The announcement by the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) that NEET PG 2025 will be conducted in two shifts on June 15 has sparked intense criticism from aspirants.
Many students, still reeling from the controversies surrounding last year’s exam, fear that the normalisation process might once again be non-transparent and unfair.
However, Rakesh Jain, Founder of NEET Navigator, believes that the concerns may be overblown and argues that conducting the exam in two shifts is not necessarily a bad decision — provided it is handled properly.
Last year’s chaos vs this year’s plan
According to Jain, the uproar over the two-shift system is largely due to the missteps of NEET PG 2024, when the exam was initially planned as a single-shift test, before being abruptly changed to a multi-shift format. This last-minute alteration, combined with unclear normalisation criteria, left many candidates frustrated.
“Last year’s process was messy because of sudden changes. This time, NBEMS has explicitly announced the two-shift format in advance, allowing students, as well as the authorities, to prepare accordingly. The situation is entirely different,” Jain explains.
Normalisation: A global standard, not the enemy
One of the biggest concerns among students is the normalisation process, which adjusts scores to account for variations in difficulty across different shifts. Critics argue that this method, used in NEET PG 2024, was unfair and lacked transparency.
Jain, however, dismisses the idea that normalisation itself is the problem. “Normalisation is a standard process used worldwide in multi-shift exams. The issue is not the method itself but how well it is implemented,” he says.
He acknowledges that last year’s normalisation borrowed elements from the AIIMS (All India Institute Of Medical Sciences) system, which led to confusion and challenges, particularly for in-service candidates who were unable to receive proper incentive marks.
But he remains optimistic that if NBEMS clearly outlines its normalisation process in the official information bulletin, concerns could be significantly reduced this time.
Two-shift exams: A necessity for large-scale tests
Beyond normalisation, Jain argues that conducting NEET PG in multiple shifts is both necessary and inevitable. He points out that infrastructure constraints make it impossible to conduct a fair, large-scale medical entrance exam in a single session.
“In competitive exams like JEE, multiple shifts have been the norm for years. When you have thousands of candidates appearing for an exam, two or more shifts are the only viable option to maintain its integrity,” he says.
What should students do?
Despite the scepticism among aspirants, Jain advises students not to waste energy resisting the two-shift format and instead focus on optimising their preparation within the given system.
“Medical admissions and education in India are going through major transformations. Students must adapt and align their strategies rather than resisting changes that are already decided at the policy level,” he suggests.
The bottom line
While fears of transparency and fairness in normalisation are understandable, experts like Jain believe that a two-shift exam is not inherently flawed. The real test will be in how well NBEMS communicates and executes the process.
If handled properly, this year’s NEET PG could avoid the pitfalls of 2024 and provide a smoother experience for aspirants.
