Centre reduces NEET-SS qualifying mark to 30%; Tamil Nadu to get 40 seats back

The Union government has reduced the qualifying percentile for the NEET-SS (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test for Super Speciality) examination from 50% to 30% for a special stray vacancy round, according to a Supreme Court filing.

As part of the same decision, 40 vacant in-service seats will be returned to Tamil Nadu. The move comes after the Centre's submissions in the apex court regarding the handling of NEET-SS qualifications and state-specific seat allocations.

The reduced cutoff is expected to expand the pool of eligible candidates for the special vacancy round, while the return of seats addresses Tamil Nadu's concerns over seat availability in super-speciality medical programmes.