates arbitrariness and unfairness |
The Supreme Court’s intervention aims to ensure a fair and level playing field for all NEET-PG aspirants by mandating a single-shift exam format.
