Ministry Announces Reforms and Single-Shift Format for NEET PG 2026
Following a review by the Union Health Minister, the Ministry of Health announced on Saturday that the upcoming NEET PG 2026 exam on August 30 will be conducted in a single shift with mandatory Aadhaar authentication.
The National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) has announced key changes for the NEET PG 2026 examination, scheduled for August 3, 2026. The test will now be conducted in a single shift instead of multiple sessions, and the number of questions has been reduced from 200 to 180. Additionally, Aadhaar-based authentication has been made mandatory for candidates appearing for the exam. These modifications aim to streamline the examination process and enhance security for the postgraduate medical entrance test.
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Saturday announced a series of reforms for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test for postgraduate admissions (NEET PG 2026), scheduled for August 30. Union Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda reviewed preparations by the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS), the conducting body, and outlined changes aimed at improving candidate convenience and examination security (Indian Express).
The most significant structural shift is the move to a single-shift format. The examination will be conducted simultaneously across the country at more than 1,300 centres in nearly 340 cities, eliminating the multi-session model used in previous years (Indian Express). In tandem with this change, the exam pattern has been revised: the number of questions has been reduced from 200 to 180, while the total duration remains fixed at three hours and 30 minutes, or 210 minutes. The ministry stated the reduction will give candidates more time to answer each question (Indian Express).
Security protocols have also been tightened. Aadhaar-based authentication has been made mandatory for candidates during both the application process and on the day of the examination. In instances where fingerprint authentication fails, test centres will deploy iris-based biometric verification as a fallback (Indian Express).
The ministry has also revised the test-city preference system. Candidates can now select up to three preferred test states, along with their corresponding cities, in order of preference. The test-city intimation slip will be published on the official website approximately three weeks before the examination to allow candidates to plan travel and accommodation (Indian Express).
According to data released by the Press Information Bureau, a total of 2,73,183 candidates have registered for NEET PG 2026, marking an increase of more than 12.5 per cent compared to the previous year (Indian Express).
Indian Express