Reduced Question Count, Nearby Centres: Student-Friendly Reforms Announced For NEET-PG 2026; Check Key Changes

NEET-PG 2026 Exam: The government on Saturday announced several significant changes to the NEET-PG 2026 exam. The changes aim to make the examination process more convenient, secure and transparent for students. The exam will be conducted in a single shift on August 30. The reforms were announced after Union Health and Family Welfare Minister JP Nadda reviewed preparations for the NEET-PG exam.

According to a press release by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, a total of 2,73,183 candidates have registered for the NEET-PG 2026 exam. The number represents an increase of over 12.5 per cent compared to the previous year. The examination will be conducted in a single shift across approximately 340 cities and over 1,300 examination centres.

Key Reforms Introduced For NEET-PG 2026

The government has introduced several student-friendly reforms for the NEET-PG 2026 examination. This has been done to improve convenience, security and transparency. Under the new system, candidates will have more flexibility in choosing exam locations, better preparation time, and stronger verification measures.

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The reforms listed in the press release are as follows:

Expanded Choice of Test Locations: Candidates will now have to provide preferences for three states while selecting their test locations. The state where they currently reside will have to be their first preference. This will help to ensure that exam centres are allotted closer to their homes.

Enhanced Candidate Convenience: Exam city details will now be shared around three weeks before the examination. This will give candidates more time to make necessary arrangements.

Optimised Examination Pattern: The examination pattern has also been revised. There will now be 180 questions to be completed in 210 minutes. This will give candidates more time to answer each question. However, the exam duration will remain unchanged.

Strengthened Authentication: Aadhaar-based authentication will be used during both the application process and on the examination day. In cases where fingerprint verification does not work, iris-based biometric authentication will be used. This has been done to strengthen exam security.

Multi-Layered Security Measures

According to the official statement, detailed security arrangements have been made for NEET-PG 2026. The measures include advance sealing and verification of exam centres, CCTV surveillance, biometric authentication, candidate frisking, deployment of signal jammers, dynamic computer monitoring, and live tracking through central and regional command centres.

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