NEET-PG cut-off revision sparks debate as candidates with single-digit and low scores secure PG seats in top Telangana medical colleges

Nearly a month after the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) revised the qualifying cut-off scores for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test Postgraduate (NEET PG), a student from Telangana who scored just 1 mark out of a total 800 has secured admission to MS Orthopaedics at a private medical college in Hyderabad. The candidate, belonging to the Scheduled Tribe (ST) category, had secured an all-India rank of 2,29,981 in the highly competitive examination.

The admission came to light during the mop-up phase of the college-wise allotment list for the 2025–26 postgraduate medical admissions under the competent authority quota, released by the Kaloji Narayana Rao University of Health Sciences (KNRUHS) on February 9. The mop-up phase is conducted after the completion of regular counselling rounds to fill remaining vacant seats.

The document shows that this was not an isolated case. A student from the SC2 category who scored 12 marks and secured rank 2,29,830 obtained admission to MD Forensic Medicine at the Osmania Medical College, Hyderabad. Another candidate from the SC3 category with 24 marks and rank 2,29,452 was allotted MD Pathology at the same institution.

Similarly, a student from the ST category with 32 marks secured admission in MD Pathology at the Kakatiya Medical College, Warangal. Another ST category candidate who scored 59 marks and secured rank 2,25,997 was allotted MD Radiodiagnosis at the Gandhi Medical College, Secunderabad.

Osmania Medical College, Gandhi Medical College and Kakatiya Medical College are considered among the most prestigious government medical institutions in Telangana. As per the allotment list, more than 20 students who scored between 1 and 100 marks secured postgraduate admissions across government and private medical colleges in the State.

The developments follow the revised qualifying criteria issued by the NBEMS on January 13. Under the new norms, candidates from the General and Economically Weaker Sections categories qualify at the 7th percentile, with the cut-off score reduced from 276 to 103. For General Persons with Benchmark Disabilities, the qualifying percentile has been lowered from the 45th to the 5th percentile, bringing the cut-off score down from 255 to 90.

For candidates belonging to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes, including Persons with Benchmark Disabilities from these categories, the qualifying percentile has been reduced from the 40th percentile to the 0th percentile. The revised cut-off score for this group stands at minus 40, compared to the earlier cut-off of 235.

Criticism of the repeated lowering of cut-offs has grown sharper within the medical fraternity. Dr. Srinath, president of the Telangana Senior Resident Doctors Association (T-SRDA), said the justification offered by authorities was that seats should not remain vacant, but argued that this could not be a reason to compromise academic standards.

“Instead of repeatedly reducing the cut-off, authorities should consider conducting the NEET-PG examination twice a year. This would ensure that vacant seats are filled within the next six months, as is already being done by institutes such as the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS),” he added.

Explaining the purpose of NEET-PG, Dr. Srinath said the examination ensures that doctors entering postgraduate courses possess adequate knowledge across all 17 subjects taught at the MBBS level. He warned that repeatedly lowering the cut-off amounted to treating a structural problem as a permanent solution.

Raising broader concerns about the erosion of merit, Dr. Narahari, president of the Telangana Government Doctors Association (TGGDA), recalled his days as an MBBS student in 1992. He said that during that period, the then Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, N. Janardhan Reddy, was forced to resign, with allegations of large-scale irregularities in admissions to government and private medical colleges among the political issues cited. These included accusations related to management quotas, donations and political influence.