Qualifying Marks and Cut off in NEET

National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) is conducted by CBSE once a year. The exam is conducted on May 6th and 7th, every year. NEET is an online computer-based exam that tests the candidate’s medical aptitude and common medical sense. A total of 150000 seats are up for grabs every year, of which only 132000 seats are filled by practicing MBBS doctors all over India. The CBSE sets for every exam that a medical aspirant needs to clear before they can qualify for NEET. CBSE also released the cut-off marks, which is announced so that those candidates can appear in NEET, who can take up their job. 

Cut off Marks

Cut off marks are the marks a candidate needs to score in the exam to secure admission to a medical college, depending upon the rank of that candidate. There are a set number of candidates who have qualified for admission, and only that particular number is allowed to attend the entrance test. The cut off marks is also known as minimum qualifying marks or minimum qualifying percentage or minimum mark prescribed on the basis of which candidates qualify for admission into medical colleges.

Some Important Points to remember regarding Cut-Offs:

1. A candidate should know the exact details pertaining to cut-off before appearing for the NEET exam as there are chances of misguiding candidates by giving wrong cut-off figures for a particular year.
2. CBSE does not release cut-offs separately for different colleges or courses. Instead, the CBSE representatives and officials released the information about the Cut-off marks on a generic basis only.
3. The candidates can check out the CBSE’s official website to get detailed information about cut-off, qualifying marks, and other examination-related details in relation to NEET 2018.
4. If a candidate gets enough cut-off marks but fails to score above requisite marks in the NEET, then his chances of getting admission in MBBS will be very less.
5. Candidates can get the CBSE’s cut-off figure only by paying a small fee. The exact details about how to get this information are given on their official website.

Qualifying Marks

The qualifying marks are the marks that a candidate has to secure in order to be eligible for admission into medical colleges. The qualifying marks are different for every category of candidates, i.e., general candidates and reserved category candidates.

Some Important Points to remember regarding Qualifying Marks: 

1. All the candidates who are participating in the NEET exam are required to sign a statement that they are aware of their qualification marks in the entrance test.
2. Attempt any number of questions as possible because the chances of getting high marks will be less.
3. A candidate must not try to compare their results with others, or they will never get an idea about their own performance in the entrance exam.
4. The qualifying marks are different for every category of candidates. It depends on the cut-off marks, minimum qualifying marks, and the total number of seats available for different courses.
5. It is only through the CBSE’s official website that a candidate can get all these details regarding qualifying marks and cut off displayed on a generic basis.

Difference between the Cut off Marks and Qualifying Marks 

Following are the key differences between the cutoff marks and the qualifying marks in NEET:

1. There will be more than one minimum qualifying mark for different categories of candidates. For example, a differently-abled category candidate may have a minimum qualifying mark lower than the general candidate category.
2. The cut off marks and the minimum qualifying marks may vary from year to year, depending upon the total number of candidates appearing in the NEET exam.
3. The cut off and qualifying marks will be different for different types of medical colleges. For example, a general category student may have minimum qualifying marks lower than the admission criteria of a specialty college.
4. One should not confuse Cut Off and Qualifying Marks as there is a lot of difference between both these terms.
5. The cut off marks may be mentioned along with the year of examination or the college it is applicable to but not in the name of Marks obtained by candidates who have qualified for admission into medical colleges.

Conclusion

Cut off marks are the minimum of marks a candidate needs to score in order to pass the exam. In contrast, qualifying marks are the minimum of marks a candidate needs to score in order to qualify for admission into MBBS or BDS courses.

Cut off marks are minimum marks required to pass the examination. Whereas qualifying marks will have both cut off and cough at the same time.

The cut off and qualifying marks are set by different organizations. The cut offs are set by the college board, whereas qualification marks will be set by the association of entrance exams.