MUMBAI, Nov. 27 -- The cutoff for Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) admissions in Maharashtra has dropped sharply this year, with the State Common Entrance Test Cell announcing a lowest qualifying score of 504 for government medical colleges, a steep fall from last year's 629 (at the end of stray vacancy round). For private unaided medical colleges, the cutoff slid to just 118 marks (in institutional quota round), marking one of the biggest year-on-year declines in recent admission cycles. The CET Cell is conducting admissions for 8,535 MBBS seats across 64 medical colleges, including 4,936 in government institutions and 3,599 in private ones. Officials said the decline has been observed across government, aided, and unaided colleges. Experts attributed the trend largely to the tougher National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) paper this year. While last year's exam was considered relatively easier, teachers and students said the 2025 physics section proved particularly demanding. After the COVID-19 pandemic, the NEET paper had become more accessible, but this year's difficulty level returned to pre-pandemic standards, leading to lower overall scores and subsequently lower cutoffs. "This is a positive development, as more students secure places in government colleges," said Sudha Shenoy, a parent representative....