Which Surgical Super-Specialties Were Most Competitive in NEET-SS 2025?
A closing rank on its own can give an incomplete picture of how competitive a super-specialty course was in counselling. A course may have candidates allotted at very strong ranks but also have a few allotments much farther down the rank list. Looking at the opening rank, 25th-percentile rank, median rank, closing rank and allotment count together gives a more useful picture.
The supplied analysis of NEET-SS 2025 Surgical Group Round 1 contains 2,034 allotment records across 19 course labels. The tables below include every course label in that analysis. Course names are retained as printed in the source analysis, including spelling variations.
All 19 course labels, ranked by the comparative index
The index is a heuristic created for this analysis, not an official NBEMS metric. The ranking combines four rank measures and should be read alongside each course’s sample size and rank distribution.
| S.No. | Course label (as in source) | Allotments | Opening rank | 25th-percentile rank | Median rank | Closing rank | Index / 100 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | M.Ch. HepatoPancreatto Billary Surgery | 13 | 17 | 108 | 160 | 1,711 | 96.7 |
| 2 | DNBSS Surgical Gastroenterology | 104 | 13 | 240.5 | 415 | 1,071 | 95.6 |
| 3 | M.Ch. Endocrine Surgery | 10 | 120 | 230.8 | 532 | 1,066 | 93.9 |
| 4 | M.Ch. Surgical Gastroenterology | 96 | 2 | 83 | 165 | 3,825 | 86.9 |
| 5 | DNBSS Surgical Oncology | 160 | 221 | 570 | 803 | 1,830 | 84.2 |
| 6 | M.Ch. Surgical Oncology | 192 | 1 | 128.8 | 315.5 | 4,119 | 83.3 |
| 7 | M.Ch. Vascular Surgery | 18 | 116 | 271.2 | 699.5 | 3,232 | 81.3 |
| 8 | DNBSS Genito Urinary Surgery (Urology) | 262 | 151 | 868.2 | 1,198.5 | 2,177 | 75.7 |
| 9 | M.Ch. Urology | 326 | 15 | 435.2 | 737.5 | 4,220 | 75.3 |
| 10 | DNBSS Paediatric Surgery | 1 | 1,357 | 1,357 | 1,357 | 1,357 | 70.2 |
| 11 | DNBSS Thoracic Surgery | 8 | 697 | 1,273 | 2,051.5 | 3,084 | 56.1 |
| 12 | M.Ch. Neuro Surgery | 298 | 57 | 1,187 | 1,942 | 4,208 | 54.9 |
| 13 | M.Ch. Plastic and Reconstructructive Surgery | 255 | 114 | 1,257.5 | 1,899 | 4,229 | 54.6 |
| 14 | M.Ch. Cardio Vascular and Thoracic Surgery | 77 | 80 | 1,707 | 2,476 | 4,215 | 44.4 |
| 15 | DNBSS Peripheral Vascular Surgery | 42 | 448 | 1,979.5 | 2,357.5 | 4,000 | 43.8 |
| 16 | DNBSS Plastic Surgery | 38 | 886 | 2,006.2 | 2,487.5 | 3,846 | 41.2 |
| 17 | M.Ch. Paediatrics Surgery | 87 | 986 | 2,371.5 | 3,100 | 4,219 | 28.9 |
| 18 | DNBSS Neuro Surgery | 44 | 909 | 2,580.5 | 3,119 | 4,194 | 27.6 |
| 19 | DNBSS Cardio Thoracic Surgery | 3 | 3,034 | 3,603.5 | 4,173 | 4,175 | 0.3 |
How to read the ranks: a smaller rank number is better. The 25th percentile describes the rank threshold for the stronger-ranked quarter of allotted candidates; the median is the midpoint of the course’s allotted-rank distribution. Allotment count is shown separately and is not part of the index.
What stands out in the data?
Highest index scores
- M.Ch. HepatoPancreatto Billary Surgery has the highest index (96.7), with a median rank of 160 and a 25th-percentile rank of 108. However, it has only 13 allotments, so its exact position is less stable than results based on larger samples.
- DNBSS Surgical Gastroenterology scores 95.6 across 104 allotments. Its median rank is 415, its 25th-percentile rank is 240.5 and its closing rank is 1,071. This is a comparatively well-supported high-index result.
- M.Ch. Endocrine Surgery scores 93.9, with a median rank of 532, but has only 10 allotments. Interpret the precise rank cautiously.
- M.Ch. Surgical Gastroenterology has a median rank of 165 and a 25th-percentile rank of 83, with an opening rank of 2. Its closing rank of 3,825 shows why the last allotted rank alone does not describe the whole distribution.
- Surgical Oncology also shows strong competition at the upper end. M.Ch. Surgical Oncology has an opening rank of 1 and median rank of 315.5; DNBSS Surgical Oncology has a median rank of 803 and closing rank of 1,830. These are different distributions and should not be treated as interchangeable.
Urology, vascular and thoracic courses
DNBSS Genito Urinary Surgery (Urology) and M.Ch. Urology rank eighth and ninth in the index, with 262 and 326 allotments respectively. M.Ch. Vascular Surgery ranks seventh, but has only 18 allotments, making its exact position more sensitive to individual records. DNBSS Thoracic Surgery has eight allotments and an index of 56.1; its sample is too small for a confident comparison based on its position alone.
Neurosurgery and plastic surgery
M.Ch. Neuro Surgery has 298 allotments, a median rank of 1,942 and an index of 54.9. M.Ch. Plastic and Reconstructructive Surgery has 255 allotments, a median rank of 1,899 and an index of 54.6. Their substantial allotment counts make their broad rank distributions more informative than those of very small samples.
The DNBSS labels sit lower in this index: DNBSS Plastic Surgery has a median rank of 2,487.5 and index of 41.2; DNBSS Neuro Surgery has a median rank of 3,119 and index of 27.6. This describes this Round 1 dataset, not the inherent value or desirability of either specialty.
Paediatric and cardiothoracic labels: be careful with small samples
DNBSS Paediatric Surgery has just one allotment, so its opening, percentile, median and closing ranks are all 1,357. Its index of 70.2 should not be interpreted as a robust specialty-level competitiveness estimate from a single record.
DNBSS Cardio Thoracic Surgery has three allotments and the lowest index (0.3), with a median rank of 4,173 and closing rank of 4,175. The very small sample means this is a low-confidence result, not definitive evidence that the course is less preferred.
M.Ch. Paediatrics Surgery has 87 allotments, median rank 3,100 and index 28.9. M.Ch. Cardio Vascular and Thoracic Surgery has 77 allotments, median rank 2,476 and index 44.4. Those larger samples provide more context than the single DNBSS Paediatric Surgery allotment or three DNBSS Cardio Thoracic Surgery allotments.
How the comparative index was calculated
The index combines four rank measures using these weights:
- 50% median-rank score
- 25% 25th-percentile-rank score
- 15% closing-rank score
- 10% opening-rank score
Each measure was min–max normalised across the 19 course labels so the best (lowest) rank value scored 100 and the worst (highest) scored 0. The weighted scores were combined, then rounded to one decimal place. Allotment count is displayed separately because seat supply should not itself be treated as popularity.
This index is useful for a consistent comparison, but it is not an official NBEMS metric and it does not isolate course preference. Results are influenced by the number and distribution of seats, institute choices, eligibility and counselling strategy. The opening rank is one extreme observation; the median and 25th percentile are generally more representative of the rank distribution.
For interpretation, treat courses with fewer than 20 allotments as low-confidence for precise ranking. When index scores are close, compare the median, 25th-percentile rank and sample size rather than relying on the index alone.
What should candidates take away?
- Use all rank measures together. The closing rank is only one point in a distribution.
- Check the allotment count. Very small samples can make an index look more decisive than it is.
- Compare course labels separately. M.Ch. and DNBSS routes in similar specialty areas can have different rank distributions.
- Do not use this index to choose a career by itself. Training quality, case exposure, supervision, institute, career goals and personal fit are not measured here.
- Treat this as one-round evidence. Round 1 allotments are not a permanent or universal ranking of surgical super-specialties.
The bottom line
In the supplied NEET-SS 2025 Surgical Group Round 1 analysis, the highest composite index scores belong to M.Ch. HepatoPancreatto Billary Surgery, DNBSS Surgical Gastroenterology and M.Ch. Endocrine Surgery. Their sample sizes differ substantially, so the index should always be read alongside the underlying ranks and allotment counts. The full table includes all 19 course labels rather than only a selection of the apparent front-runners.
Source: user-provided “NEET-SS 2025 — Surgical Group, Round 1 allotments • Course competitiveness analysis” PDF, pages 1–3. Course labels and statistics above follow that supplied analysis, including its spelling variations. The composite index is a comparative heuristic, not an official NBEMS measure.