NEET PG (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test for Postgraduate) 2025 – A Guide

Are you interested in studying a medical course in India? If the answer is yes then it’s highly likely that you’ll need to go through the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test for Postgraduate (NEET PG). This process is for students who want to gain a place on a Doctor of Medicine (MD) or Master of Surgery (MS) course in India.

It’s a two-part process. First, you take the NEET PG exam that will help you get onto a course at one of the named government, private or central universities. You'll then go through ‘counselling’ where you select your institutions and courses of choice and are ‘allotted’ a place on one of them. There are usually 26,000+ places available on MD courses and 13,000+ on MS courses at over 6,000+ institutions.

This guide covers what the NEET PG is, how it works, the eligibility criteria for the test and the key dates for your diary including the NEET PG exam date.

The NEET PG exam is a computer-based test that consists of three sections, taking three and a half hours to complete. You can take each section at your own pace as none of them are timed on their own. Here are the topics covered in each part:

• Pre-clinical (Part A) – this section focuses on Anatomy, Physiology and Biochemistry.
• Para-clinical (Part B) – this section focuses on Pathology, Pharmacology, Microbiology, Forensic Medicine and Social and Preventive Medicine.
• Clinical (Part C) – this section focuses on general medicine (including Psychiatry, Dermatology and Venereology), Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Pediatrics, Ophthalmology, Radiotherapy Surgery, ENT and general surgery (including Orthopedics, Anaesthesia and Radiodiagnosis).

The NEET PG exam is made up of 200 multiple-choice questions with four marks awarded for every right answer, and one mark deducted for every incorrect answer. If you don’t know the answer, it might be best to leave it as you won’t lose any marks for non-attempted questions.

You exam results have to be in the top 40-50 percentile (depending on your status) to qualify for the counselling stage of the NEET PG. What this means is that you need to score higher than at least 40-50% of the total students taking the NEET PG exam. The qualifying marks vary every year but it generally ranges between 150 and 200 marks.

Your NEET PG exam score is only valid for that year’s admission. If you want to start your course in 2025 then take the NEET PG exam in 2025, but if you want to start your course in 2026, then you will need to wait.

What is the NEET PG exam fee?

Generally, the fee for the NEET PG exam is INR 4250 ($52), although it is a little cheaper for recognised minority groups in India who only pay INR 3250 ($40). You will need to pay the fee through the payment gateway on the website by debit or credit card.

How many attempts am I allowed?

Great news, there’s no limit to the number of times you can take the NEET PG exam! Just remember that it’s only held once a year, so if you want to take it again, you will have to wait until the next sitting (the following year).

You must check that you’re eligible to take the NEET PG exam before applying. Here is the summarised eligibility criteria for NEET PG exam 2025:

• Nationality – You must be an Indian citizen, whether in the country or abroad. If you’re a foreign national then you must have a temporary registration from the National Medical Commission (NMC) on payment of a nominal fee
• Qualification – An MBBS degree from an institution recognised by the Medical Council of India (MCI). If you completed your MBBS degree outside India then you will need to have passed the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination (FMGE)
• Internship – Completed the rotatory internship or be due to complete it by 30 June 2025
• Registration certificate – Provisional or permanent medical registration certificate issued by MCI or a State Medical Council. This must be carried on the day of the exam and during admission
• Age limit – There is no upper age limit to appear for NEET PG 2025 exam

You can find out more information on the eligibility criteria on the NBE website.

It’s important that you know what the key dates are when it comes to the NEET PG as you can only take the exam once a year.

The counselling process will take place soon after the results have been released. It is conducted by the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) and is made up of multiple rounds, depending on the number of places available. If you’re unsuccessful in round one, then you can go through to round two.

You will need to register online for it and pay a fee. You’ll then be asked to choose which courses and institutions you want to go for. There’s no restriction here, you can choose as many as you want! But make sure they’re all places you want to study at.

The MCC will then release the results in the form of a Seat Allotment Result, where you will find your details and the course/institution you have been given (allotted). You will have been allotted a seat on a course and institution from the ones you chose at the time of registration (which is why it is important to have a good think before you submit your preferences). You’ll then need to visit the institution with your documents to officially register your place.