“Our voices must be heard. This isn’t just about me...it’s about the entire medical community seeking fairness from the system to serve society better..." said Dr Aditi, a National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test for Postgraduate (NEET-PG) aspirant and petitioner. Attempting the exam for the third time in 2025, she and many others believe it is no longer an accurate metric that can measure their abilities, feeling it favours only a few and has turned out to be a game of chance.
A writ petition, titled Dr Aditi v National Board of Examination in Medical Sciences (NBEMS), was filed on April 29, 2025, in the Supreme Court.
She, along with several other petitioners, have the same argument about the erroneous two-shift format, and the lack of transparency in the examination process. Yet their intent this time is to not only amplify the underlying issues but also bring concrete changes in the system.
In addition to this, the petitioners demand a single-shift examination, the release of answer keys, greater transparency to ensure equity, and safeguarding of the careers of aspiring doctors.
Dr Aditi, the main petitioner, has been striving to secure a better rank for her desired Doctor of Medicine (MD) branch. In 2023, she appeared for the NEET-PG exam, just to get an idea about it, yet achieved a rank between 20,000 and 25,000.
“I understood that this is not a good rank. I understood that if I work on this, I can improve my score,” she said. However, in 2024, despite dedicated preparation, the two-shift format resulted in a rank of 40,000, a double of her previous rank.
“The rank I got with good preparation was double the rank I got when I sat for it unprepared. I was doubly sure that it would be better this time. Ironically, I couldn't have been more wrong,” she said, highlighting that the two-shift exam, the normalisation process, and the difficulty quotient of her shift's question paper stood as major hurdles.
Additionally, another NEET-PG 2025 aspirant, Dr Kumar (name changed due to privacy concerns), also appearing for his third attempt this time, echoed similar concerns. Having given the exam in 2023 in a single shift with no issues, he faced challenges in 2024 when the two-shift format was introduced. “In 2023, I faced no issues. In 2024, there were two shifts. I was in the morning shift, but the afternoon shift was definitely tougher,” he said.
Why was it unfair?
Dr Aditi, who was allotted the afternoon shift in the NEET-PG 2024 exam, recounting her experience, told EdexLive that most of the questions were extremely difficult, which further broke her morale.
She highlighted the disparity in question types between shifts, noting, “Most of the questions in the morning shift included questions which had CT images, but for my shift, they were based on MRI images. MRI as a modality is, in general, difficult for an MBBS graduate, and questions based on it are time-consuming as well.”
She argued, "I would have definitely done better if I were given those CT images as questions rather than the MRI ones," pointing to the difference in difficulty levels of both the question papers.
Normalisation of marks created issues
While Dr Aditi claimed that having been allotted the second shift might have wrecked her chances of getting a good rank in the exam, highlighting another issue, Dr Kumar pointed out the unfairness in normalisation: “Since the afternoon shift was harder to attempt, they gave more marks to the candidates allotted the afternoon shift. I have two friends, both of whose scores were almost the same, but the one who was allotted the afternoon shift obtained a rank of 48,000, and the person allotted the morning shift was ranked 52,000.” He added that, collectively, the results couldn't satisfy candidates from either of the two shifts, creating massive confusion.
"The only solution to these issues is handing out the same question paper and conducting it in a single shift. When this is done, there will be no more ifs and buts...," she suggested.
Probabilities and possibilities
Why should an exam become an endless debate? While Dr Aditi believed that the second shift was tougher, Dr Kumar felt that if he had been allotted the second shift, he would have had a higher chance of achieving a better rank.
It has also been mentioned in the petition that there has been no moderation of either set of papers in the NEET-PG 2024 exam.
Speaking about how such a gamble had taken an emotional toll, she said, “By the time the exam started and ended, I could see on the faces of every student that they just did not know what happened to them. This confusion is really dangerous; whatever happens with two shifts is purely based on luck.”
Why can such an experience be mentally harrowing? Dr Kumar highlighted the nature of the exam being conducted annually, saying, “NEET-PG exam is held only once a year. If there is injustice, and someone doesn’t get a good rank, they will have to wait for a year, or will be compelled to compromise with their branch of choice for their whole life, or keep attempting the exams."
Doctors have rights?
The exam further prohibits sharing examination content, including answer keys. Dr Aditi argues that candidates have the right to access their answer keys under the Right to Information Act, 2005, and that non-disclosure is “constitutionally, morally, and logically wrong,” leaving candidates “helpless and anxious.”
The petitioners assert that the National Board of Examination's (NBE) refusal to publish question papers and answer keys is a “colourful use of power by an autonomous body,” providing undue advantage to some while violating the rights of the majority.
Dr Kumar noted, “Till 2023, they released scorecards, scores, and percentiles. Last year, exams were abruptly postponed, and there was no mention of any scores, just roll numbers and percentiles. No one could figure out how they normalise the scores.”
Another NEET-PG 2024 aspirant cited a 2017 petition, where normalisation was deemed unfair by the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), leading to a re-conduct of the NEET-PG exam in 2017.
He further cited examples where the normalisation of scores was cancelled, such as the Common University Entrance Test for Undergraduates (CUET-UG), and it was announced by the National Testing Agency (NTA), and the University Grants Commission (UGC), that normalisation would not be used for subjects conducted in single shifts, with revised normalisation method adopted for multi-shift papers, a prompt action taken by these governing bodies.
Other issues
Dr Kumar told EdexLive that one of the reasons stated by NBE to conduct the exam in double shifts was the lack of centres. He noted that despite sufficient time since the application form announcement in December 2024, the NBE has failed to arrange enough centres again this time. The petitioners argue that with management outsourced to private companies like the Tata Group (TCS), conducting NEET-PG 2025 in a single shift is feasible, with no dearth of centres.
Mobilisation efforts
Dr Aditi has been working with her advocate, Abhishit Hela, to mobilise support for the cause. “We decided…We will create a Google Form and circulate it to get more signatures. We tried to get about 4,000 to 5,000. This shows that people are upset,” she said.
“There are more than two lakh students. We are all doctors here. We deserve that attention and time. We deserve to be heard...It is our future at stake, and the future of medical education in the country as well.”
She hopes that the court sees merit in the case. "Doctors need to be taken more seriously. We are not just students, we are mature medical professionals..."
