Security Moves Up as NEET-MDS 2025 Unfolds a Two-Part, Time-Bound Exam
If you thought NEET-MDS was tough before, get ready for a format shake-up in 2025. The National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) is changing how medical postgraduates face their entrance exams. This year, for the first time, the NEET-MDS will be served in two strict time-bound sections, making cheating a lot harder and bringing the pressure up a notch.
Here’s the breakdown: NEET-MDS 2025 will start with Part A — 100 multiple-choice questions, squeezed into just 75 minutes. When that clock winds down, Part B swings open automatically. Candidates then have 105 minutes to dig into another set of 140 questions. Once Part A finishes, there’s no turning back; you can’t review or change your answers. Same goes for Part B when its timer runs out. No more last-minute second-guessing or shuffling between sections. The exam marches forward whether you’re ready or not.
This move isn’t just for NEET-MDS either. NBEMS isn’t stopping at dental aspirants. The new rulebook covers all their major exams: NEET-PG, NEET-SS, FMGE, DNB-PDCET, GPAT, DPEE, FDST, and FET. If you’re gunning for a medical or related postgraduate seat next year through any of these tests, this is your new normal.
What’s Driving the Change?
The last few years have seen a flurry of headlines about leaks, fraud, and other shady exam practices — not just in India, but worldwide. With digital testing becoming the default, exam bodies are scrambling to stay one step ahead of people looking to game the system. NBEMS says these changes are in direct response to “emerging security threats,” making it clear they’re closing off easy loopholes — especially the practice where candidates jot down questions during one section to look up answers while there’s time left in the next.
These new splits and timers mean every candidate gets the exact same deal: same questions, same time for each section, and no chance to share or revisit content. That helps restore a level of fairness and makes things more straightforward for examiners checking for irregularities later. Transparency is the word NBEMS uses — and this format leaves a digital trail of exactly what each candidate did, and when.
The tougher format might ramp up stress for some candidates, especially those used to flipping through all the questions and handling the easy ones first. But the flip side is it could level the playing field a bit for students who stick to the rules from the start. It pushes everyone to plan their time and strategies better: if you’re not sure about an answer in Part A, you’ll have to commit anyway, because those 75 minutes are all you get.
NEET-MDS 2025, complete with its new two-stage timer, is scheduled for April 19. The broader NBEMS exam family will also feel these changes in their next rounds. For now, if you’re prepping, don’t just hit the syllabus — practice doing lots of questions under strict clock pressure, and forget about the luxury of going back and forth. Adapt your strategy, because this format is likely here to stay.
