The National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) has introduced a significant change in the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test, Postgraduate (NEET PG) 2024 by conducting the exam in two shifts for the first time. As the exam was held on August 11, 2024, NBEMS also released a detailed notice outlining the normalization procedure that will be used to ensure fairness in the preparation of the results.
Traditionally, NEET PG has been conducted in a single shift. However, this year, the exam was held in two shifts— the first from 9 AM to 12:30 PM, and the second from 3:30 PM to 7 PM. This change has necessitated the adoption of a normalization process to account for any variation in difficulty levels across the different shifts, ensuring that all candidates are assessed fairly.
Key Points of the Normalisation Process:
- Calculation of Percentiles: Percentiles will be calculated for each candidate based on their raw scores. This ensures that performance across different shifts can be compared on a common scale.
- Merit List Preparation: The overall merit list will be based on the percentile scores, with candidates ranked accordingly. In cases where candidates achieve the same percentile, the tie-breaking method will be based on age, with the older candidate being ranked higher.
- Distribution of Examinees: To maintain fairness, examinees have been randomly allocated into different shifts, ensuring that the groups are approximately equal in number. This random distribution minimizes any potential bias that could arise from varying difficulty levels between shifts.
