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Centre Reduces NEET-SS Qualifying Percentile to 30%; 1,857 Seats in Stray Round

PolitySocial IssuesHIGH
Target:UPSC GS-IIMPSCTeachingSSC GAPrelims HighMains HighStatic GK Link
28 Sept 2026
~2 min
Source: The Hindu
Key Data:50% qualifying percentile30% qualifying percentile1,857 vacant seats7,000 total seats15,000 applicants1,003 vacant in 2023
Bodies:Supreme Court of IndiaNBEMSMedical Counselling Committee (MCC)Union Health Ministry
Practice MCQs from today's news ▸
What This Article Covers

1.Centre reduces NEET-SS cut-off to 30% (from 50%) for 2025 admissions, following SC bench (Justices Nagarathna & Bagchi) observation on vacant seats.

2.Stray counselling round begins Sept 25 for 1,857 vacant seats; 40 TN in-service seats returned to state.

3.Examiner's Angle: Focus on NEET-SS structure (NBEMS, 15 groups, DM/MCh/DrNB), SC's role in medical policy, and the in-service quota mechanism (G.O. Ms. No. 462).

The Big Picture
Prelims · HighMains · High

The Centre, following Supreme Court directives, reduced the NEET-SS qualifying percentile from 50% to 30% for 2025 admissions, triggering a stray round for 1,857 vacant super-speciality seats. The decision also partially restored Tamil Nadu's in-service quota, highlighting the persistent crisis of vacancies in high-stakes medical entrance exams and the judicial push for optimal resource utilization.

Exam Lens

Quick Exam Facts From News

Exam NameNEET-SS (Super Speciality)
Conducting BodyNBEMS (National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences)
Qualifying Percentile (Old)50%
Qualifying Percentile (New)30%
Vacant Seats (2025)1,857
SC Bench (2026)Justices B.V. Nagarathna & Joymalya Bagchi
TN In-Service Quota50% (G.O. Ms. No. 462)

1-Minute Revision

  • ›Exam Name: NEET-SS (Super Speciality)
  • ›Conducting Body: NBEMS (National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences)
  • ›Target this Data: NEET-SS qualifying percentile reduced from 50% to 30% (2025 cycle).
  • ›Target this Nodal Body: NBEMS (National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences) conducts NEET-SS.
  • ›Target this Legal Point: SC Bench of Justices B.V. Nagarathna and Joymalya Bagchi termed vacancies 'compelling' for cut-off reduction.

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Q1Static LinkageMedium

Which body conducts the NEET-SS examination for super-speciality medical courses?

Q2Statement-basedHard

Consider the following statements regarding the NEET-SS examination and the recent Supreme Court order:

1. NEET-SS is a single unified examination with one common question paper for all super-speciality courses.

2. The Supreme Court in 2023 termed the large number of vacant NEET-SS seats a 'wastage of resources'.

3. The Centre reduced the qualifying percentile for NEET-SS from 50% to 30% for the 2025 admission cycle.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Q3Data-centricMedium

As per the news, how many NEET-SS seats remained vacant in the 2025 admission cycle, leading to the Centre's decision to reduce the qualifying percentile?

Q4Application/ImpactMedium

What is the primary reason behind the persistent vacancy of NEET-SS seats, as highlighted in the article?

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