2 min readNew DelhiAug 2, 2026 01:01 PM IST
The Ministry of Health on Saturday announced a series of reforms for candidates appearing for NEET PG 2026. Ahead of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test for postgraduate admissions, scheduled for August 30, Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda reviewed preparations by the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS), the conducting body for the examination, and announced measures aimed at improving candidate convenience.
This year, NEET PG 2026 will be conducted in a single shift across the country at more than 1,300 examination centres in nearly 340 cities. In a major relief for candidates, the ministry has revised the number of test-city preferences. Candidates can now choose three preferred test cities along with their corresponding states, in order of preference.
The test-city intimation slip will be issued on the official website approximately three weeks before the examination, allowing candidates to plan their travel and accommodation.
The ministry has also revised the NEET PG exam pattern by reducing the number of questions from 200 to 180, while retaining the total examination time at three hours and 30 minutes, or 210 minutes. The change will give candidates more time to answer each question.
To strengthen candidate authentication and examination security, Aadhaar-based authentication will be used during both the application process and on the day of the examination. In case fingerprint authentication is unsuccessful, test centres will use iris-based biometric verification.
According to data released by the Press Information Bureau (PIB), a total of 2,73,183 candidates have applied for NEET PG 2026. This represents an increase of more than 12.5 per cent in registrations compared with last year.