May 31, 2025 - The Supreme Court yesterday, May 30, directed the National Board of Examinations (NBE) to conduct the NEET-PG exam, scheduled for June 15, in a single shift instead of two. The Court said that conducting the exam in two shifts leads to arbitrariness, which is unacceptable. Holding it in one shift would ensure fairness and avoid malpractice, it said, and that the NBE should ensure transparency while organising the exam in a single shift.

The Bench, comprising Justice Vikram Nath, Justice Sanjay Kumar and Justice NV Anjaria, passed the order after hearing a petition challenging the notification to conduct NEET-PG in two shifts. The petitioners had argued that the NEET-PG exam has traditionally been a single-shift, single-day examination ensuring that all candidates are assessed under the same conditions. That conducting the exam in two shifts means the candidates take the exam under different conditions, which violates their right to equality.

In an order dated May 30, the Bench remarked that “question papers in the two shifts can never be of the same difficulty level. Last year it may have been held in two shifts in the facts and circumstances of that stage. But the examining body ought to have considered making arrangements for holding the examination in one shift.” 

The Court emphasised that there is still sufficient time to make the necessary arrangements.

The Court decision has been widely welcomed by candidates and educators who have expressed concern about the fairness of holding the exam in two shifts.