Explained: NEET PG 2024 normalization method and how it’ll impact your scores – Times of India

The National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) has stated that the NEET PG 2024 results will be determined using the normalization method, similar to the approach employed by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) New Delhi in many of its exams including the AIIMS’s Institute of National Importance Combined Entrance Test (AIIMS INI-CET).The NEET PG 2024 exam was conducted on August 11, 2024 for over 2 lakh students in two shifts–first from 9 am to 12:30 am and the next from 3:30 pm to 7 pm. This is the first time this medical exam is being conducted in a double-shift format instead of a single shift. With the commencement of the new system, the NBEMS decided to adopt a score normalisation process.
On August 10th, following the Supreme Court’s rejection of requests to postpone the NEET PG 2024 exam, the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) issued a notice outlining the normalization process. “NBEMS has adopted the process which is currently being used by AIIMS-New Delhi for its various examinations conducted in more than one shift including but not limited to INI-CET, in preparation of result for NEET-PG 2024,” reads the official notice.The candidates can check the notice issued by the NBEMS on the official site, notifying the normalisation process to be adopted in the NEET PF 2024 result preparation.

Here is an explainer of the normalization process.

NEET PG 2024 Normalisation: What is it all about?

The NEET PG examination results for each shift will be compiled based on raw scores and percentages. In this scoring system, the top score in each paper will be assigned a 100 percentile, regardless of the actual raw score or percentage. This indicates that all other candidates in that shift scored equal to or below this top scorer. The NEET PG final merit list and rankings will be determined by the percentile score derived from the raw score. In the event of a tie in percentiles, the older candidate will be given a higher rank. Percentile scores will be calculated to seven decimal places to minimize clustering effects and reduce ties among candidates.
For instance, if the highest score in shift 1 is 80%, it will be normalized to the 100th percentile for that shift. If the highest score in Shift 2 is 82%, it will be normalized to the 100th percentile for that shift.
This approach ensures that each highest score receives a percentile 100 within its specific shift, providing clear differentiation among candidates from different shifts.
The aspirants can also get access to the AIIMS normalisation procedure guidelines through the link provided here.

Explained: Percentile Score

Percentiles provide a way to assess candidates’ performance relative to others. Instead of focusing on raw scores, percentiles indicate their standing among all candidates. For instance, a percentile of 90 means they have performed better than 90% of the other candidates.
In practice, each candidate’s scores are converted into a percentile on a scale from 0 to 100. The top scorer in each shift is awarded a 100 percentile, demonstrating they outperformed everyone else in that particular shift.
Thus, your NEET PG percentile score reflects how you ranked compared to other candidates within your shift, rather than an average across different subjects.