SFI Condemns NEET PG Postponement, Demands New Date

New Delhi: The Students’ Federation of India (SFI) has strongly condemned the abrupt postponement of the NEET PG 2025 examination, originally scheduled for June 15, and has demanded that the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) immediately announce the new exam date. In a joint statement issued by SFI President V P Sanu and General Secretary Mayukh Biswas, the organization accused NBEMS of continuing a pattern of mismanagement that is deeply harmful to students preparing for one of the most crucial exams in their academic careers.
The exam date, announced four months ago and reconfirmed two months earlier, was suddenly deferred on the evening of June 2, just twelve days before the scheduled date. This last- minute decision has triggered widespread anxiety among over two lakh aspirants who had planned their preparation and logistics based on the announced schedule.
SFI pointed out that this is not the first time NBEMS has failed students through administrative negligence. Last year, the NEET PG exam was postponed three times, with one cancellation occurring barely 12 hours before the exam. When it was finally conducted, the test was split into two shifts, leading to widespread dissatisfaction due to disparities in difficulty levels. The percentile- based results were processed using a controversial normalisation formula that was widely criticised by students and experts alike. Following a legal challenge filed in the Supreme Court (W\.P. No. 456/2025, Aditi & Ors vs NBEMS & Ors), the court had directed NBEMS to conduct the exam in a single shift, underlining the need for uniformity and fairness.
The latest postponement is reportedly linked to NBEMS’s inability to comply with this directive, raising serious concerns about the body’s preparedness and credibility. SFI questioned why NBEMS, which had successfully conducted the exam in a single shift in previous years, is now struggling to do so. The delay in announcing a revised date has disrupted the academic rhythm of lakhs of candidates, many of whom have taken leaves or made travel and accommodation plans in advance.
Further criticism was directed at the financial and logistical aspects of the exam process. With exam fees ranging high, over 60 crore rupees has reportedly been collected from candidates. Yet, NBEMS has failed to increase the number of testing centers. Instead, the board continues to outsource exam logistics to private entities like TCS, raising serious concerns about transparency, accountability, and fairness. Many students, especially from rural areas, have been forced to travel long distances to appear for the exam due to the limited availability of test centers.
SFI also flagged that with the exam now moving back to a single-slot format, there is widespread concern that students' preferred test cities may be changed, creating a fresh wave of uncertainty and financial burden. This is indicative of the larger problem of centralized planning and the growing dependence on private agencies for conducting critical national-level exams.
The student body demanded that NBEMS immediately declare a new exam date, expand the number of test centers so that students can write exams in their hometowns, and provide compensation to those who have been affected by the delays and mismanagement. SFI reiterated its opposition to the outsourcing of national -level examinations to private players and called for reforms to restore transparency, efficiency, and trust in the examination system.
SFI warned that if the demands are not met, it will launch a nationwide protest campaign in solidarity with the affected student community. The statement concluded by asserting that the future of lakhs of aspiring doctors must not be jeopardised by institutional incompetence.