Not percentiles, NEET-PG to move to rank-based system for admissions

New Delhi: The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) PG admission format is undergoing a major change. The National Medical Commission (NMC) will now use candidates' ranks instead of NEET PG percentiles for admission to counseling. The percentile-based system will be replaced by a rank-based system for admission to both NEET PG and NEET SS. 

The NMC has already given in-principle approval to this change. This information was provided to the Supreme Court in its report by the 12-member expert committee formed to review the NEET-PG admission and counseling process. Know why it's necessary to issue merit ranks instead of percentiles for admissions. Also explore whether the new system will provide candidates with their percentiles along with their ranks.

Only the rank of the candidates will be released

As part of the changes, the NMC will soon release the ranks of candidates who appeared in NEET PG and NEET SS when they release their results. Under the new system, candidates' percentiles will not be released. Under the current system, candidates' percentiles are released for NEET PG and NEET SS.

The rules for releasing the ranks will be finalised soon

The 12-member expert committee formed to review the NEET-PG admission and counseling process informed the Supreme Court in its report that the rules for releasing ranks are yet to be finalized. The report states that the proposal received in-principle approval at the NMC meeting held on September 23. Citing a letter from the NMC Secretary to the Director General of Health Services (DGHS) dated October 1, 2026, the committee cited the proposal. The report states that the NMC is in the process of introducing new rules that will adopt a rank-based system for NEET PG and NEET SS counseling. Percentile marks will not be disclosed in the results; only the rank of the candidates will be released.

Changes after admission rules with minus 40 percentile

Last year, the central government lowered the qualifying cutoff for NEET PG 2025. This reduction was made for admission purposes. Under the revised criteria, the qualifying score for the general category was reduced from 276 to 103, while for SC/ST/OBC categories, it was reduced from 235 to minus 40. This decision was challenged in the Supreme Court, which is currently hearing the case. A 12-member expert committee was formed to review the matter and has submitted its report.

Regarding lowering the qualifying cutoff, the report states that the dignity of the NEET exam should be maintained. The report states that qualifying cutoffs for postgraduate medical education should not be lowered so much that even very poor or negative performing candidates become eligible for admission. The importance of competitive examinations should not be reduced to a mere administrative formality.