Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has urgently appealed to Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda to increase the number of NEET-PG 2025 examination centers in Kerala, citing severe shortages that have left aspiring doctors struggling to secure seats within the state. The NEET-PG, or National Eligibility cum Entrance Test for Postgraduate courses, is a crucial gateway for medical graduates seeking advanced degrees in medicine.

Tharoor highlighted that available exam slots in Kerala were "exhausted within minutes" of the reopening of the registration window. This situation has forced many students to seek centers in other states, leading to significant logistical and financial burdens. The NBEMS (National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences) which conducts the examination, has been urged to consider the number of applicants from Kerala and allocate additional centers accordingly.

The NEET-PG 2025 examination was initially scheduled for June 15 but was postponed following a Supreme Court directive to conduct the exam in a single shift, ensuring fairness and uniformity for all candidates. The exam has been rescheduled to August 3, 2025 and will be conducted from 9:00 AM to 12:30 PM. The format includes 200 multiple-choice questions across five sections, each lasting 42 minutes, and will be administered entirely in English. There is a marking scheme of +4 for correct answers and –1 for incorrect answers.

NBEMS has reopened the exam city resubmission window from June 13th to 17th, due to conducting the exam in a single shift on August 3rd, 2025. Registered candidates must reselect their preferred city on a first-come, first-served basis via the official website. The edit window opens June 20th, city allotment on July 21st, and admit cards on July 31st. The results are expected to be declared by September 3, 2025. The updated list confirms that the number of test cities has been expanded to 233.

Tharoor emphasized that Kerala's candidates found its centers fully booked within minutes of the reopening, adding that, even though the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) has data on applicant numbers, additional centers were not allocated to Kerala. He warned that students are now facing not just logistical but financial burdens as they travel to other states for the exam. Tharoor urged Minister Nadda to immediately authorise more NEET PG centers in Kerala, particularly within medical-college towns. He stated that the exam is too important to saddling students with travel woes.

The shortage of exam centers is not a new issue. Kerala MPs have raised similar concerns in previous years, with candidates often forced to travel over 1,000 km to neighboring states. This year, the problem is compounded by the single-shift format mandated by the Supreme Court, which requires substantial organizational adjustments, including increasing center infrastructure and deploying secure exam venues.

NBEMS has cited logistical challenges in arranging a sufficient number of exam centers to accommodate all candidates in a single shift. The board is working with third-party agencies like Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) to expand the number of centers and ensure upgraded security measures to prevent malpractice. The Supreme Court has allowed NBEMS to postpone the exam if necessary to arrange an adequate number of exam centers within the stipulated time.

The Students' Federation of India (SFI) has also condemned the postponement of the NEET-PG 2025 exam and criticized NBEMS for failing to increase the number of testing centers despite collecting significant exam fees. They have demanded that NBEMS expand the number of test centers so that students can write exams in their hometowns and provide compensation to those affected by delays and mismanagement.

Given the circumstances, Tharoor's appeal to Minister Nadda underscores the urgent need for additional NEET-PG exam centers in Kerala to alleviate the hardships faced by aspiring doctors. Addressing this issue will not only ease logistical and financial burdens but also ensure a fairer and more equitable examination process for all candidates.