NEET-PG
Entrance test for MD, MS, PG Diploma and post-MBBS DNB/DrNB courses in all Indian medical colleges, except institutes that admit through INI-CET (AIIMS, JIPMER, PGIMER, NIMHANS, SCTIMST). Ranks feed MCC 50% All India Quota and state quota counselling.
Eligibility
MBBS degree recognised under the NMC Act with permanent or provisional registration from NMC or a State Medical Council. The one-year compulsory rotating internship must be completed by the cut-off date in the bulletin (30 September 2026 for the 2026 edition). There is no age limit and no limit on attempts. Foreign medical graduates must have cleared FMGE and completed the required internship.
Age limit: No age limit
Exam pattern
Computer-based test in a single 3.5-hour shift. From 2026 NBEMS cut the paper from 200 to 180 MCQs, reportedly split into five time-bound sections of 36 questions with 42 minutes each; you cannot go back to a section once its time ends. Marking is +4 for a correct answer and -1 for a wrong one, maximum 720. Qualifying cut-offs are percentile-based: 50th for General/EWS, 45th for General PwBD and 40th for SC/ST/OBC.
Syllabus at a glance
Covers all 19 MBBS subjects as per the NMC Graduate Medical Education Regulations. Pre-clinical (Anatomy, Physiology, Biochemistry), para-clinical (Pathology, Pharmacology, Microbiology, Forensic Medicine, PSM/Community Medicine) and clinical subjects (Medicine, Surgery, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Paediatrics, Orthopaedics, ENT, Ophthalmology, Dermatology, Psychiatry, Anaesthesia, Radiology). Medicine, Surgery, PSM and OBG are the heaviest. Clinical-vignette and image-based questions are common.
Upcoming dates
| Event | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|
| MCC NEET-PG 2026 counselling (All India Quota) rounds | Oct-Dec 2026 (expected) | expected |
| NEET-PG 2027 tentative schedule/information bulletin | Jun-Jul 2027 (expected) | expected |
| NEET-PG 2027 application window | Jul 2027 (expected, about three weeks) | expected |
| NEET-PG 2027 exam | Aug 2027 (expected) | expected |
| NEET-PG 2027 result | Sep 2027 (expected) | expected |
Expected dates follow the usual calendar; confirm on the official notification before planning.
Free prep material
Standard books
- Robbins and Cotran Pathologic Basis of Disease / Robbins Basic Pathology - Kumar, Abbas and Aster
- Essentials of Medical Pharmacology - K.D. Tripathi
- Park's Textbook of Preventive and Social Medicine - K. Park
- Ananthanarayan and Paniker's Textbook of Microbiology
- D.C. Dutta's Textbook of Obstetrics and Textbook of Gynecology
- Bailey and Love's Short Practice of Surgery
How toppers play it
- The section-wise timer (about 42 minutes per 36 questions) means you cannot bank time: practise sectional mocks and move on rather than return to doubtful questions later.
- With +4/-1, one wrong answer costs a quarter of a correct one; attempt questions where you can narrow it to two options, but skip pure guesses on unfamiliar image or recent-guideline questions.
- Spend most of your time on Medicine, Surgery, OBG and PSM, which together carry roughly 40% of questions, and on the para-clinicals (Pathology, Pharmacology, Microbiology), which feed clinical vignettes.
- Keep a separate notebook for images (radiology, dermatology, instruments, specimens) and recent national health programme updates; both appear every year.
- Finish at least two full revisions of a single question bank plus weekly grand tests in the final three months, analysing every wrong answer.