NEET-PG (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test, Postgraduate)
What is NEET-PG, who can sit it after MBBS, how is the paper set and marked, what score qualified in 2026, and how are ranks and ties decided?
NEET-PG is the single entrance exam for MD, MS and PG Diploma seats in India, run by the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS). It also covers post-MBBS DNB, direct six-year DrNB and NBEMS diploma courses. You need an MBBS degree, medical registration and a completed internship by the cut-off date. The paper is one computer-based test of 180 questions, and the result gives a rank that counselling authorities then use. This page follows the NEET-PG 2026 Information Bulletin and the NBEMS result notice dated 24 September 2026.
This page may be out of date. It was due for a re-check on 30 June 2027. Confirm every rule with the official source before acting on it.
The NEET-PG 2026 result was declared on 24 September 2026 and the exam cycle is over; seat allotment is with the counselling authorities. NEET-PG 2027 will come with a new NBEMS bulletin.
Exam at a glance
- Conducted by
- National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS), an autonomous body under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare[1]
- Admission to
- MD, MS and PG Diploma seats (All India 50% quota, state quota, private and deemed universities, Armed Forces Medical Services), post-MBBS DNB, direct 6-year DrNB and NBEMS diplomas, 2026-27 session[1]
- Eligibility
- MBBS degree or provisional pass certificate recognised under the NMC Act, 2019; permanent or provisional MBBS registration; one-year internship completed by 30 September 2026[1]
- Paper
- 180 multiple-choice questions in English, 3 hours 30 minutes, five timed sections of 36 questions[1]
- Marking
- +4 for a correct answer, -1 for a wrong one, 0 if left blank; maximum 720[1]
- Exam fee
- Rs 3,500 for General, OBC and EWS; Rs 2,500 for SC, ST and PwBD (payment gateway charges extra)[1]
- 2026 qualifying scores
- 262 out of 720 for General/EWS, 244 for General PwBD, 226 for SC, ST and OBC (including their PwBD candidates)[2]
- Status
- Result declared on 24 September 2026; scorecards and answer keys from 1 October 2026. Counselling is run by the counselling authorities, not NBEMS.[2]
NEET-PG 2026, in order
| Response | Marks |
|---|---|
| Correct | +4 marks |
| Incorrect | -1 mark |
| Not attempted | 0 marks |
Questions marked for review are evaluated by the same scheme. 180 questions x 4 marks = 720.[1]
| Category | Minimum percentile | 2026 cut-off score |
|---|---|---|
| General / EWS | 50th percentile | 262 out of 720 |
| General PwBD (UR PwBD) | 45th percentile | 244 out of 720 |
| SC / ST / OBC (incl. PwBD of SC/ST/OBC) | 40th percentile | 226 out of 720 |
The percentile rule comes from the PG Medical Education Regulations, 2023. The scores are what those percentiles worked out to in 2026; they change every year. States make their own merit lists for state quota seats.[2]
| Step | Who ranks higher |
|---|---|
| 1 | Fewer wrong answers in the whole paper |
| 2 to 6 | Fewer wrong answers in Section A, then B, C, D and E |
| 7 | Higher aggregate percentage in all MBBS professional exams (FMGE percentage for foreign medical graduates) |
| 8 | The older candidate, by date of birth |
The MBBS aggregate you enter on the form is checked against your original documents at admission. If a wrong figure was used to break your tie, your NEET-PG candidature is cancelled.[1]
NEET-PG is an eligibility-cum-ranking exam. It is the only valid entrance test for MD, MS and PG Diploma courses: no state or private college may hold its own entrance for these seats, and foreign nationals seeking these courses in India need it too.
A few institutes sit outside it. The bulletin lists AIIMS New Delhi and the other AIIMS, PGIMER Chandigarh, JIPMER Puducherry, NIMHANS Bengaluru and Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute, Thiruvananthapuram as not covered by its centralised MD/MS admissions.
NBEMS only runs the exam and publishes ranks. Seats are allotted later through counselling: the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) of the Directorate General of Health Services for the seats it handles, and each state or UT for its own quota. A NEET-PG result is valid only for that year's admission session.[1]
If you studied MBBS in India, you need three things: an MBBS degree or provisional pass certificate recognised under the NMC Act, 2019 and the PG Medical Education Regulations, 2023; a permanent or provisional registration from the National Medical Commission, the old Medical Council of India or a State Medical Council; and a one-year internship finished on or before the cut-off date, which was 30 September 2026 for NEET-PG 2026.
NBEMS rejects requests from candidates whose internship ends after that date. The internship dates you type in the form are treated as final, and you show the original completion certificate at counselling or admission.
Indian citizens and OCI holders with a medical degree from abroad have their own clause in the bulletin, which also asks for registration with the NMC or a State Medical Council and the same internship cut-off.[1]
The syllabus is the MBBS curriculum issued by the NMC. In 2026 the paper had 180 single-answer questions in English, each with four options, taken on a computer in one shift.
The 180 questions come in five sections, A to E, of 36 questions each, with 42 minutes per section. When a section's time is up the next one starts on its own, and you cannot go back to change answers in a section you have left. The bulletin says the number of these timed sections can vary with the paper.
A wrong answer costs a mark, and wrong answers also matter for ties: the first tie-breaker is the total number of wrong answers, so fewer wrong answers can lift you above someone with the same score.[1]
The exam was held on 30 August 2026, and 2,63,544 candidates appeared. A power failure at two Jaipur test centres (iON Digital Zone iDZ Sitapura) stopped the exam there, and 2,416 candidates took a re-exam on 5 September 2026.
NBEMS declared the result on 24 September 2026 with raw scores and an all-India rank. Its faculty reviewed every question after the exam and found none technically wrong. Scorecards and the answer key with each candidate's own responses were to be released on or after 1 October 2026.
Download your scorecard soon: NBEMS keeps it online for only six months and does not send it by post or email. There is no re-evaluation or re-totalling.[2]
Tips and tricks
- Leave a question blank rather than guess wildly. A wrong answer costs a mark, and your count of wrong answers is also the first tie-breaker.[1]
- Practise in 36-question blocks of 42 minutes. That is how the real paper is timed, and you cannot carry spare minutes into the next section.[1]
- Work out your MBBS aggregate from your mark sheets before the form opens and round it down to two decimals. It is checked at admission.[1]
- Check your internship end date against the bulletin's cut-off as soon as it is out. NBEMS does not accept candidates who finish after it.[1]
Questions people ask
Who is eligible for NEET-PG?
Candidates with an MBBS degree or provisional pass certificate recognised under the NMC Act, 2019, a permanent or provisional MBBS registration, and a one-year internship completed by the cut-off date. For NEET-PG 2026 that date was 30 September 2026.[1]
How many questions are in NEET-PG and is there negative marking?
The 2026 paper had 180 multiple-choice questions in 3 hours 30 minutes. A correct answer earns 4 marks, a wrong answer loses 1, and a blank scores 0, so the maximum is 720.[1]
What was the NEET-PG 2026 cut-off?
262 out of 720 for General and EWS (50th percentile), 244 for General PwBD (45th percentile) and 226 for SC, ST and OBC including their PwBD candidates (40th percentile).[2]
How does NEET-PG break a tie?
First by fewer wrong answers in the whole paper, then fewer wrong answers in Sections A to E in turn, then the higher MBBS aggregate percentage, and finally the older candidate.[1]
Is AIIMS admission through NEET-PG?
No. The NEET-PG 2026 bulletin lists AIIMS New Delhi and the other AIIMS, PGIMER, JIPMER, NIMHANS and Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute as not covered by NEET-PG's centralised MD/MS admissions.[1]
Can I use my NEET-PG score next year?
No. The bulletin says a NEET-PG result is valid only for that year's admission session and cannot be carried forward.[1]
Connected pages
- Related · DegreeMBBS (Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery)MBBS needs NEET (UG), age 17 by 31 December and Class 12 with PCB and English. 4½ years of study, a 12-month internship, NMC's time limits.
- Related · ExamNEET (UG)NEET (UG) paper pattern, marking, age rule, qualifying exam codes, the 50th/40th percentile cut-off and tie-break order, from NTA's 2026 bulletin.
- Related · PathwayAfter Class 12 Science (PCB)What Physics, Chemistry and Biology in Class 12 open up: MBBS, BDS and AYUSH via NEET (UG), nursing and veterinary seats that use NEET, and B.Sc via CUET (UG).
- Related · ExamUPSC Combined Medical Services ExaminationUPSC Combined Medical Services 2026: who can apply after MBBS, the 32/35 age rule, two 250-mark papers with negative marking, the interview and 1,358 posts.
Official and partner links
- Official bodyNBEMS NEET-PG page (official)
Sources
- NEET-PG 2026 Information Bulletin (admission session 2026-27), National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS), New Delhi. scope p5, fee 3.1 p24, eligibility 4.1-4.5 pp27-28, pattern 5.2-5.6 pp32-33, result 10.1-10.8 and tie-breaker pp88-93 (of 153); linked from natboard.edu.in NEET-PG page. Accessed 31 October 2026.
- Notice: Result of NEET-PG 2026 Declared, dated 24 September 2026, National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences, Department of Examinations Confidential. paras 1-9 (English text, pp. 3-4 of 4). Accessed 31 October 2026.
Found an error or a newer rule? Tell us through the corrections page. Updated 31 October 2026.