NEET PG 2027 Big Update; Government Proposes Replacing Percentile with Direct Ranking

NEET PG Rank-Based System: There is big news for students preparing for admission to medical postgraduate courses after completing their MBBS. The government is soon going to make a major change in medical admission rules. The central government has informed the Supreme Court that the percentile-based system may be abolished by next year—that is, in 2027—and replaced with a ranking system.

Expert Committee Report
A 12-member expert committee, was informed to review the medical admission process, which has submitted its report to the Supreme Court. The committee has recommended that student admissions be based on their actual rank rather than their percentile. The National Medical Commission has also given its approval to this proposal. However, while implementing it from 2027 is under consideration, final approval is still pending.

Decision Regarding Cut-off as Well
The committee said that the cut-off marks should not be drastically lowered repeatedly to fill vacant seats. Earlier,  the admission of students who had even secured negative marks sparked significant controversy; steps are now being taken to put an end to this practice. The report also recommends reducing fees for non-clinical courses and  granting exemption from service bonds to students of pre-clinical and para-clinical subjects.

What is the Difference Between Percentile and Ranking?

Percentile system – In this system, marks are not looked at directly; rather, it measures your performance relative to other students who took the exam. For example, if your score is better than that of 90,000 out of 100,000 students, your percentile would be 90. It is possible for more than one student to have the same percentile.

Ranking System – This is very direct and transparent. In this, based on marks, every student is given a unique rank from 1 to the last position. The student with the highest marks receives the first rank, and in the event that two students have the same score, a tie-breaking rule is applied. Colleges are then allotted directly according to these ranks.