The National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) has proposed a new date to conduct the NEET-PG 2025 exam in a single shift. In its application to the Supreme Court, the board stated that it would not be able to hold the exam before August this year. The proposal comes in response to the SC’s May 30 directive to avoid the two-shift format used last year, which it deemed “arbitrary” and “unfair” given the variations in the difficulty level of question papers across shifts.
The exam, which was earlier scheduled for June 15, has been postponed by NBEMS until further notice.
NEET PG 2025 likely on August 3
In the application to SC, the NBEMS stated that August 3 is the earliest date available from its technology partner, Tata Consultancy Services Ltd (TCS), to conduct the examination in a single shift. It added that holding the exam in a single shift requires more than 15 days of preparation, as it would require more exam centres and extensive hardware arrangements.
“The present application is being filed on behalf of National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences seeking permission to schedule the NEET PG 2025 on August 3, 2025, which is the earliest possible available date given by its technology partner i.e., M/s Tata Consultancy Services Ltd. (TCS) in accordance with the directions passed by this Court vide order dated May 30, 2025,” the application stated. It added that TCS has recommended conducting the exam in a single shift from 9 am to 12.30 pm.
‘1000+ exam centres need to be booked’: NBEMS to SC
The application further noted logistical challenges, “The current booking of test centres is double the capacity, as the examination was planned at the centres in two shifts. 1000+ centres shall need to be booked and engaged, which will require considerable time. The infrastructure needed to be engaged to execute a shift of over 2.4 lakh candidates with a buffer would require infrastructure for 2.70 lakh to be made available across the country, which will require a considerable amount of time.”
NBEMS further stated that conducting the exam on such a scale would require the deployment of over 60,000 personnel. This includes commanding officers, system operators, network administrators, invigilators, security staff, registration managers, CCTV staff, to electricians, etc.
For context, while NEET-PG 2024 was conducted in two shifts, NEET-PG 2023 was held in a single shift across 902 exam centres for over two lakh candidates, and NEET-PG 2022 followed a similar format with 849 centres.
NBEMS has reopened the NEET-PG 2025 application window, allowing candidates to update their choice of exam centres. Once new city preferences are submitted, candidates will be reassigned to the nearest available test centres.
The Supreme Court’s directive came in response to petitions filed by candidates and the United Doctors Front, who argued that last year’s two-shift format created inconsistencies in difficulty levels between sessions.
NBEMS, however, defended its earlier decision to hold the exam in two shifts, arguing that the format helps prevent malpractices, as online exams require secure test environments to deter bad actors.