New Delhi: The National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) has announced a significant reduction in the qualifying percentile for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test for Postgraduate (NEET-PG) 2024. As per the latest notice issued on February 25, 2025, the revised minimum qualifying criteria for all categories have been brought down to the 5th percentile.
The MCC lowered the NEET PG cut-off for all categories. Now, general and EWS category candidates who scored at least 15% marks are eligible for counseling, while SC, ST, OBC, and PWD candidates need only 10% or more to qualify. Initially, the cut-off was 50% for general, 45% for PWD, and 40% for reserved categories. Lowering the cut-off allows more candidates to take part in the counseling process.
The NEET-PG 2024 examination was held on August 11, 2024, in two shifts for admissions to MD/MS/DNB/DrNB (Direct 6 years) and NBEMS Diploma Courses for the 2024-25 academic session. The results of the exam were declared on August 23, 2024.
Following the directives from the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India, through its communication dated January 6, 2025, and February 20, 2025, the qualifying percentile for General/EWS, UR-PwBD, and SC/ST/OBC (including PwBD of SC/ST/OBC) categories has been uniformly set to the 5th percentile.
NBEMS clarified that the candidature for NEET-PG 2024 remains provisional and is subject to candidates fulfilling the eligibility criteria outlined in the NEET-PG 2024 Information Bulletin. Additionally, it was emphasized that the reduction in the qualifying percentile does not alter the NEET-PG 2024 rank and percentile scores published on August 23, 2024.
This decision is expected to widen the pool of eligible candidates for postgraduate medical courses, offering more opportunities for aspiring doctors across the country.