Two independent polls, which were conducted among aspirants of the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test Postgraduate (NEET-PG) 2025 demonstrated overwhelming support for the exam being conducted in a single shift.
A total of 1,287 people took part in the polls, which were conducted by Shiksha, with the clear majority agreeing that a single-day, single-shift exam is required to ensure fairness and equality between candidates.
The first poll, which received 1,103 votes, revealed that 88 per cent of people feel the Supreme Court should accept the appeal for a single shift NEET PG, with fairness being the primary argument. Only 5 per cent backed multi-shift tests, while 7 per cent chose to leave the choice to the court, Shiksha reports.
A second poll with 184 votes found identical results, with 91 per cent of participants (168 votes) believing that a single shift gives equitable opportunity.
Only seven voters backed multi-shift tests with sufficient normalisation, while nine preferred to refer the subject to the Supreme Court.
These poll results come amid growing pressure from candidates and experts on the National Board of Examinations (NBE) and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to rectify discrepancies caused by multi-shift testing, says Shiksha.
While NBE has historically administered NEET PG in a single shift, new attempts to use a multi-shift structure, similar to NEET-UG and other competitive exams, have sparked opposition due to worries about normalisation errors.
“Normalization doesn’t fully eliminate disparities in difficulty levels across shifts. A single shift is the only way to ensure every candidate faces the same paper under the same conditions,” said a NEET-PG aspirant from Delhi who voted in the Shiksha poll.
