1/800-mark scorer in NEET PG secures orthopaedics seat in Telangana

Hyderabad: A candidate who scored just one mark out of 800 in the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test for Postgraduate (NEET-PG) has been allotted a seat for MS Orthopaedics—one of the most competitive surgical specialties in Indian medical education—at a private medical college in Hyderabad.

The admission, part of Telangana’s Competent Authority Quota counselling for the academic year 2025-26, represents what many in the medical community are calling an unprecedented collapse in postgraduate medical education standards.

Not an isolated case

According to a document, dated February 9, from Kaloji Narayana Rao University of Health Sciences, Telangana, detailing the mop-up phase of counselling for the In-Service Category, the candidate secured the MS Orthopaedics seat at Kamineni Academy of Medical Sciences, Hyderabad, under the ST category at rank 2,29,981.

This is not an isolated case. An analysis of the counselling data reveals a systematic pattern of admissions at scores that would have been considered unthinkable in Indian medical education until recently.

In Telangana, single-digit scores get admissions from premier colleges

The mop-up phase counselling document reveals that 20 candidates with scores ranging from 1 to 99 marks out of 800 have been allotted postgraduate medical seats across the state. What is particularly alarming is that at least 12 of these admissions are to government medical colleges, including Telangana’s most prestigious institutions.

A candidate with 12 marks secured MD Forensic Medicine at Osmania Medical College, Hyderabad, one of the state’s premier medical institutions, under the SC category. Another with 24 marks obtained an MD in Pathology at the same institution.

Osmania Medical College alone accounts for six admissions from this bottom tier, with candidates scoring between 12 and 99 marks securing seats in Forensic Medicine, Pathology (two seats), Orthopaedics and General Surgery. The courses span both clinical and para-clinical specialities.

Gandhi Medical College, Secunderabad, another flagship government institution, has admitted three candidates from this group: 59 marks for MD Radiodiagnosis, 74 marks for MD Pharmacology and 91 marks for MS Orthopaedics.

Kakatiya Medical College, Warangal, admitted a candidate with 32 marks for MD Pathology under the ST category.

Clinical specialities at rock-bottom scores

MS Orthopaedics, traditionally one of the most sought-after surgical courses that typically attracts top-scoring candidates, has been allotted to four candidates in this bottom tier: 1 mark (Kamineni Academy, Hyderabad), 60 marks (Osmania Medical College), and two candidates with 91 marks each (Gandhi Medical College, Secunderabad, and Kamineni Institute, Narketpally).

MS General Surgery seats have gone to candidates with 93 marks (RVM Institute of Medical Sciences, Medak) and 99 marks (Osmania Medical College, Hyderabad).

MS Obstetrics and Gynaecology, another highly competitive clinical speciality, was allotted to candidates with 91 marks (Kamineni Institute, Narketpally) and 94 marks (Sri Venkata Sai Medical College, Mahabubnagar).

Super-speciality and critical care courses show similar patterns. MD Radiodiagnosis at Gandhi Medical College went to a candidate with 59 marks. MD Paediatrics at Apollo Medical College, Hyderabad, was allotted to someone with 80 marks. MD Respiratory Medicine at Mediciti Institute of Medical Sciences went to a candidate with 43 marks.

Even MD Pathology, crucial for diagnostics, has been allotted to candidates with scores as low as 24 and 32 marks at government medical colleges.

MS Oto-Rhino-Laryngology (ENT) seats were given to candidates with 65 marks (Government Medical College, Siddipet) and 84 marks (Mamatha Medical College, Khammam).

MD Anaesthesia, a critical speciality for surgical procedures, was offered to candidates with 55 marks (Mamatha Medical College) and 90 marks (Osmania Medical College).

Government institutions, not just private colleges

A critical aspect of the data from Telangana is that this is not merely a private medical college phenomenon. Of the 20 lowest scorers in the state counselling, 12 secured seats in government institutions.

These include:

- Osmania Medical College, Hyderabad (6 seats)

- Gandhi Medical College, Secunderabad (3 seats)

- Kakatiya Medical College, Warangal (1 seat)

- Government Medical College, Siddipet (1 seat)

The remaining eight admissions were to private medical colleges, including Kamineni Academy, Apollo Medical College, Mediciti Institute, Mamatha Medical College, TRR Institute, RVM Institute, Kamineni Institute and Sri Venkata Sai Medical College.

This distribution demonstrates that the erosion of standards is not confined to private institutions seeking to fill seats for commercial reasons but extends to state-run government medical colleges operating under the Competent Authority Quota.

The Competent Authority Quota: A parallel admission system

The Telangana admissions are part of the Competent Authority Quota, specifically the In-Service Category, which operates as a parallel admission system alongside the All India quota managed centrally.

This quota is designed for in-service medical professionals seeking postgraduate qualifications.

However, the qualifying standards appear to have been reduced to levels that effectively eliminate any meaningful academic threshold.

A score of 1 mark out of 800—which could potentially be achieved through random guessing or by attempting a handful of questions—is now sufficient to secure admission to a surgical super-speciality.

The mop-up phase, conducted after regular counselling rounds, is meant to fill remaining vacant seats. However, the extent of the reduction in standards suggests a policy of filling seats at any cost, regardless of the academic credentials of the candidates.

When a negative score can get you a postgraduate medical seat

The Telangana data must be understood in the context of a broader national trend.

On January 13, the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) issued a notice slashing minimum qualifying percentiles for the third round of All India quota counselling to unprecedented lows.

For SC/ST/OBC candidates, including persons with benchmark disabilities, the cut-off plummeted from the 40th percentile (235 marks) to the 0th percentile (minus 40 marks).

This means candidates who scored negative marks—by answering so many questions incorrectly that they ended up in negative territory due to negative marking—are now qualified for postgraduate medical seats.

The All-India quota counselling conducted in early February 2026 saw three candidates with negative scores securing admissions: minus 12 marks for MD Physiology at a private college in Chennai, minus 8 marks for MD Biochemistry at Government Medical College, Haldwani, and minus 5 marks for MD Biochemistry at a private college in Pune.

Additionally, a candidate with just 4 marks secured MS Orthopaedics at PGIMS Rohtak, a prestigious government institute, through the All India quota under the OBC PwD category.

However, the Telangana State quota data reveal that the problem is significantly more extensive at the state level, with lower scores, more admissions to government colleges, and a higher proportion of competitive clinical specialities being allotted.

The medical community responds

Medical associations have reacted with alarm to the systematic lowering of standards across both Central and State admission systems.

“In state quota counselling, there is a state competent quota and a separate management quota conducted by the states. In future, when management quota results come, candidates with 4, 5, or 6 marks can directly buy seats because they are technically ‘qualified’. We are not analysing private or management seats here,” said Dr D Srinath, President of Telangana Senior Residents Doctors Association (TSRDA).

Dr Srinath, who is also the National President of the Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA) has proposed an alternative to repeatedly lowering cut-offs: “Instead of repeatedly reducing the cut-off and diluting merit, NBEMS should conduct NEET-PG twice a year. INICET exams are conducted twice a year. Vacant seats from the first round can be filled in the second attempt. With lakhs of candidates appearing every year, aspirants deserve another chance to prepare and score better, rather than being pushed in with extremely low marks.”

He emphasised that the debate is not about reservation policies but about maintaining minimum academic standards.

Maintaining standards over filling seats

“This is not about judging candidates based on their background. Many of these candidates belong to the OBC, SC and ST communities, and we are not questioning the reservation. We are questioning the absence of a minimum academic standard. Asking for another exam attempt is not discrimination; it is about patient safety and medical standards."

FAIMA has pointed to institutional precedents that prioritise standards over filling seats: “AIIMS and other INI institutions have not reduced their cut-offs, even when seats remain vacant, because they prioritise standards. Internationally, too, examinations like the USMLE do not allow even a one-mark relaxation. Either you qualify, or you do not."

The organisation’s position is unequivocal: “Our position is clear. Maintain standards. Do not dilute merit. Conduct the exam twice a year instead of lowering the bar.”

The Telangana mop-up counselling is not the first instance of drastically reduced qualifying criteria. In 2023, NEET-PG and super-speciality percentiles were similarly lowered to zero, though the lowest mark at that time was five