NEET-PG
The single entrance for MD, MS and PG Diploma seats in all medical colleges other than the Institutes of National Importance, and the basis for DNB/NBEMS-diploma admissions. Rank here decides both All-India Quota and state-quota postgraduate counselling.
Eligibility
Requires an MBBS degree or provisional pass certificate recognised by the National Medical Commission (NMC), plus permanent or provisional registration. The one-year compulsory rotating internship must be completed by the notified cut-off — 30 September 2026 for the 2026 cycle. There is no age limit and no cap on attempts.
Age limit: No age limit
Exam pattern
Computer-based test of 3 hours 30 minutes. From 2026 the paper is trimmed to 180 multiple-choice questions for 720 marks (down from 200 questions/800 marks); +4 for correct, −1 for wrong, English medium only. The paper runs as five sequential time-bound sections (A–E) of 36 questions with 42 minutes each — once a section closes you cannot return to it. NEET-PG 2026 is a single-shift exam (9:00 am–12:30 pm) on 30 August. From 2026, candidates choose three preferred test states rather than a city (centre allotment is no longer first-come-first-served), with Aadhaar-based verification at registration.
Syllabus at a glance
The entire MBBS curriculum: pre-clinical (Anatomy, Physiology, Biochemistry), para-clinical (Pathology, Pharmacology, Microbiology, Forensic Medicine, PSM) and clinical subjects (Medicine, Surgery, Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Paediatrics, Orthopaedics, ENT, Ophthalmology, Psychiatry, Dermatology, Anaesthesia, Radiology). Clinical vignettes and image-based questions dominate recent papers.
Upcoming dates
| Event | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|
| NEET-PG 2026 application window | 1–21 Jul 2026 | confirmed |
| Application edit/correction window | Late Jul–early Aug 2026 | expected |
| Admit card download | 27 Aug 2026 | confirmed |
| NEET-PG 2026 exam (single shift, 9:00 am–12:30 pm) | 30 Aug 2026 | confirmed |
| Result declaration | By 30 Sep 2026 | expected |
Expected dates follow the usual calendar; confirm on the official notification before planning.
Free prep material
Standard books
- Review of Preventive & Social Medicine — Vivek Jain
- Review of Pharmacology — Gobind Rai Garg & Sparsh Gupta
- Review of Pathology and Genetics — Devesh Mishra
- Surgery Essence — Pritesh K. Singh
- Self-Assessment & Review of Obstetrics & Gynaecology — Sakshi Arora Hans
- Self-Assessment & Review of Medicine — Mudit Khanna
How toppers play it
- The paper runs in five locked 42-minute sections of 36 questions — you cannot come back, so finish and commit each section; do not save doubtful questions for a final pass that never comes.
- With +4/−1, attempt when you can eliminate two options; leaving 10–15 true coin-tosses blank usually beats guessing them.
- Short subjects (PSM, Pharmacology, Pathology, Microbiology) offer the best marks-per-hour of revision — keep them fresh till exam day.
- Recent NBEMS papers are clinical-vignette and image heavy — practise X-rays, ECGs, instruments and specimen photos, not just one-liner facts.
- Take full 3.5-hour grand tests weekly in the final two months; your all-India mock percentile is a better compass than raw scores.