NEET UG Exam 2022: NMC removes upper age limit criteria for appearing in the exam

National Medical Commission (NMC) has removed the upper age limit for National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET UG Exam 2022) for admission to MBBS courses across the country. Till now, the upper age limit was 25 years for unreserved candidates and 30 years for reserved candidates.

In a letter to the National Testing Agency (NTA), which conducts entrance exams for higher education, NMC Secretary Dr Pulkesh Kumar on Wednesday wrote: There should be no fixed upper age limit for appearing in the NEET UG exam 2022. To this effect, the process of official notification to suitably amend the Regulations on Graduate Medical Education, 1997 has been initiated.”

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Ever since NEET began phasing out the All India Pre-Medical Test (AIPMT) and State Pre-Medical Test in 2016, the upper age limit has been a contentious issue. After CBSE introduced an upper age limit in its NEET prospectus in 2017, this decision was challenged in the Supreme Court in May 2018.

In November 2018, the Supreme Court passed an interim order granting provisional permission to candidates above the age of 25 years to appear in National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test-UG. The National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test -UG Information Bulletin then stated that “Candidates above 25 years are allowed to appear provisionally and their candidature is subject to the outcome of the petitions pending before the Hon’ble Supreme Court.”

Good news for National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test-UG aspirants! National Medical Commission removes the upper age limit prescribed for appearing in NEET-UG exam. Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya’s office tweeted, “This decision will greatly benefit the aspiring doctors and help strengthen medical education in the country.”

The decision will benefit candidates who may miss the age cutoff if the exam is delayed or postponed, like it was in 2020 and 2021.