The National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) conducted the NEET PG exam 2024 in two shifts—the first from 9 am to 12:30 am and the next from 3:30 pm to 7 pm—instead of the usual one single shift format. This change prompted the NBEMS to release a notice explaining the normalization procedure adopted for the exam results.
The NBEMS clarified that they have adopted the normalization process currently used by AIIMS-New Delhi for its various examinations conducted in multiple shifts, including INI-CET. This method involves calculating a percentile score, which serves as the normalized score for the exam.
The percentile score represents the percentage of candidates who have scored equal to or below a particular raw score in the examination. Consequently, the topper (highest score) in each shift will receive the same Percentile of 100. The marks obtained between the highest and lowest scores are then converted to appropriate percentiles. It’s important to note that the examination results for each shift will be presented in terms of raw scores and percentages. However, the percentile scores will be calculated to 7 decimal places to minimize the bunching effect and reduce ties.
In this normalization method, the highest score in each paper, regardless of the raw scores or percentage obtained, will be designated as the 100th percentile. This signifies that 100% of candidates in that shift have scored equal to or lower than the highest scorer. For instance, if the highest score in Shift 1 is 80%, Shift 2 is 82%, Shift 3 is 78%, and Shift 4 is 79%, all these highest scores would be normalized to 100 Percentile for their respective shifts.
The lowest score would be assigned a percentile based on the total number of candidates who took the exam in that shift. To illustrate, let’s assume 100,000 students took the test in a shift. If the highest score (A) for that shift is 160/200 (80%) and the lowest score (B) is 3/200 (-1.5%), then if no other candidate has scores equal to A or B, the percentile score of A, the top scorer, would be 100. This is because all (100%) candidates scored equal to or less than A. The percentile score of B, the lowest scorer, would be 0.001, as the percentage of candidates with scores equal to or below B would be 0.001 [(1/100000) * 100].
If a candidate (C) had a raw score similar to A, both A and C would share a percentile score of 100. Similarly, if another candidate (D) had a raw score equal to that of B, both B and D would have a percentile score of 0.002 [(2/100000) * 100].
In cases of ties, candidates will have similar percentages. The resolution of ties will adhere to the scheme outlined in the examination prospectus. If the prospectus does not provide specific tie-breaking criteria, the older candidate will be ranked higher.
