In a landmark decision that has sent ripples through India's medical education landscape, the Supreme Court today, Friday, May 30, mandated that the National Board of Examination (NBE) conduct NEET PG 2025 as a single session examination, abandoning the controversial two shift format that had sparked widespread debate and protest among aspiring medical professionals.
The three-judge bench comprising Justice Vikram Nath, Justice Sanjay Kumar, and Justice NV Anjaria delivered the decisive ruling while hearing a petition challenging the NBE's decision to split the examination into two sessions.
The court's observation was unequivocal: "Holding the exam in two shifts leads to arbitrariness and cannot give a level playing field. The question papers in the two shifts can never be of the same difficulty level."
The petitioners had argued compellingly that the dual shift system reduced the examination to a game of chance rather than merit, with candidate’s fortunes potentially determined by which session they were assigned rather than their actual knowledge and preparation.
This concern resonated with the court, which acknowledged that while circumstances may have necessitated a two-shift format in the previous year, the examining body should have explored alternatives for a unified approach.
When the NBE argued that insufficient examination centres necessitated the two-shift model, the Supreme Court remained unconvinced. The justices pointedly observed that given India's technological advancement and vast infrastructure, the examining body should have been capable of securing adequate facilities for a single session examination across the country.
However, the implementation of this directive now presents significant logistical challenges. With merely 15 days remaining before the scheduled examination date, the NBE faces the monumental task of identifying and securing approximately 900 additional examination centers to accommodate all candidates in a single session.
Industry experts are divided on the feasibility of this timeline.
Rakesh Jain from NEET Navigator anticipates delays, noting the complexity of making such extensive arrangements within the timeframe. The technical challenges are substantial, requiring coordination with TCS, the testing service provider, who typically need four to six weeks to organise examinations of this magnitude.
Dr Dhruv Chauhan, National Spokesperson for the Indian Medical Association - Junior Doctors' Network, shares these concerns about timing, suggesting the examination might be postponed to early August, mirroring last year's scheduling pattern.
The logistical overhaul involves not just finding new venues but also coordinating strategy changes, center allocations, and updated candidate lists, a process that typically requires careful planning and execution.
The security and integrity aspects of conducting such a large scale single session examination present their own complexities.
“Last year, there was no direct evidence of malpractice or leakage. The main problem is logistical: enough computers, enough TCS centers. Security, of course, plays a role, but it’s a part of managing the infrastructure,” Dr Chauhan said and added that the court's direction to release the answer key was a positive step toward transparency and addressing normalisation issues that have plagued multi-shift examinations.
However, that implementation would still rely heavily on law enforcement measures, including CCTV and local monitoring systems.
The broader implications of this ruling extend beyond NEET PG alone. Multiple competitive examinations, including the JEE, currently employ multi-shift formats to manage large volumes of candidates.
The Supreme Court's stance on the inherent unfairness of such systems could potentially influence how other major examinations are structured in the future.
For lakhs of medical graduates preparing for NEET PG 2025, the uncertainty surrounding the examination format has created additional stress during an already challenging preparation period.
While some view the court's decision as a relief from the "luck factor" that multi-shift systems introduce, others worry about potential delays disrupting their career timelines and subsequent admission processes.
Rakesh noted, “If a student is mentally prepared for a particular date and it changes suddenly, it does affect morale. But at ground level, students are resilient. Most are ready, whether it’s at 9 am or 3 pm.”
Dhruv had a more pointed take: “The morale was already hit due to the uncertainty. But now, at least the element of luck is removed, and there will be more transparency.”
The medical education community now watches closely as the NBE scrambles to implement the Supreme Court's directive. The success or failure of this rapid restructuring will likely influence policy decisions for future medical entrance examinations and could set precedents for how India's examination bodies balance fairness with practical constraints.
As the August timeline looms, the NEET PG 2025 examination has become more than just a test of medical knowledge, it has evolved into a test of India's examination infrastructure and the commitment to ensuring truly merit based selection in medical education.
The coming weeks will determine whether the pursuit of fairness can triumph over logistical limitations in one of the country's most critical professional examinations.
