NEET PG (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test, Postgraduate)
National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS)
Complete guide to passing the NEET PG (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test, Postgraduate) exam on your first attempt.
₹3,500 (General/OBC/EWS), ₹2,500 (SC/ST/PwD)
Not published; qualifying is the 50th percentile for General and EWS
Valid for the 2026-27 admission session only
India
National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS)
₹56,100-₹1,67,400/month (govt pay Level 10 to Level 12)
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Complete Overview
NEET-PG is the single national entrance test for admission to MD, MS, PG Diploma, Post MBBS DNB, Direct 6-Year DrNB and NBEMS Diploma courses in India, conducted by the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS). The application fee is ₹3,500 for General, OBC and EWS candidates and ₹2,500 for SC, ST and PwD candidates, payable online only and non-refundable under any circumstances. NEET-PG 2026 is scheduled for 30 August 2026 as a computer-based test in a single shift, running from 9:00 AM to 12:30 PM, with entry to the centre closing at 8:30 AM. The paper carries 180 multiple choice questions, each with four response options in English only, and candidates get 3 hours 30 minutes. This is a change from earlier editions, which carried 200 questions. Marking is +4 for a correct response, minus 1 for an incorrect response, and zero for an unattempted question, giving a maximum of 720 marks. Questions marked for review are still scored under the same scheme. The paper is divided into five time-bound sections named Group A, B, C, D and E, with 36 questions and 42 minutes for each. Candidates cannot move to the next section before the current section's 42 minutes expire, and once a section closes they cannot review its questions or change its answers. The next section starts automatically. NBEMS notes in the bulletin that the actual number of time-restricted sections may vary with the total question count and operational feasibility. The syllabus is the MBBS curriculum issued by the National Medical Commission and the erstwhile Medical Council of India, so NEET-PG draws on every subject taught across the MBBS course rather than a separate reading list. NBEMS publishes no subject-wise percentage weighting. Qualifying is by percentile, not by a fixed mark: the 50th percentile for General and EWS candidates, the 45th percentile for UR PwBD candidates, and the 40th percentile for SC, ST and OBC candidates including PwBD candidates of those categories. The percentile is calculated as 100 multiplied by the number of candidates scoring at or below a candidate's total, divided by the total number of candidates who appeared. Ties are broken first by the fewer number of negative responses across the whole paper, then by fewer negative responses in Section A, then B, C, D and E in that order, and then by higher aggregate percentage across all MBBS professional examinations. To be eligible, a candidate needs an MBBS degree or provisional MBBS pass certificate recognised under the NMC Act 2019, permanent or provisional registration with the NMC, the erstwhile MCI or a State Medical Council, and a completed one-year internship or one that will complete on or before 30 September 2026. Admit cards go live on 27 August 2026 and the result is declared by 30 September 2026, with scorecards downloadable for only six months from the result date. NEET-PG is mandatory for entry to these courses, and no separate state or institute entrance test is valid.
Why Get NEET PG (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test, Postgraduate) Certified?
NEET-PG is the only valid entrance test for MD, MS and PG Diploma admission in India; no state-level or institute-level entrance examination is accepted.
One paper of 180 questions in 210 minutes decides access to every MD, MS, PG Diploma, Post MBBS DNB and Direct 6-Year DrNB seat in the country.
The fee is ₹3,500 for General, OBC and EWS candidates and ₹2,500 for SC, ST and PwD candidates, a fraction of the private PG seat fees it can help avoid.
More than 2.42 lakh candidates appeared for NEET-PG 2025 across 301 cities, so a single percentile point separates thousands of ranks.
The score routes directly into government pay scales: senior residency after MD or MS in a central institution sits at 7th CPC Level 11, entry pay ₹67,700 a month.
Qualifying needs only the 50th percentile for General and EWS candidates, but the seat matrix means the working target is a rank, not the qualifying line.
The 2026 paper dropped from 200 questions to 180 while keeping the 210-minute duration, raising the time per question to 70 seconds.
Exam Format & Structure
Duration
3 hours 30 minutes (210 minutes), 9:00 AM to 12:30 PM
Questions
180
Passing Score
Percentile based: 50th percentile for General and EWS, 45th percentile for UR PwBD, 40th percentile for SC, ST and OBC including PwBD candidates of those categories
Question Types
- Single best answer multiple choice questions with four response options
- Clinical vignette questions drawn from the MBBS curriculum
- Image-based and data interpretation questions within the same MCQ format
Delivery Method
Computer-based test at NBEMS test centres in a single shift on 30 August 2026. There is no online proctored or paper-based option
- The paper is split into five time-bound sections, Group A to E, with 36 questions and 42 minutes each.
- Candidates cannot advance to the next section early, and once a section's 42 minutes end they cannot review or change answers in it.
- Marking is +4 for a correct response, minus 1 for an incorrect response, and zero for an unattempted question, so the maximum is 720 marks.
- Questions marked for review are still evaluated under the same marking scheme.
- Centre entry opens at 7:00 AM and closes at 8:30 AM; candidate login opens at 8:45 AM and instructions at 8:50 AM.
- NBEMS states that the number of time-restricted sections may vary with the total question count and operational feasibility.
How scoring works
Score scale
Raw marks from minus 180 to 720, converted to a percentile for the qualifying decision
Score needed to pass
50th percentile for General and EWS, 45th percentile for UR PwBD, 40th percentile for SC, ST and OBC including PwBD candidates of those categories
Roughly what that means raw
Not fixed. The mark corresponding to the 50th percentile changes every year because it depends on the distribution of scores among candidates who appeared
When results arrive
The result is declared by 30 September 2026 on the NBEMS website, and scorecards are downloadable with login credentials for six months from the result date.
How the scale is built
Each correct response earns 4 marks, each incorrect response loses 1 mark, and unattempted questions score zero, so 180 questions give a maximum of 720. NBEMS then converts the total to a percentile using the formula 100 multiplied by the number of candidates with a total score at or below yours, divided by the total number who appeared. The qualifying mark therefore moves with each year's score distribution.
- Questions marked for review are still evaluated under the standard marking scheme.
- Ties are resolved by fewer incorrect responses overall, then fewer incorrect responses in Section A, then in Sections B, C, D and E in that order, then by higher aggregate MBBS percentage, and finally in favour of the older candidate.
- For FMGE-qualified Indian citizens and OCI cardholders, the FMGE percentage replaces the MBBS aggregate in the tie-breaker.
- NBEMS does not release the question paper after the exam, so candidates cannot recompute their raw score independently.
- Qualifying only makes a candidate eligible for counselling; the seat depends on rank against the seat matrix.
Pacing and time budget
180 questions in 210 minutes gives you 70 seconds per question.
| At this point | You should have answered |
|---|---|
| 42 min | All 36 questions in Group A, which locks at this point |
| 84 min | 72 questions, Groups A and B complete |
| 126 min | 108 questions, Groups A to C complete |
| 168 min | 144 questions, Groups A to D complete |
| 210 min | All 180 questions, Group E complete |
- The section clock, not the overall clock, is what matters: each block of 36 questions has its own 42 minutes and closes for good when they end.
- Aim to finish the first pass of a section in about 32 minutes, leaving 10 minutes to settle the questions you flagged inside that section.
- Time left over in one section does not roll into the next, so there is no reason to finish a section early and sit idle.
- Because negative responses break ties, an unanswered question can be worth more than a blind guess when you cannot eliminate two options.
- The exam starts at 9:00 AM, so run at least three full mocks at that hour to match the real circadian conditions.
Where the marks are
| Topic | Weight | Why it scores |
|---|---|---|
| Medicine and allied clinical vignettes | Not published; the largest clinical subject block in the MBBS curriculum | Cardiology, neurology, endocrinology and infectious disease generate the most clinical vignettes, and they reuse the same reasoning pattern of most likely diagnosis, next investigation, drug of choice. Time spent here transfers to surgery and paediatrics questions as well. |
| Pharmacology: drug of choice, mechanism and adverse effects | Not published; a full para-clinical subject | Pharmacology questions are short, self-contained and answerable in well under 70 seconds, which protects time for longer vignettes. A drug of choice list and an adverse effect table cover a large share of them. |
| Pathology including haematology and tumour markers | Not published; a full para-clinical subject | Pathology underpins the diagnosis step in clinical vignettes across every organ system, so it pays twice. Stains, immunohistochemistry patterns and peripheral smear findings are fixed facts that do not shift year to year. |
| Community medicine: epidemiology, biostatistics and national programmes | Not published; a full clinical subject | Sensitivity, specificity and predictive value calculations are formulaic and quick, and national programme questions are pure recall. The subject is small relative to medicine or surgery but returns a similar number of answerable questions per hour of revision. |
| Obstetrics and gynaecology protocols | Not published; a full clinical subject | Antenatal screening, labour management and contraception are protocol driven, so questions have single defensible answers. The protocols change with government notification, which means current material outperforms older notes here more than anywhere else. |
| Ophthalmology and ENT | Not published; two compact clinical subjects | Both subjects have small, stable syllabi and return questions every year, so the marks per hour of revision are among the highest in the paper. They are also the subjects most often left until too late. |
| Anatomy through clinical correlation | Not published; a pre-clinical subject | Anatomy questions in NEET-PG are usually applied: which nerve a lesion involves, which structure a procedure risks. Revising by clinical correlation rather than by region matches the way the questions are written. |
The numbers
180 multiple choice questions with four options each, in 3 hours 30 minutes, English only
Questions and duration
Source: NBEMS, NEET-PG 2026 Information Bulletin, clause 5.3
+4 for a correct response, minus 1 for an incorrect response, zero for unattempted, maximum 720
Marking scheme
Source: NBEMS, NEET-PG 2026 Information Bulletin, clause 5.4
Five time-bound sections, Group A to E, with 36 questions and 42 minutes each, no return once a section closes
Section structure
Source: NBEMS, NEET-PG 2026 Information Bulletin, clause 5.6
50th percentile for General and EWS, 45th for UR PwBD, 40th for SC, ST and OBC including PwBD of those categories
Qualifying criteria
Source: NBEMS, NEET-PG 2026 Information Bulletin, clause 10.1
₹3,500 for General, OBC and EWS; ₹2,500 for SC, ST and PwD; non-refundable
Application fee
Source: NBEMS, NEET-PG 2026 Information Bulletin, clause 3.1
More than 2.42 lakh candidates appeared for NEET-PG 2025 across 301 cities
Candidate volume
Source: NBEMS statement on exam day, reported by NDTV, 3 August 2025
If you fail
Wait before retaking
One year in practice. NBEMS conducts NEET-PG once a year, so the next opportunity is the following year's sitting
Attempt limit
The NEET-PG 2026 Information Bulletin sets no limit on the number of attempts
Retake fee
The full application fee each time: ₹3,500 for General, OBC and EWS candidates and ₹2,500 for SC, ST and PwD candidates. Fees are never carried forward to a future examination
A score qualifies a candidate only for the admission session it was taken for, so there is no carry-forward of a qualifying percentile. Candidates found ineligible at any stage are barred from the exam and counselling, and an ineligible candidate who appears and succeeds has the result and candidature cancelled. Candidates who submit multiple applications must retain one and cancel the others, forfeiting the fee on the cancelled ones.
Exam Domains & Topics
NBEMS sets the syllabus as the MBBS curriculum issued by the National Medical Commission and publishes no subject-wise percentage. The pre-clinical block supplies the structural and molecular basis that clinical questions test indirectly, so questions here are usually applied rather than pure recall, asking which structure a lesion involves or which pathway a drug or deficiency interrupts.
Key Topics to Master:
- Gross anatomy with clinical correlation, especially neuroanatomy and limb nerve lesions
- Embryology and congenital malformations
- Histology of major organ systems
- Cardiovascular, respiratory and renal physiology
- Neurophysiology and endocrine physiology
- Enzymes, metabolic pathways and inborn errors of metabolism
- Vitamins, minerals and deficiency states
- Molecular biology and laboratory techniques
The para-clinical block links basic science to diagnosis and treatment and is the densest source of high-yield factual recall in the paper. Pathology carries general and systemic pathology plus haematology, pharmacology carries mechanism, adverse effect and drug of choice questions, microbiology carries organism identification and immunology, and forensic medicine carries injuries, toxicology and legal procedure.
Key Topics to Master:
- General pathology: cell injury, inflammation, neoplasia, genetics
- Systemic pathology and haematology including anaemias and leukaemias
- Autonomic, cardiovascular and CNS pharmacology
- Antimicrobials, anticancer drugs and adverse drug reactions
- Bacteriology, virology, mycology and parasitology
- Immunology and hypersensitivity reactions
- Forensic pathology, injuries, asphyxia and identification
- Toxicology and medico-legal procedure including consent
Covers epidemiology, biostatistics, screening and diagnostic test measures, national health programmes, nutrition, occupational and environmental health, maternal and child health, demography and health planning. The programme and policy content changes year to year with government notifications, so this subject rewards revising from current material rather than an older edition of a textbook.
Key Topics to Master:
- Study designs, bias, confounding and measures of association
- Sensitivity, specificity, predictive values and screening
- Biostatistics: sampling, tests of significance, standard error
- National health programmes and their current targets
- Immunisation schedule and cold chain
- Nutrition, nutritional assessment and deficiency disorders
- Occupational and environmental health
- Demography, vital statistics and health planning committees
The largest clinical block by subject count. Questions are usually clinical vignettes that ask for the most likely diagnosis, the next investigation, or the drug of choice, and they reward pattern recognition across cardiology, neurology, endocrinology, nephrology, gastroenterology, infectious disease, dermatology and psychiatry. Treatment guideline changes appear here more often than in any other block.
Key Topics to Master:
- Cardiology: murmurs, ECG patterns, acute coronary syndromes, heart failure
- Neurology: stroke syndromes, seizures, demyelination, neuropathies
- Endocrinology: diabetes, thyroid, adrenal and pituitary disorders
- Nephrology, electrolyte disorders and acid base balance
- Gastroenterology and hepatology
- Infectious disease including tuberculosis and HIV
- Dermatology: morphology-based diagnosis and common dermatoses
- Psychiatry: diagnostic criteria and first-line pharmacotherapy
Covers operative and perioperative decision making, trauma, fractures and their management, airway and anaesthetic pharmacology, imaging modality choice and classic radiological signs, and the two small specialties that reliably return questions each year. Ophthalmology and ENT carry a high yield relative to their teaching hours because their content is compact and repeatedly examined.
Key Topics to Master:
- Trauma management, shock and burns
- Gastrointestinal, hepatobiliary and breast surgery
- Fractures, dislocations and their classification systems
- Bone tumours and paediatric orthopaedics
- Airway management, anaesthetic agents and regional anaesthesia
- Imaging modality choice and classic radiological signs
- ENT: ear, nose, throat and head and neck conditions
- Ophthalmology: refraction, glaucoma, cataract, retina and uveitis
Obstetrics and gynaecology covers antenatal care, labour and its complications, contraception, infertility, gynaecological oncology and menstrual disorders, and it is heavily protocol driven. Paediatrics covers growth and development, neonatology, nutrition, immunisation, genetic syndromes and paediatric emergencies, and it overlaps with community medicine on immunisation and nutrition questions.
Key Topics to Master:
- Antenatal care, screening and high risk pregnancy
- Normal and abnormal labour and obstetric emergencies
- Contraception and medical termination of pregnancy
- Infertility and assisted reproduction
- Gynaecological oncology and menstrual disorders
- Growth, development and developmental milestones
- Neonatology including resuscitation and neonatal jaundice
- Paediatric nutrition, immunisation and genetic syndromes
Recommended Study Plan
- 1Sit a full 180-question mock in five 42-minute sections to get a real baseline
- 2Record accuracy and negative responses separately for every subject
- 3Read the NBEMS information bulletin sections on scheme of exam, marking and tie-breakers
- 4Rank all 19 MBBS subjects by your accuracy, weakest first
- 5Fix a daily schedule of one subject revision block plus one 36-question timed block
- 1Revise autonomic, cardiovascular and CNS pharmacology
- 2Build a drug of choice list per condition and test yourself on it daily
- 3Revise antimicrobials, anticancer agents and their specific toxicities
- 4Learn adverse effect profiles that appear as single-line vignettes
- 5Complete 250 pharmacology questions with a written error log
- 1Revise general pathology: cell injury, inflammation, healing, neoplasia
- 2Revise systemic pathology organ by organ
- 3Build a table of tumour markers, stains and immunohistochemistry patterns
- 4Revise anaemias and leukaemias with peripheral smear findings
- 5Complete 250 pathology questions and re-attempt every error
- 1Revise bacteriology, virology, mycology and parasitology by organ system
- 2Revise immunology, hypersensitivity and vaccines
- 3Revise injuries, asphyxia, identification and post-mortem changes
- 4Revise toxicology antidotes and medico-legal procedure
- 5Complete 200 questions across both subjects
- 1Revise epidemiology study designs, bias and measures of association
- 2Drill sensitivity, specificity and predictive value calculations
- 3Revise biostatistics and the common tests of significance
- 4Revise national health programmes against current government notifications
- 5Complete 200 questions and sit a half-length sectional mock
- 1Revise cardiology including ECG patterns and murmur localisation
- 2Revise neurology stroke syndromes, seizures and neuropathies
- 3Revise endocrinology including diabetes and thyroid protocols
- 4Build a next best investigation list for the twenty most common vignettes
- 5Complete 250 medicine questions
- 1Revise nephrology, electrolytes and acid base balance
- 2Revise gastroenterology, hepatology and infectious disease
- 3Revise dermatology by lesion morphology rather than by disease name
- 4Revise psychiatry diagnostic criteria and first-line drugs
- 5Sit a full 180-question mock in five timed sections
- 1Revise trauma, shock, burns and perioperative care
- 2Revise gastrointestinal, hepatobiliary and breast surgery
- 3Revise fracture classifications and their management
- 4Revise bone tumours and paediatric orthopaedic conditions
- 5Complete 250 questions across both subjects
- 1Revise antenatal care, screening and high risk pregnancy
- 2Revise labour, partogram interpretation and obstetric emergencies
- 3Revise contraception and medical termination of pregnancy rules
- 4Revise gynaecological oncology and menstrual disorders
- 5Complete 250 questions and log every protocol you got wrong
- 1Revise growth, development and developmental milestones
- 2Revise neonatology including resuscitation and neonatal jaundice
- 3Revise the immunisation schedule alongside community medicine
- 4Revise ENT and ophthalmology as compact high-return subjects
- 5Complete 250 questions across the three subjects
- 1Revise airway management, anaesthetic agents and regional techniques
- 2Revise imaging modality choice and classic radiological signs
- 3Revise anatomy through clinical correlation rather than by region
- 4Revise physiology and biochemistry through the topics that feed clinical questions
- 5Sit a full 180-question mock and compare section-wise accuracy against week 7
- 1Sit three full 180-question mocks under the 9:00 AM start time
- 2Rework your entire error log twice, not the original questions
- 3Cut guessing on questions where you cannot eliminate two options, because negatives break ties
- 4Rehearse section discipline: no going back, and finish each 36-question block inside 42 minutes
- 5Download the admit card on 27 August 2026 and assemble the ID and registration documents
- 6Plan travel to arrive before the 8:30 AM entry closing time
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Best Study Resources
NEET-PG 2026 Information Bulletin
Official documentThe NBEMS bulletin covering eligibility, fees, scheme of examination, marking, section structure, qualifying percentiles, tie-breaker criteria, prohibited items and test day procedure. Every number that matters for planning is in this document rather than in coaching material.
Free
NBEMS NEET-PG examination page
Official pageCarries the current notice board, key dates, admit card link, result link and any addenda issued after the bulletin. Addenda override the bulletin, so check this page before the exam even if you have already read the bulletin.
Free
NBEMS demo test
Interface demoNBEMS publishes a demo of the computer-based test interface. Working through it before the exam removes surprises around the section timer, the mark for review control, and the automatic move to the next section.
Free
NMC MBBS curriculum documents
Syllabus sourceNBEMS names the NMC MBBS curriculum as the NEET-PG syllabus and publishes no separate topic list. The competency-based curriculum documents are the closest thing to an official scope statement for the exam.
Free
NMC stipend disclosure list
Official statisticsCollege-by-college disclosure of the stipend paid to PG residents, published because the NMC requires every college to declare what it pays. Worth reading before ranking colleges in counselling, because the amount differs sharply between states and between government and private colleges, and the NMC publishes no single national figure.
Free
Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) portal
Counselling portalRuns the All India Quota counselling that uses the NEET-PG merit list. Publishes the seat matrix, round schedules and closing ranks, which are the real target for a candidate rather than the qualifying percentile.
Free
Previous year NEET-PG question papers and recall sets
Practice questionsNBEMS does not release the question paper after the exam, so practice comes from prior year recalls and commercial question banks. Judge any bank by whether it enforces the five-section time lock rather than by the raw question count.
Free to paid
Standard MBBS reference texts
TextbooksBecause the syllabus is the MBBS curriculum, the standard subject texts used through MBBS remain the primary source. Coaching notes compress them, but protocol-driven subjects such as obstetrics and community medicine need a current edition rather than an older set of notes.
Varies
Full-length timed mock test series
Practice testsThe section lock is the defining feature of the current pattern, so a mock that lets you roam freely across all 180 questions trains the wrong habit. Choose a series that enforces 36 questions per 42-minute section and blocks review after each section.
Varies by provider
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Practising on mocks that let you move freely across all 180 questions.
The live paper locks each of the five sections after 42 minutes and blocks any review of that section afterwards. Practise only in 36-question, 42-minute blocks so that abandoning a hard question becomes automatic.
Guessing widely to raise the attempt count.
Each wrong answer costs one mark, and the first tie-breaker is the total number of negative responses across the paper. Two candidates on the same score are separated by who guessed less, so guess only when you can eliminate two of the four options.
Preparing on the assumption that the paper still has 200 questions.
The NEET-PG 2026 bulletin sets the paper at 180 questions with the same 210 minutes, which raises the time per question from 63 to 70 seconds. Reset your mock timings rather than carrying over an older pacing plan.
Treating the 50th percentile as the target.
The qualifying percentile only makes you eligible for counselling. The seat you get is decided by rank against the seat matrix, so track closing ranks on the MCC portal rather than the qualifying line.
Revising outdated national health programme targets and treatment protocols.
Community medicine and obstetrics change with government notifications. Revise these two subjects from the most current material available and cross-check programme targets against official sources.
Applying without checking that the internship completion date falls on or before 30 September 2026.
NBEMS summarily rejects applications from candidates completing internship after that date. The internship start and completion dates entered on the application form are treated as final and the original completion certificate is checked at counselling.
Applying early in the belief that it improves test city allocation.
NBEMS allocates test cities on availability and administrative requirements, not first come first served. Candidates choose three test state preferences with the first being their own state, so early submission gives no centre advantage.
Entering the Aadhaar number carelessly during registration.
The Aadhaar number cannot be changed after submission, not even during the edit window, and candidates who consented to Aadhaar authentication must bring the Aadhaar on exam day. Verify the digits before final submission.
Applying henna or ink to the hands before the exam.
Finger biometrics are captured at test registration and verified again during the exam. Coloured or stained fingers can fail capture, so keep hands clear in the days before the exam and unlock Aadhaar biometrics in advance if they are locked.
Carrying a watch, wallet or water bottle to the centre.
NBEMS bars stationery, electronics, wrist watches and smart watches, all ornaments, wallets, goggles, belts, caps and any food or drink beyond the security check point, and provides no storage. Possession of a barred item inside the centre is treated as use of unfair means.
Exam Day Tips
- 1
Reach the centre well before 8:30 AM, because entry closes at that time and the gate does not reopen.
- 2
Carry the colour printout of the admit card plus a colour photocopy of the permanent or provisional SMC, MCI or NMC registration certificate, which the centre keeps.
- 3
Bring at least one original, valid, unexpired government photo ID from the accepted list: PAN card, driving licence, voter ID, passport or Aadhaar with photograph.
- 4
Bring the Aadhaar itself if you consented to Aadhaar authentication on the application form, and print an e-Aadhaar in colour if that is what you are carrying.
- 5
Leave watches, smart watches, jewellery, wallets, belts, caps and any food or water outside, because the centre provides no storage for personal items.
- 6
Expect a hand-held metal detector scan, physical frisking and an inspection of your ears for concealed devices at the security check.
- 7
Unlock your Aadhaar biometrics in advance if you have locked them, and avoid henna, ink or paint on your fingers and palms.
- 8
Use the 8:50 AM instruction window to read the screen carefully rather than skipping it, since section timing rules appear there.
- 9
Answer every question in a section before its 42 minutes end, because you cannot come back to it once the next section starts.
- 10
Skip a question outright rather than guessing blind when you cannot eliminate two options, because negative responses decide ties.
- 11
Download your scorecard soon after the result, since NBEMS keeps it available for only six months from the result date.
Career Paths & Salary Ranges
MD, MS or DNB postgraduate resident
The three-year residency the exam exists to allocate. Stipends differ enormously between government, trust, society and private colleges, and the NMC now requires colleges to disclose them, so the stipend column is worth checking before locking a counselling preference.
Set by the state or the institution, not by a pay commission; each college must publish its own figure under the NMC stipend disclosure requirement
Junior resident, non-academic, in a central institution
A common holding post for MBBS graduates preparing for NEET-PG or waiting on counselling. It pays on the central government matrix rather than a college stipend, and the clinical exposure feeds directly back into the clinical subject blocks of the paper.
Pay Level 10, ₹56,100 to ₹1,77,500 per month (7th CPC pay matrix)
Senior resident after MD or MS
The standard post-PG step in central institutions, usually a three-year tenure. It is the qualifying experience for faculty posts and for super-specialty practice, and it is the point at which NEET-PG converts into a defined pay scale.
Pay Level 11, entry pay ₹67,700 per month, matrix range to ₹2,08,700 (AIIMS senior resident recruitment)
Assistant Professor in a central medical institution
The first faculty grade, requiring a recognised postgraduate qualification plus senior residency experience. Non-Practising Allowance is paid on top for medical posts requiring a recognised medical qualification.
Pay Level 12, ₹1,01,500 to ₹1,67,400 per month plus NPA (AIIMS faculty recruitment)
Super-specialty trainee via NEET-SS after MD or MS
DM, MCh and DrNB training needs a broad-specialty MD, MS or DNB first, which NEET-PG allocates. NEET-SS is a separate NBEMS entrance test, so NEET-PG is the gate that decides which super-specialties are open later.
Set by the training institution and disclosed under the same NMC requirement as PG stipends; neither NBEMS nor the NMC publishes a national figure
Consultant in private practice after postgraduate qualification
Private hospital and independent practice pay falls outside the government pay matrix and outside the NMC stipend disclosure, so no regulator publishes a band. Specialty choice at counselling has more effect on this figure than the NEET-PG score itself.
Not published by NBEMS, the NMC or any pay commission; private consultant pay is negotiated individually
Prerequisites & Requirements
- An MBBS degree or provisional MBBS pass certificate recognised under the National Medical Commission Act 2019.
- A permanent or provisional registration certificate for the MBBS qualification issued by the NMC, the erstwhile MCI, or a State Medical Council.
- A completed one-year compulsory rotating internship, or an internship that will complete on or before 30 September 2026.
- For Indian citizens and OCI cardholders who qualified outside India, a pass in the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination and the original FMGE pass certificate on exam day.
- An MBBS degree from a college recognised before the cut-off date prescribed by the NMC for the year 2026.
- A UDID or disability certificate from a competent authority if claiming a scribe or extra time under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act 2016.
- No minimum percentage in MBBS is required to apply, although aggregate MBBS percentage is used as a tie-breaker.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does NEET-PG 2026 cost?
₹3,500 for General, OBC and EWS candidates and ₹2,500 for SC, ST and PwD candidates, plus any payment gateway charges. The fee is payable online only, is non-refundable under all circumstances, and cannot be carried forward to a future examination.
How many questions does NEET-PG 2026 have?
180 multiple choice questions with four response options each, in English only, to be answered in 3 hours 30 minutes. This is a reduction from the 200 questions used in earlier editions, while the 210-minute duration is unchanged.
What is the marking scheme?
Four marks for a correct response, one mark deducted for an incorrect response, and zero for an unattempted question. The maximum possible score is 720. Questions marked for review are evaluated under the same scheme, so marking for review does not exempt a question from negative marking.
How do the five sections work?
The paper is divided into Group A, B, C, D and E, each with 36 questions and 42 minutes. You cannot move to the next section until the current section's time is over, and once a section closes you cannot review its questions or change its answers. The next section starts automatically.
What score do I need to qualify?
Qualifying is by percentile, not a fixed mark: the 50th percentile for General and EWS candidates, the 45th percentile for UR PwBD candidates, and the 40th percentile for SC, ST and OBC candidates including PwBD candidates of those categories. The cut-off mark changes each year because it depends on the score distribution.
How is the percentile calculated?
NBEMS calculates it as 100 multiplied by the number of candidates whose total score is at or below yours, divided by the total number of candidates who appeared. Because the denominator is the number who appeared, the qualifying mark moves with the difficulty of the paper and the size of the cohort.
How are ties broken?
First by the fewer total number of negative responses in the whole paper, then by fewer negative responses in Section A, then Section B, C, D and E in that order, and then by higher aggregate percentage across all MBBS professional examinations. For FMGE-qualified candidates, the FMGE percentage replaces the MBBS aggregate.
What happens if I do not qualify?
You are not eligible for counselling for the 2026-27 admission session and must reappear in a later NEET-PG. There is no partial credit, no supplementary sitting and no carry-forward of the score. NBEMS holds NEET-PG once a year.
How many times can I take NEET-PG?
NBEMS sets no limit on the number of attempts in the NEET-PG 2026 bulletin. The exam runs once a year, so the practical constraint is one attempt per admission session, and each attempt needs a fresh application and a fresh fee.
Does the fee change by state or region?
No. The ₹3,500 and ₹2,500 fees apply nationally and are set by category, not by state. Payment gateway charges may be added separately. If an edit moves you into a higher-fee category, you must pay the balance, and if it moves you into a lower-fee category no refund is given.
Is my NEET-PG score valid for more than one year?
No. The result is used for admission in the 2026-27 session only, and there is no recertification or renewal process. Scorecards remain downloadable from the NBEMS website for six months from the result date, after which requests for a copy are rejected.
What ID do I need on exam day?
At least one original, valid, non-expired government photo ID from PAN card, driving licence, voter ID, passport, or Aadhaar with photograph, with details matching the application form. An ID shown in DigiLocker is not accepted because electronic devices are barred, and candidates without an original hard copy ID are not allowed in.
Is NEET-PG available as an online proctored exam at home?
No. NEET-PG is a computer-based test taken at NBEMS-designated test centres. There is no remote proctored option and no paper-based option. NBEMS captures face ID and finger biometrics at registration and verifies biometrics again during the exam.
What materials can I bring into the exam hall?
None. NBEMS bars all stationery including calculators, pens, erasers and writing pads, all electronic devices including mobile phones and wrist watches, all ornaments, wallets, goggles, handbags, belts, masks, gloves and caps, and any food or drink. No storage is provided at centres.
Can I get a scribe or extra time?
Yes, under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act 2016. You must claim it in the application and carry a UDID or disability certificate issued by a competent authority to the centre. The bulletin sets out the requirements in its annexure, and the claim must be made when applying rather than on exam day.
When is the result declared?
By 30 September 2026, on the NBEMS website. Candidates download the scorecard using their login credentials. NBEMS keeps scorecards available for six months from the result date, and refuses requests to supply a scorecard by email or after that window.
How is the test city allotted?
Not on a first come first served basis. Candidates choose three test state preferences, the first being their own state as entered in the application form and the other two from neighbouring states, and NBEMS allots the final city on availability and administrative requirements.
Can I still take a state-level PG medical entrance instead?
No. NEET-PG is mandatory for entry to MD, MS and PG Diploma courses, and no separate state-level or institute-level entrance examination is valid for these admissions. Eligible foreign nationals seeking PG medical admission in India must also take it.
How does NEET-PG compare with INI-CET and NEET-SS?
INI-CET is a separate entrance run by AIIMS for postgraduate seats at the Institutes of National Importance, and it runs twice a year with its own pattern. NEET-SS is the NBEMS entrance for DM, MCh and DrNB super-specialty courses and requires a completed broad-specialty MD, MS or DNB. NEET-PG is the gate to that broad specialty, so it comes first.
What documents does the test centre keep?
The colour photocopy of your permanent or provisional SMC, MCI or NMC registration certificate is retained by the centre. You keep the admit card, and NBEMS advises retaining a copy because it stops being downloadable once the result is declared.
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