The National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) has announced significant changes to the examination pattern for the NEET Super Specialty (SS) 2025, specifically for admissions to DM/DrNB Medical Oncology and DM/DrNB Critical Care Medicine. This revision introduces a separate question paper group for medical postgraduates who have chosen broad specialties, including General Medicine, Anaesthesiology, Emergency Medicine, and Radiotherapy.
Streamlined Admission Process
An official from the National Medical Commission (NMC) highlighted that this change is part of a broader effort to streamline the eligibility criteria for admissions to super specialty courses. Dr. B. Srinivas, secretary of the NMC, explained that a panel of experts from relevant fields, medical institutions, and the Postgraduate Medical Education Board (PGMEB) was established to refine the admission process.
Under the new pattern, eligible feeder specialties and questions from both general and sub-specialty components will be included in the exam. Dr. Srinivas stated, “Previously, postgraduate students faced limitations regarding eligibility for super specialty course admissions. This change aims to broaden their admission opportunities.”
Additional Paper and Time Constraints
Concerns have been raised by students regarding the increased demands posed by the new exam pattern. Dr. Srinivas reassured that there will be a separate day allocated for students to take the additional question paper group. The existing question paper group, which consists of 150 questions, will still need to be completed in 150 minutes (2 hours and 30 minutes).
India has approximately 6,000 super specialty seats available, comprising 4,421 DM and MCh seats and 1,969 DrNB seats. Each year, about 45,000 candidates complete their medical postgraduate courses, with 15,000 to 17,000 appearing for the NEET SS exam. Unfortunately, around 800 to 1,000 seats remain vacant annually. To mitigate this wastage, the NMC expanded the eligibility options for super specialty course admissions in 2021, and the introduction of the separate question paper group is a continuation of these efforts.
Addressing Previous Concerns
In 2021, NBEMS responded to a legal challenge regarding the NEET SS exam pattern. An affidavit filed in court indicated that 40% of the questions were specific to the two chosen super specialty subjects, while 60% were derived from the general feeder course studied during the standard postgraduate curriculum. This structure limited candidates to selecting only two super specialty disciplines for admission, despite their eligibility for various other specialties.
The recent changes aim to enhance opportunities for candidates and ultimately contribute to reducing seat wastage in critical fields such as Oncology and Critical Care Medicine. Dr. Srinivas noted, “This step will indirectly help in reducing the wastage of seats, as it allows more candidates to gain admission into these vital specialties.”
