New Delhi: The National Medical Commission (NMC) has clarified that the relaxation in minimum scores for MBBS subjects will only apply from September 1.

The amendment with regard to the minimum marks required is not ex post facto in nature and hence not applicable to examinations held before this date, it said.

Earlier, the stipulation was that the candidates should score 50% marks separately in theory and practical. However, the same was amended on September 1, and they now need to obtain only an aggregate score of 50%, either 60% for theory and 40% for practical, or vice versa.

Another relaxation introduced then was that a student needs to score a total of 40% in subjects with two papers. Earlier, they had to score a minimum of 50%. The NMC announced the changes in the guidelines published early in August. "After a detailed discussion, we decided that the relaxations cannot be retroactive," said Shambu Sharan Kumar, UG Medical Board Director, NMC.