What Is NEET Cut-off? How Is It Different From Admission Cut-Off?

While one cut-off makes candidates eligible for counseling, the second cut-off is used to prepare merit list. 

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Braving the omnipresent threat of coronavirus, around 85 to 90 percent students appeared for the National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test (NEET) UG, held on 13 September.

With the pen-and-paper medical entrance now over, students are awaiting results, dates for which will be announced by the National Testing Agency (NTA) soon.

But, how will cut-offs be decided? what is the admission process going to be like? The Quint Spoke to Anurag Tiwari, National Academic Director (Medical), Aakash Educational Services Limited, to get answers to these questions.

What should I do till results?

A couple of coaching institutes have released question-wise answer keys to NEET 2020. Students must check their answers with the ones mentioned in these answer keys in order to arrive at an estimated score.

This way, they can calculate their marks and then research the last three cut-offs of the institutes they want to get admitted into. Students must keep in mind that the official answer key will be released by the NTA soon.

Okay, when will the cut-off be declared?

NTA has not mentioned any date for declaration of NEET 2020 results. As and when results are made public, NTA will release scores of students along with their All India Rank.

There are two types of cut-offs. The first is known as NEET cut-off, which is based on the percentile scored by the candidate and is the qualifying score for the exam. In simple words, it is the minimum percentage that a student is required to score to pass NEET UG.

Can admissions be based on NEET cut-off?

No, the NEET cut-off only makes students eligible for the counseling process and does not guarantee admission in any given college, for which there is a second and separate cut-off.

While the NEET cut-off for the general category is 50th percentile, the cut-off for SC/ ST/ OBC is 40th percentile.

How will the admissions cut-off be decided?

In order to understand how the admission cut-off is calculated, it first important to know about the two admission quotas.

All India Quota: 15 percent seats in government colleges are reserved under the All India Quota. Students from across the country can apply through this quota. The Medical Counselling Committee will conduct counseling for seats under this quota.

State Quota: Remaining 85 percent seats in government medical colleges are reserved for the state quota. Students who qualify as domicile of a particular state can apply for a government college or deemed university in that state under this quota. Respective state committees conduct counseling for this quota.

I am a resident of Delhi. Can I apply for a King George’s Medical College, Lucknow?

Yes, you may by all means, as long as you meet the NEET cut-off. However, if you are a domicile of NCT of Delhi and not of UP, you will have to apply under the All India Quota, for which the cut-offs are higher.

For institutions like AIIMS, PGIMER other central universities, admissions are conducted only through the All India Quota.

A student under All India quota can apply to government colleges in all states, but a student applying under state quota cannot apply to government colleges outside the state.

Okay, admission cut-off?

After declaration of results, the Medical Counselling Committee and the respective state committees will open a portal where students must log in and apply to their choice of medical college and course.

Following this, the counseling committees will send the merit list to colleges.

But who will determine the merit list and how?

Assume Yash, a resident of Delhi, has applied to a Delhi state medical university with 100 seats, under both the All India quota and the state quota. Now assume that Yash’s All India rank in NEET 2020 is 200 and he is the student with the highest AIR to have applied to the said university under the state quota.

Out of 100 seats, 15 would be reserved for All India Quota and 85 for the state quota.

So, the cut-off for the state quota at this college will begin at AIR 200 and close when all 85 seats have been filled. Now, the cut-off could close at AIR 285, 300, 400, 500 and so on, depending on the rank of other students who have applied under this quota.

Now assume that in the same college, Rashi, who is AIR 1, has applied under the All India Quota. The cut-off will open at AIR 1 and may close at 15, 20, 30, 50, 100, 200, depending on the AIR of other students who have applied.

In this case, although Yash will get admission under state quota, he will not be able to able to secure admission under All India Quota, if the cut off closes at 199.