NEET-PG 2026 Key Changes: The Centre has announced a series of reforms for the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test for Postgraduate (NEET-PG) 2026, introducing significant changes in the examination process, security measures, and test centre allocation to improve the experience for candidates. According to the Union Health Ministry, the NEET examination will now be conducted in a single shift, a move aimed at ensuring uniformity in the difficulty level of the paper and fairness in the assessment process.
News agency PTI quoted officials as saying that the decision to return to a single shift is intended to ensure that all candidates write the same paper under identical conditions. Union Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda reviewed the preparedness for NEET-PG 2026 on Saturday and directed all agencies to ensure the examination is conducted in a smooth, secure, transparent, and technology-enabled manner.
NEET-PG 2026 Exam Centres To Be Allotted Closer To Home
Instead of the earlier first-come, first-served system, candidates will now be asked to provide three state preferences while applying. Their correspondence state will be the mandatory first preference, enabling authorities to allot examination centres closer to their place of residence. Previously, candidates who registered later often found nearby centres fully booked and had to travel to other states to appear for the examination.
The Health Ministry said candidates will also receive information about their allotted test city nearly three weeks before the August 30 examination, giving them sufficient time to arrange travel and accommodation.
NEET-PG 2026: More Time Per Question
The National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) has also revised the examination pattern. Under the new format, the NEET examination will consist of 180 questions to be answered in 210 minutes, allowing candidates more time per question while maintaining the overall duration of the test.
Previously, the examination consisted of 200 multiple-choice questions carrying a maximum of 800 marks, and the ministry said the revised pattern is aimed at improving the examination experience without altering the total testing time.
NEET-PG 2026 Security Measures Strengthened
The Centre has also announced multiple technology-driven measures to strengthen the integrity of the examination process, including multiple layers of encryption, secure offline preparation, time-bound finalisation of question papers, and controlled digital decryption only at the scheduled commencement of the test. Aadhaar-based authentication has been introduced during both the application process and on the examination day, with iris-based biometric verification used if fingerprint authentication fails.
Comprehensive security arrangements will include advance sealing and verification of examination centres, CCTV surveillance, candidate frisking, signal jammers, dynamic computer allocation, and live monitoring, with more than 60,000 examination functionaries deployed to ensure smooth conduct.
Over 2.73 Lakh Candidates Registered
According to the Health Ministry, 2,73,183 candidates have registered for NEET-PG 2026, an increase of more than 12.5 per cent compared to last year. The examination will be conducted across around 340 cities at more than 1,300 examination centres.
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Medical Counselling Process Also Gets Easier
The reforms extend beyond the examination itself. The MCC has introduced changes to the AIQ counselling process, allowing candidates who opt for an upgrade in later rounds to skip physical reporting for admission formalities, while their admission remains valid during subsequent rounds.
An online resignation facility and online document upload for NRI reservation have also been introduced. The first round of AIQ counselling will begin on August 4, while the academic session for the 2026-27 MBBS batch will commence on September 8.