2,353 candidates were allotted General Surgery in Round 1. By Round 3, 1,931 were still in Surgery. 82% retention. In a system where Paediatrics loses 26% and Anaesthesia loses 28%, Surgery holds.
Surgery is identity
Candidates who choose Surgery tend to stay. It's not a fallback speciality — it's a calling. The 82% retention rate reflects conviction, not lack of options.
Where did the 377 go?
The exits are spread across clinical specialities — Paediatrics, Gen Med, OBG. No single speciality dominates. Surgery candidates who leave go where clinical skills transfer.
114 Ortho candidates switched to Surgery
The biggest inflow to Surgery comes from Orthopaedics (114). The Ortho-Surgery pipeline is strong — both are surgical, both require similar temperament. Candidates who got Ortho at a less preferred institute switched to Surgery at a better one.
101 from Anaesthesia — candidates who held an Anaesthesia seat at a good college and switched to Surgery when a seat opened. Same pattern as the Anaesthesia → Paediatrics flow.
What does this mean for you?
If you want Surgery: the speciality rewards conviction. 82% who get it, keep it. Your R1 allotment is likely your final destination.
If you're choosing between Surgery and Ortho: 114 candidates made that choice and picked Surgery. The movement is one-directional — Ortho → Surgery, rarely the reverse.