Big news for doctors: NEET SS cutoff reduced from 50th to 30th percentile
The NBEMS has reduced the qualifying percentile for NEET SS 2025 from 50 to 30. Consequently, candidates securing the 30th percentile or higher in their respective question paper groups will now be considered qualified for the exam.
The National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) has lowered the NEET SS 2025 qualifying percentile from 50 to 30. As a result, candidates achieving the 30th percentile or above in their respective question paper groups will be deemed qualified. According to the notice issued by the NBEMS, the revised results have been shared with the Medical Counselling Committee. This change allows candidates who previously failed to qualify due to the 50th percentile requirement to participate in the subsequent counselling process.
More doctors to get a chance at counselling
Following the NBEMS's decision to lower the qualifying percentile, approximately 6,000 additional doctors will now have the opportunity to participate in the counselling process during the special stray vacancy round. This will assist in filling the 1,857 vacant seats.
New cutoffs for different groups
| Question Paper Group | Cutoff at 30th Percentile |
|---|---|
| Anesthesiology Group | 249 |
| Critical Care Medicine | 254 |
| ENT | 247 |
| Medical | 175 |
| Medical Oncology | 180 |
| Microbiology | 306 |
| Obstetrics and Gynecology | 325 |
| Orthopedics | 256 |
| Pediatrics | 231 |
| Pathology | 238 |
| Pharmacology | 213 |
| Psychiatry | 302 |
| Radiodiagnosis | 315 |
| Respiratory Medicine | 285 |
| Surgical | 243 |
No change in ranks
The NBEMS has clarified that despite the reduction in the cutoff, there will be no changes to the question paper group-specific ranks announced on January 23, 2026. Furthermore, no new scorecards will be issued to candidates. In other words, while candidates now deemed qualified based on the 30th percentile will benefit from the revised qualifying criteria, the previously announced group-specific ranks will remain unchanged.
MBBS details to be verified
The NBEMS has also issued important instructions regarding application-related information. During the application process, candidates had entered the percentage of total marks obtained across all MBBS professional examinations. At the time of admission, the counseling or relevant admission authority will verify these marks against the original documents. For candidates whose MBBS marks were utilized to resolve a rank tie, their scorecards will reflect the MBBS marks submitted during the application process. If this information is found to be incorrect during document verification—and was used to break a tie in ranking—the candidate's NEET SS 2025 candidature may be cancelled.
Action for Use of Unfair Means
NBEMS has also clarified that if a candidate is found using unfair means at any stage of the examination, action may be taken against them by NBEMS, MCC, or the relevant counseling authority. Even if such candidates have been declared successful, their results may be cancelled. Additionally, candidates facing any issues may contact the helpline number 011-45593000.
