On 13th January, the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) revised the qualifying cut-off scores for NEET PG 2025 after the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare directed a lowering of qualifying percentiles. The move has triggered intense discussion online after it emerged that candidates with negative marks under the SC, ST and OBC categories are now eligible to participate in counselling.
In the official notice, NBEMS stated that the minimum qualifying percentile for counselling in the third round of NEET PG 2025–26 had been reduced across categories in accordance with directions issued by the Union health ministry.
What the revised qualifying criteria state
As per the revised criteria, the qualifying percentile for General and EWS candidates has been reduced from the 50th percentile to the 7th percentile, with the corresponding cut-off score lowered to 103 out of 800. For General persons with benchmark disability, the qualifying percentile has been reduced from the 45th percentile to the 5th percentile, translating to a cut-off score of 90.
For SC, ST and OBC candidates, including persons with benchmark disability in these categories, the qualifying percentile has been reduced from the 40th percentile to the 0th percentile. The corresponding cut-off score has been fixed at minus 40 out of 800, owing to the negative marking scheme followed in the examination.
NBEMS has clarified that there is no change in the NEET PG 2025 ranks that were declared on 19th August 2025. Furthermore, the revision only determines eligibility to participate in counselling.
Eligibility remains provisional
The notice further stated that candidature remains purely provisional and subject to fulfilment of eligibility conditions as per the NEET PG 2025 information bulletin. Aggregate marks obtained in MBBS professional examinations or the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination, as declared by candidates in their application forms, will be verified against original documents at the time of admission.
NBEMS also cautioned that if incorrect information has been used to resolve a tie in ranking, the concerned candidate’s candidature would be cancelled. Any use of unfair means during the examination would attract penal action by NBEMS, the Medical Counselling Committee, or the admitting authority.
Why the cut-offs were lowered
The government took the decision to lower the qualifying cut-offs amid concerns over a large number of vacant postgraduate medical seats. According to officials, despite around 2.4 lakh candidates appearing for NEET PG 2025, higher cut-offs had resulted in thousands of seats remaining unfilled after multiple rounds of counselling.
There are around 65,000 to 70,000 postgraduate medical seats in India. Officials indicated that allowing a significant number of seats to remain vacant could affect the functioning of teaching hospitals, particularly government institutions that rely heavily on resident doctors for clinical services and academic work.
The revision came at a time when the Indian Medical Association had also written to Union Health Minister JP Nadda seeking a “rational revision” of cut-offs to prevent large scale wastage of training capacity.
What netizens are saying
The revised cut-offs have drawn mixed reactions on social media. Users are debating whether the move should be viewed purely as an administrative measure or as a signal of dilution in academic thresholds.
Some users have contextualised the decision. They have emphasised that the revised cut-offs only expand eligibility for counselling and do not guarantee admission. Tech policy commentator Himanshu Jain said in a post on social media platform X that while it is accurate that candidates with minus 40 marks can now participate in counselling, the broader context is often missing from online discussions.
🩺 NEET-PG 2025 | CLARIFICATION
— Himanshu Jain (@HemanNamo) January 14, 2026
Yes, the –40 marks counselling claim is real — but the context matters.
• NBEMS (as per MoHFW) lowered cut-offs on 13 Jan 2026 to avoid ~9,000 PG seats going vacant
• Eligibility ≠ guaranteed admission
• Such ranks usually translate to… pic.twitter.com/9CQb1GCSOD
He pointed out that NBEMS lowered the cut-offs primarily to avoid nearly 9,000 PG medical seats going vacant. Furthermore, eligibility for counselling should not be seen as assured admission. Candidates qualifying at such low cut-offs generally end up in non-clinical or low demand branches, or in high fee private institutions that are often left unfilled by higher ranked candidates.
According to Himanshu, the policy decision was focused on capacity utilisation and not on altering passing standards. He pointed out that NEET PG functions as a ranking examination for candidates who have already completed MBBS and cleared university level assessments.
However, several other users raised concerns over the implications of allowing candidates with negative scores to enter the counselling process.
Dr Dhruv Chauhan, National Spokesperson of the Indian Medical Association JDN, stated, “I do not know how to react to this, but now candidates scoring minus 40 marks are also eligible to get a NEET PG seat. In simple language, if you have money or belong to a specific category, then even if you slept in the exam and scored negative marks, you are equal to someone who topped or worked hard.”
I don’t know how to react on this , but now candidates scoring “Minus – 40”marks are also applicable to get NEET PG seat .
— Dr.Dhruv Chauhan (@DrDhruvchauhan) January 13, 2026
In simple language if you have money or specific category then even if you slept in the exam and scored negative marks = someone who topped /worked hard. pic.twitter.com/6O9r1o0NIJ
Social media commentator Amit Kilhor questioned the lowering of the percentile for counselling and called for the establishment of minimum standards for medical admissions while tagging Union Health Minister JP Nadda.
Policy commentator Anshul Saxena wrote, “In NEET-PG 2025, candidates with scores as low as –40 out of 800 are allowed to participate in PG counselling. The merit cutoff has fallen so low that a negative score is now considered qualifying. A serious crisis in academic standards.”
In NEET-PG 2025, candidates with scores as low as –40 out of 800 are allowed to participate in PG counselling.
— Anshul Saxena (@AskAnshul) January 14, 2026
The merit cutoff has fallen so low that a negative score is now considered qualifying.
A serious crisis in academic standards. pic.twitter.com/aqojMqCFmz
In a post on X, founder of DAMS-Alpha Dr Sumer Sethi wrote, “Merit shouldn’t have negative value. NEET PG cut-off at -40 isn’t relief it’s dilution. Seat filling ≠ standards. A negative cut-off makes “qualifying” meaningless.”
Merit shouldn’t have negative value. NEET PG cut-off at -40 isn’t relief it’s dilution.
— Dr Sumer Sethi (@sumersethi) January 13, 2026
Seat filling ≠ standards. A negative cut-off makes “qualifying” meaningless.#NEETPG #MeritMatters pic.twitter.com/EB6jIHoTpt
The revised NEET PG cut-offs have highlighted an ongoing debate around how postgraduate medical seats should be filled. On one hand, the authorities have suggested that the decision was taken to prevent seats from remaining vacant and to ensure hospitals, especially those run by the government, have enough resident doctors. On the other hand, the eligibility of candidates to appear in the third round of counselling with very low or negative scores has led to questions from doctors and the public.
The issue has brought forward the challenge of balancing seat utilisation with expectations around minimum academic standards in postgraduate medical education, and this discussion is likely to continue as the counselling process commences in coming days.
