NEET-PG
Direct answer
The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Postgraduate), or NEET-PG, is India's single entrance examination for admission to MD, MS and postgraduate diploma courses, conducted by the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS). Preparing for it means revisiting the entire MBBS curriculum — pre-clinical, para-clinical and clinical — and sharpening clinical application through previous-year questions, mock tests and planned revision.
About the exam
NEET-PG is conducted by the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) as a computer-based test, generally once a year. It is the qualifying and ranking examination for admission to MD, MS and PG diploma seats across government, private and deemed medical colleges in India. MBBS graduates and final-year interns who satisfy the internship and registration criteria take the examination. The examination date, application window and bulletin are announced by NBEMS, with internship-completion cut-offs forming part of the published eligibility conditions.
Exam pattern and marking
- Mode: computer-based test, conducted in a single shift.
- Questions: 180 multiple-choice questions under the current pattern introduced for the 2026 examination, replacing the earlier 200-question paper.
- Sections: the paper is divided into five time-locked sections of 36 questions each, with 42 minutes allotted per section; once a section's time ends, candidates move to the next and cannot return.
- Marks: four marks for each correct answer, a total of 720; one mark is deducted for each incorrect answer; unattempted questions carry no penalty.
- Duration: three hours and thirty minutes in total.
- Qualifying: the percentile cut-off announced by NBEMS has stood at the 50th percentile for the general category in recent years, with relaxation for reserved categories.
Syllabus overview
The NEET-PG syllabus is the MBBS curriculum as taught across the pre-clinical, para-clinical and clinical subjects, and NBEMS publishes the subject-wise distribution of questions in the information bulletin. The pre-clinical portion covers anatomy, physiology and biochemistry. Para-clinical subjects include pathology, microbiology, forensic medicine, community medicine and the remainder of pharmacology. The clinical block, which carries the largest share, spans general medicine and its sub-specialities such as cardiology, neurology and endocrinology; general surgery and its allied branches including orthopaedics and anaesthesiology; obstetrics and gynaecology; paediatrics; ophthalmology; otorhinolaryngology; psychiatry; dermatology; radiology; and emergency medicine. Questions are overwhelmingly clinical vignettes that test applied reasoning — investigations, diagnoses and management — rather than isolated factual recall, and previous papers include image-based questions and recent guideline knowledge alongside classical textbook content.
How to prepare
- Rebuild the base subject by subject. Work through the MBBS syllabus using your own undergraduate notes with standard reference texts, giving clinical subjects the larger share of time while keeping anatomy, pathology and pharmacology strong.
- Practise questions from the start. Answer subject-wise and topic-wise question banks, with special attention to previous-year NEET-PG papers, because the vignette style rewards familiarity.
- Take full-length mocks in exam conditions. Attempt 180-question, section-timed computer mocks to learn pacing within time-locked sections and to calibrate risk-taking under negative marking. Review every mock thoroughly and keep an error log.
- Revise in compressed cycles. Condense each subject into revision notes and charts, and revisit the whole syllabus in repeated cycles during the final months, interleaving revision with Grand-Test-style practice.
Preparation with PrepElephant
PrepElephant supports NEET-PG preparation with previous-year question practice, question banks, mock tests and revision tools in the PrepElephant app, along with free guides and resources on this website. The examination is conducted by NBEMS, and notifications, admit cards and results should always be verified through official NBEMS channels.
After the exam
Candidates receive percentile scores and ranks, on the basis of which the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) conducts counselling for the 50 per cent All India Quota of MD, MS and diploma seats and for seats in deemed and central universities, with state authorities allotting the remaining state-quota seats. Qualifying NEET-PG leads to admission to a three-year MD or MS course or a two-year PG diploma, the pathway to a career as a specialist, and subsequently to superspeciality entrance examinations such as NEET-SS.
Qualifications this exam leads to
Frequently asked questions
Who is eligible for NEET-PG?
Candidates must hold an MBBS degree from a recognised institution, have completed or be completing the compulsory rotating internship by the cut-off date announced by NBEMS, and hold permanent or provisional registration with the National Medical Commission or a State Medical Council.
Is there a limit on the number of attempts?
No fixed attempt limit is prescribed under the current rules; candidates may appear so long as they satisfy the eligibility conditions, including the internship requirement.
What is the marking scheme?
Under the current pattern each correct answer earns four marks and each incorrect answer costs one mark. Unattempted questions carry no penalty, so educated elimination is a reasonable strategy while blind guessing is not.
What is the section-timed format?
The paper is divided into five sections of 36 questions each, with 42 minutes per section. Once a section's time expires, the screen moves on and earlier questions cannot be revisited.
Which subjects carry the greatest weight?
Clinical subjects such as medicine, surgery, obstetrics and gynaecology, and paediatrics carry the largest share of the paper, with the exact distribution published in the information bulletin.
Is NEET-PG difficult?
The syllabus is the whole of MBBS and the questions are clinical and applied, so it demands sustained revision alongside clinical work, and planned, question-driven preparation over several months is the standard approach.
When is NEET-PG 2027 held and how do I apply?
The date, application window and bulletin are announced by NBEMS on its official websites. Applications are submitted online, with eligibility documents, including the internship certificate, verified during the process.
How are results used for admission?
Percentile scores and ranks feed into counselling by the MCC for All India Quota, deemed and central university seats, and into state counselling for state-quota seats. Rank, category and preferences together determine the allotted course and college.
Can foreign medical graduates appear for NEET-PG?
Yes, provided they have passed the FMGE screening test and fulfilled the registration and internship requirements stipulated by NBEMS and the National Medical Commission.
Does PrepElephant cover NEET-PG?
Yes. PrepElephant offers previous-year question practice, question banks, mock tests and revision tools for NEET-PG in the app, along with free guides and resources on this website.
Official sources
nbe.edu.in natboard.edu.in mcc.nic.in
Practise this in the PrepElephant app
Question banks, previous-year questions, mock tests and revision tools — for National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Postgraduate). Free to start.