Union Health Minister Shri Jagat Prakash Nadda reviewed the preparedness for the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test for Postgraduate (NEET-PG) 2026 scheduled for August 30, 2026, emphasizing the need for a smooth, secure, transparent, and technology-enabled examination process. The review assessed the preparedness of the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS), technology partners, and other stakeholders, focusing on examination logistics, candidate facilitation measures, security architecture, and technology-driven interventions.
A total of 273,183 candidates have registered for NEET-PG 2026, representing a 12.5% increase compared to the previous year. The examination will be conducted in a single shift across approximately 340 cities and over 1,300 examination centers, significantly enhancing accessibility for candidates nationwide.
The Minister specifically warned candidates against being misled by rumors or fraudulent claims, highlighting that the final question paper is selected through a highly secure, encrypted, and time-bound process shortly before examination commencement. Multiple layers of technological and operational safeguards ensure confidentiality until the scheduled start time, making any claims of prior access entirely false.
Key student-centric reforms for NEET-PG 2026 include expanded choice of test locations requiring candidates to indicate three state preferences with correspondence state as mandatory first preference; test city intimation issued nearly three weeks before examination to enable travel planning; optimized examination pattern reduced to 180 questions to be answered in 210 minutes; and strengthened Aadhaar-based authentication during application and examination day with iris-based biometric verification where fingerprint authentication fails.
Security measures include advance sealing and verification of examination centers, CCTV surveillance, biometric authentication, candidate frisking, signal jammers, dynamic computer monitoring, live monitoring through central and regional command centers, and real-time supervision by independent observers. More than 60,000 examination functionaries will be deployed to ensure smooth conduct. NBEMS has operationalized a dedicated email address for reporting impersonation, touting, and other unfair practices while issuing regular advisories to candidates.
Senior officials present at the meeting included Smt. Punya Salila Srivastava (Secretary, Health Ministry), Dr. Loveneesh G Krishna (DGHS), Dr. Abhijat Sheth (President, NBEMS), Dr. Vinod Kotwal (Addl. Secretary), Shri Kumar Rahul (Director), Dr. Raghav Langer (Secretary, NMC), and Dr. Minu Bajpai (Honorary Executive Director, NBEMS).