NEET PG 2026 — Complete Guide for MD/MS Admission

NEET PG (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test — Postgraduate) is the single national entrance examination for admission to MD (Doctor of Medicine), MS (Master of Surgery), and PG Diploma programs at all government and private medical colleges in India.

Conducted by the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS), NEET PG 2026 is expected on August 30, 2026, and serves as the gateway to the most competitive medical specializations in the country.

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NEET PG 2026 — At a Glance

Parameter	Details
Conducting Body	NBEMS (National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences)
Exam Date	August 30, 2026 (tentative)
Mode	Computer-Based Test (CBT) — Single session
Total Questions	200 MCQs
Total Marks	800 (4 marks per correct answer)
Negative Marking	−1 mark per wrong answer
Duration	3 hours 30 minutes
Official Website	natboard.edu.in

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NEET PG 2026 — Important Dates

Event	Date
Notification Release	TBA (Expected Soon)
Application Window	TBA
Admit Card Download	August 2026
NEET PG Exam	August 30, 2026
Result Declaration	September 2026
AIQ Counselling (MCC)	October–November 2026
State Quota Counselling	November–December 2026
PG Joining	January 2027

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Eligibility Criteria

Criterion	Requirement
Degree	MBBS from MCI/NMC recognized college
Internship	Completed on or before September 30, 2026 (compulsory rotating internship)
Registration	Must have MCI/NMC/State Medical Council registration
Age Limit	No age limit
Attempts	Unlimited
Nationality	Indian nationals — foreigners in separate quota

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Exam Pattern — NEET PG 2026

Component	Details
Total Questions	200
Marks per correct answer	+4
Negative marking	−1 per wrong answer
Total marks	800
Duration	3 hours 30 minutes
Question language	English only
Question type	Single-best-response MCQs (1 correct out of 4 options)

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NEET PG 2026 — Subject-wise Syllabus

NEET PG covers 19 major clinical and preclinical subjects:

Preclinical Subjects

Subject	Approx. Weightage (%)
Anatomy	5–7%
Physiology	5–7%
Biochemistry	4–6%

Paraclinical Subjects

Subject	Approx. Weightage (%)
Pathology	8–10%
Microbiology	6–8%
Pharmacology	7–9%
Forensic Medicine	3–4%
Community Medicine (PSM)	8–10%

Clinical Subjects

Subject	Approx. Weightage (%)
Medicine (General Medicine)	10–12%
Surgery (General Surgery)	8–10%
Obstetrics & Gynaecology	7–9%
Paediatrics	5–7%
Orthopaedics	4–5%
Ophthalmology	3–4%
ENT (Ear, Nose, Throat)	3–4%
Psychiatry	3–4%
Skin (Dermatology)	3–4%
Radiology	2–3%
Anaesthesia	2–3%

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NEET PG Scoring & Previous Year Cutoffs

General Category Cutoff Score (Out of 800)

Year	General Cutoff	OBC/SC/ST Cutoff
2024	275–310 (50th–60th percentile zone)	230–270
2023	250–290	210–250
2022	268–305	225–265

Cutoff score for qualification is not the same as the score needed for a good specialty in a top college. MD Radiology / MD Radiodiagnosis typically requires 90th percentile+.

Competitive Score Reference (AIQ Counselling)

Specialty (Government College, AIQ)	Score Approx. (General)
MD Radiodiagnosis	640–700+
MD Dermatology	620–680+
MD Medicine (General)	580–640+
MS Orthopaedics	560–620+
MD Paediatrics	540–600+
MS General Surgery	510–570+
MD Psychiatry	460–520+
MD Community Medicine (PSM)	400–460+

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AIQ Counselling — How It Works

All India Quota (AIQ) — 50% of seats in all government medical colleges:

1. Register on MCC portal (mcc.nic.in) after NEET PG result
2. Fill and lock choice preferences (up to 200 specialty-college combinations)
3. Round 1 Allotment: Based on rank × preference
4. Accept seat → pay security deposit → report to college
5. Mop-up Round: Unfilled AIQ seats redistributed
6. Stray Vacancy Round: Final round if seats remain

State Quota (50% of seats): Managed individually by each state. AIQ candidate can also participate in their home state quota.

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Preparation Strategy for NEET PG 2026

6-Month Plan (Starting March 2026)

Month 1–2 — High-Yield Subjects:

• Priority: Medicine > Surgery > OBG > Paediatrics > Community Medicine
• Use Marrow or PrepLadder video lectures for each subject
• Complete 1 subject per 10 days with active note-making

Month 3–4 — Remaining Subjects + Q-Bank:

• Complete Pathology, Pharmacology, Microbiology, PSM
• Simultaneously start Q-bank practice (100+ questions per day)
• Focus on recent NEET PG pattern: clinical scenario-based questions

Month 5 — Grand Tests + Revision:

• Attempt 1 Grand Test (GT) per week (200 Q, 3.5 hours)
• Analyze: Check which subjects losing most marks
• High-yield revision: Tables, lists, classic syndromes

Month 6 — Final Revision + Surgery on Weak Areas:

• Revise first-order facts (single-liners) for all 19 subjects
• Concentrate on subjects scoring below 50% in GTs
• Current updates: New drug approvals, changed guidelines (Harrison/Cochrane)

Best Resources for NEET PG 2026

Subject	Book / Resource
Medicine	Harrison's Principles (for concepts) + Marrow notes
Surgery	Bailey & Love (Essentials) + PrepLadder Surgery
OBG	Dutta Obstetrics + Dutta Gynaecology
Pathology	Robbins Basic Pathology + Marrow Pathology
Pharmacology	Tripathi KD — Essentials of Medical Pharmacology
Microbiology	Ananthnarayan & Paniker
PSM	Park's Textbook of Preventive & Social Medicine
Questions	Marrow Q-Bank + PrepLadder + Recall Questions

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Official Links

Resource	Link
NBEMS Official	natboard.edu.in
Apply Online	nbe.edu.in
Notification	NBEMS Notices
AIQ Counselling	mcc.nic.in
NMC Syllabus	nmc.org.in

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Last Updated: April 2026 | Source: National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS), Government of India