The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Postgraduate) (or NEET (PG)) is a
qualifying and ranking examination in India, for students who wish to study various postgraduate
Doctor of Medicine
Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated M.D., from the Latin language, Latin ''Medicinae Doctor'') is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the M.D. denotes a profes ...
(MD),
Master of Surgery (MS) and
diploma
A diploma is a document awarded by an educational institution (such as a college or university) testifying the recipient has graduated by successfully completing their courses of studies. Historically, it has also referred to a charter or offici ...
courses, in government or private medical colleges in the country. This exam replaced All India Post Graduate Medical Entrance Examination (AIPGMEE).
The exam is conducted by the
National Board of Examinations
National Board of Examinations (NBE) is an autonomous body under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (India), Government of India, and established in 1975 at New Delhi as a Society under Delhi Society registration act, to standardizing pos ...
(NBE). The counselling and seat allotment is conducted by Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
Eligibility criteria
Candidates studying in India, having
Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) degree or provisional MBBS pass certificate as per
Indian Medical Council Act, and MBBS registration certificate issued by the
Indian
Indian or Indians may refer to:
Peoples South Asia
* Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor
** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country
* South Asia ...
or state medical council and have completed one year of internship or will be completing the internship, are eligible to apply for the exam.
The candidates having Indian citizenship, but have graduated from any foreign medical college, should qualify the
Medical Council of India Screening Test The Medical Council of India Screening Test, also known as the Foreign Medical Graduates Examination (FMGE), is a licensure examination conducted by the National Board of Examinations (NBE) in India. The test is one of the mandatory requirements f ...
(also called
Foreign Medical Graduate Examination The Medical Council of India Screening Test, also known as the Foreign Medical Graduates Examination (FMGE), is a licensure examination conducted by the National Board of Examinations (NBE) in India. The test is one of the mandatory requirements for ...
). They also need to be registered with Indian or state medical council and have completed one year of internship or will be completing the internship.
For foreign nationals, registration is necessary from the country they have obtained basic medical qualification.
Medical Council of India
The Medical Council of India (MCI) was a statutory body for establishing uniform and high standards of medical education in India until its dissolution on 25 September 2020 when it was replaced by National Medical Commission. The Council grante ...
(MCI) registration is not compulsory. Temporary registration might be given on payment of application fees.
Organising body
The exam is conducted by
National Board of Examinations
National Board of Examinations (NBE) is an autonomous body under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (India), Government of India, and established in 1975 at New Delhi as a Society under Delhi Society registration act, to standardizing pos ...
, an autonomous organisation of
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare is an Indian government ministry charged with health policy in India. It is also responsible for all government programs relating to family planning in India.
The Minister of Health and Family Welfare ...
,
Government of India
The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, c ...
. It also conducts exams other National Eligibility cum Entrance Test for Super Specialty courses (SS) and
Master of Dental Surgery (MDS).
Exam pattern and structure
The examination is
computer based, consisting of 200 mcqs
multiple choice questions
Multiple choice (MC), objective response or MCQ (for multiple choice question) is a form of an objective assessment in which respondents are asked to select only correct answers from the choices offered as a list. The multiple choice format is mo ...
(MCQ) with single response. The language is English only. It is held in 162 test centres across India.
For each correct response, four marks are allotted and for each wrong response one mark (25 percent) is deducted. No marks awarded or deducted for an unattempted question. There is an option to mark questions for review whether attempted or unattempted, to check them until the exam ends. Time allotted is .
Syllabus
The syllabus comprises subjects prescribed by the Graduate Medical Education Regulations issued by Medical Council of India. It includes
anatomy
Anatomy () is the branch of biology concerned with the study of the structure of organisms and their parts. Anatomy is a branch of natural science that deals with the structural organization of living things. It is an old science, having its ...
,
physiology
Physiology (; ) is the scientific study of functions and mechanisms in a living system. As a sub-discipline of biology, physiology focuses on how organisms, organ systems, individual organs, cells, and biomolecules carry out the chemical ...
,
biochemistry
Biochemistry or biological chemistry is the study of chemical processes within and relating to living organisms. A sub-discipline of both chemistry and biology, biochemistry may be divided into three fields: structural biology, enzymology and ...
,
pathology
Pathology is the study of the causes and effects of disease or injury. The word ''pathology'' also refers to the study of disease in general, incorporating a wide range of biology research fields and medical practices. However, when used in ...
,
pharmacology
Pharmacology is a branch of medicine, biology and pharmaceutical sciences concerned with drug or medication action, where a drug may be defined as any artificial, natural, or endogenous (from within the body) molecule which exerts a biochemica ...
,
microbiology
Microbiology () is the scientific study of microorganisms, those being unicellular (single cell), multicellular (cell colony), or acellular (lacking cells). Microbiology encompasses numerous sub-disciplines including virology, bacteriology, prot ...
,
forensic medicine,
social and preventive medicine
Preventive healthcare, or prophylaxis, consists of measures taken for the purposes of disease prevention.Hugh R. Leavell and E. Gurney Clark as "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life, and promoting physical and mental hea ...
,
general medicine,
general surgery
General surgery is a surgical specialty that focuses on alimentary canal and abdominal contents including the esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, liver, pancreas, gallbladder, appendix and bile ducts, and often the thyroid ...
,
obstetrics
Obstetrics is the field of study concentrated on pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period. As a medical specialty, obstetrics is combined with gynecology under the discipline known as obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN), which is a surgi ...
and
gynaecology
Gynaecology or gynecology (see spelling differences) is the area of medicine that involves the treatment of women's diseases, especially those of the reproductive organs. It is often paired with the field of obstetrics, forming the combined are ...
,
paediatrics
Pediatrics ( also spelled ''paediatrics'' or ''pædiatrics'') is the branch of medicine that involves the medical care of infants, children, adolescents, and young adults. In the United Kingdom, paediatrics covers many of their youth until the ...
,
otorhinolaryngology
Otorhinolaryngology ( , abbreviated ORL and also known as otolaryngology, otolaryngology–head and neck surgery (ORL–H&N or OHNS), or ear, nose, and throat (ENT)) is a surgical subspeciality within medicine that deals with the surgical a ...
and
ophthalmology
Ophthalmology ( ) is a surgical subspecialty within medicine that deals with the diagnosis and treatment of eye disorders.
An ophthalmologist is a physician who undergoes subspecialty training in medical and surgical eye care. Following a medic ...
,
Dermatology ,
Anesthesiology ,
Radiology ,
Psychiatry ,
Orthopaedics
Application fees
The application fees for General and
Other Backward Class
The Other Backward Class is a collective term used by the Government of India to classify castes which are educationally or socially backward. It is one of several official classifications of the population of India, along with General castes, S ...
es (OBC) candidates is and for
Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST),
Person with Disabilities (PwD) candidates is . The application process is completely online.
Cutoff and Results
The cutoff marks in the exam is divided into four categories based on the groups of people and castes in India. Cutoffs were reduced in 2020. For General candidates it is 30th percentile, for general but PwD candidates it is a25th percentile, for both SC/ST/OBC and PwD under SC/ST/OBC, it is 20th percentile.
The results of the exam is valid for current admission session, i.e. one year. It can not be carried forward for the next session.
Seat allotment
The whole seat pool for Diploma, MD and MS is divided into half. One for medical institutes under central government (which is the all India 50 percent quota) and the rest half for all the respective state medical councils. Seat allotment is done through a centralised counselling procedure. For all India quota it is conducted by DGHS. Merit list of qualified students is prepared based on score and percentile.
Seats are reserved for the SC, ST, PwD and non-creamy layer OBC candidates, which is 15, 7.5, 5 and 27 percent respectively. Wherever Economically Weaker Section (EWS) quota is implemented, 10 percent seats will be reserved for them. Eligibility and other criteria are different in case of Armed Forces Medical Services institutions. There is no reservation in Armed Forces Medical Service Institutions.
Institutes
114 medical colleges and institutes, both government and private, take admission through this exam.
Institutes not covered by the exam
5 INIs(
Institute of National Importance
Institute of National Importance (INI) is a status that may be conferred on a premier public higher education institution in India by an act of Parliament of India, an institution which "serves as a pivotal player in developing highly skilled per ...
) are exempted from centralised admission via this exam. They are:
#
All India Institutes of Medical Sciences
The All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) is a group of autonomous government public medical universities of higher education under the jurisdiction of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare , Government of India. These institutes h ...
(AIIMSs)
#
Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research
Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) is a public medical university in Chandigarh, India. It is an 'Institute of National Importance'. It has educational, medical research, and training facilities for its studen ...
(PGIMER)
#
(JIPMER)
#
National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences
The National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro-Sciences is a medical institution in Bangalore, India. NIMHANS is the apex centre for mental health and neuroscience education in the country. It is an Institute of National Importance operates ...
(NIMHANS)
#
(SCTIMST)
Admission to these institutes is via another entrance test i.e. INI-CET.
Number of applicants
In 2020, 167,102 candidates registered for the exam, 18,389 more than the previous year. 166,702 candidates were Indian citizens, 16 were
Non-Resident of India, 130
Person of Indian Origin
Overseas Indians ( IAST: ), officially Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) and Overseas Citizens of India (OCIs) are Indians who live outside of the Republic of India. According to the Government of India, ''Non-Resident Indians'' are citizens of In ...
and 254 foreigners. 160,888 candidates appeared for the exam and, out of which 89,549 qualified. 12 were declared ineligible.
DNB courses
The exam is also used for admission into various
Diplomate of National Board
Diplomate of National Board (DNB) is a Post-graduate Master's degree same as MD/MS degree awarded to the Specialist Doctors in India after completion of three year residency. DNB courses are run and the degrees are awarded by the National Board of ...
(DNB) courses. No other entrance exam is held for it. The eligibility criteria are same as that of PG courses. Reservation in DNB courses is determined by the institution.
Controversies
NEET (PG) 2021
The exam is generally held in December-January but in 2021 it was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and was held in September 2021. However, counselling for students who appeared for the exam has not been conducted yet because of cases pending in the
Supreme Court
A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...
over reservations to the
economically weaker section
Economically Weaker Section (EWS) in India is a subcategory of people having an annual family income less than and who do not belong to any category such as SC/ ST/ OBC across India, nor to MBC in Tamil Nadu. A candidate who does not fall under ...
. The delay in counselling has resulted in shortage of doctors at hospitals, increasing workload for existing resident doctors. Protests over the delay in counselling began on November 27 with resident doctors boycotting work in out patient departments which gradually escalated to “withdrawal from all service”. The boycott was suspended on December 9 after the doctors were given assurances that the counselling schedule will be released in a week, but they resumed the boycott from December 17 as the government failed to act on those assurances. On 27 December 2021, resident doctors that were marching towards the Supreme Court were stopped and “brutally thrashed, dragged, and detained” by the Delhi Police according to FORDA, an association of resident doctors.
See also
*
National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (UG)
*
National Board of Examinations
National Board of Examinations (NBE) is an autonomous body under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (India), Government of India, and established in 1975 at New Delhi as a Society under Delhi Society registration act, to standardizing pos ...
*
National Exit Test
National Exit Test (abbreviated as NExT) is a proposed examination for all MBBS students in India that is required to pass the final year and obtain a license to practice medicine. Admissions to postgraduate courses will be based on the merit of a ...
*
Medical colleges in India
In India, a medical college is an educational institution that provides medical education. These institutions may vary from stand-alone colleges that train doctors to conglomerates that offer training related in all aspects of medical care. Th ...
References
External links
National Board of Examinations
{{Standardised tests in India
Medical education in India
Standardised tests in India
2013 establishments in India