The Supreme Court is set to hear an application from the National Board of Examinations (NBE) on Friday, seeking approval to conduct the NEET PG 2025 exam on August 3. The exam, which was originally scheduled for June 15, was postponed after the top court raised concerns over the NBE’s proposal to hold the exam in two shifts.

The NBE has approached the Supreme Court requesting permission to hold the entrance test in a single shift on the new proposed date. This move comes after the court’s earlier intervention last Friday, when it objected to the exam being conducted in two sessions.

The Supreme Court had observed that holding the exam in two shifts could lead to "discrepancies in difficulty levels, which may unfairly impact candidates." The bench emphasized that a uniform examination must be conducted in a single session across the country to ensure "fairness and transparency."

The court directed the NBE to make the necessary logistical arrangements to hold the exam in one shift. It also clarified that if the Board required additional time to implement this direction, it could return to the court seeking more time.

The matter stems from a petition filed by the United Doctors Front, which challenged the NBE’s decision to hold the postgraduate medical entrance exam in two shifts. The petitioners argued that such a format could create "unequal conditions for candidates" and demanded that the exam be conducted in a single shift nationwide.

In the previous hearing of this case, the Supreme Court had issued a notice on the petition and sought a response from the NBE. This has led to the current hearing scheduled for this week, where the court will decide whether to approve the new proposed exam date and single-shift format.

The outcome of the hearing will have significant implications for thousands of medical aspirants awaiting the postgraduate entrance exam.