Understand the exam
Exam overview
National entrance examination for eligible postgraduate medical admissions under current rules.
NEET-PG
Admission
Postgraduate
National
National Eligibility cum Entrance Test PG
Last updated · Confirm dates, fees and eligibility on the official website before you apply.
National entrance examination for eligible postgraduate medical admissions under current rules.
Who can appear
Eligibility to appear
Graduation
A recognised MBBS qualification, required internship completion and registration. Internship cut-off, registration, eligibility exceptions and counselling rules follow the current NBEMS/NMC and counselling notifications.
Eligibility to appear is not the same as eligibility to be admitted. Individual institutions add their own criteria on top of the exam's rules.
Overview
What this exam is
The national entrance examination for postgraduate medical admission - MD, MS and diploma seats across the country. It is taken after the MBBS degree and internship, and admission runs through national and state counselling.
Subjects
What the paper tests
The entire MBBS curriculum in a single objective paper - preclinical, paraclinical and clinical subjects, weighted towards the clinical years. Questions increasingly present a clinical scenario and ask for the next step rather than testing recall of a fact.
PreparationPlan
How to prepare
Coverage is impossible to complete late, so preparation that begins during the clinical years rather than after internship is the real advantage. Question practice is more productive than re-reading textbooks at this stage. Be aware that the gap between qualifying and securing the specialty and college you want is very large, and many candidates take more than one attempt - plan for that possibility rather than being surprised by it.
AdmissionProcess
Who can take it, and how it runs
Who can appear. MBBS with completed internship and permanent registration.
How often. Once a year.
Format. Computer-based.
Conducted by. NBEMS.
Dates, eligibility and the paper pattern change from year to year. Check the current official notification before you plan around any of this.
Where the score is used
Courses connected to this exam
Common questions
Frequently asked questions
When should I start preparing?
During the clinical years rather than after internship. The syllabus is the entire MBBS curriculum and it cannot be covered late. Candidates who begin in their final years consistently do better than those who start after graduating.
Is qualifying enough to get the specialty I want?
No, and the gap is very large. Qualifying is common; securing a competitive specialty at a good institution is not. Many candidates take more than one attempt to get the branch they want, so plan for that rather than being surprised.
Are questions still based on recall?
Less and less. The paper increasingly presents a clinical scenario and asks for the next appropriate step, which rewards reasoning over memorised lists. Question practice is more useful than re-reading textbooks at this stage.
How do I choose between a specialty and a better college?
Both matter and the answer depends on the branch. For some specialties, training quality and case volume shape your career more than the institution's name; for others the reverse. Talk to residents in that branch rather than deciding from rank lists.
What is National Eligibility cum Entrance Test PG used for?
MD, MS and DNB admission.
Who is eligible to appear for National Eligibility cum Entrance Test PG?
MBBS with completed internship and permanent registration. Confirm this against the current official notification, because eligibility rules are revised between sessions.
How often is National Eligibility cum Entrance Test PG held, and in what format?
Once a year. Computer-based.
Who conducts National Eligibility cum Entrance Test PG?
NBEMS.