Several candidates came out of the examination centre amid the disruption and staged a protest, questioning the technical arrangements for the test. X/Ani video screengrab

In a series of changes for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Postgraduate) scheduled for August 30, the Centre is set to expand the choice of test locations, give candidates more time to plan travel to their examination cities, and give them more time per question in the test.

The reforms are aimed at making the process more convenient for the candidates, according to the Union Health Ministry.

Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda on Saturday (August 1, 2026) reviewed the preparedness for NEET (PG) 2026 and directed all agencies to ensure the examination is conducted in a smooth, secure, transparent and technology-enabled manner. He assessed the readiness of National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS), technology partners, and other stakeholders and stressed that every effort must be made to ensure a fair and candidate-friendly examination.

“The end-to-end question paper preparation and delivery process has been further reinforced through multiple layers of encryption, secure offline preparation, time-bound finalisation of the question paper shortly before the examination, and controlled digital decryption only at the scheduled commencement of the test,” the Ministry said in a statement.

The NBEMS has also operationalised a dedicated email address for reporting impersonation, touting, and other unfair practices while issuing regular advisories to candidates to promote awareness and vigilance.

The Ministry said that to strengthen the integrity of the examination process, Aadhaar-based authentication has been introduced during both the application process and on the examination day. Iris-based biometric verification will be used wherever fingerprint authentication is unsuccessful, it said.

Under the revised system, candidates will indicate three State preferences for their examination centre, with their correspondence State being the mandatory first preference, enabling allotment of centres closer to their place of residence, the Ministry said.

Earlier, exam cities were allotted on a first come, first-served basis prompting candidates to rush to submit their applications as soon as the registration window opened, a source explained. Those who delayed often found all nearby centres filled, forcing them to travel to other States to appear for the exam.

In another key change, candidates will be informed of their allotted test city nearly three weeks before the examination, giving them more time to plan travel and accommodation, the Ministry said.

The NBEMS has also rationalised the examination pattern to 180 questions to be answered in 210 minutes, allowing candidates more time per question while retaining the overall duration of the test, it said.

The exam previously had 200 multiple choice questions with a maximum score of 800 marks.

The source said that recently, the exam had been conducted in two shifts due to emergencies or postponements but the 2026 edition will be held in a single shift to ensure uniformity in the difficulty level and assessment of candidates.

Earlier, candidates often faced stress as the final venue and location details were released very close to the test date, leaving minimal time to book travel or accommodation, the official added.

A total of 2,73,183 candidates have registered for NEET (PG) 2026, an increase of over 12.5% compared with last year. The examination will be conducted in a single shift across around 340 cities and more than 1,300 examination centres.

Comprehensive security arrangements have been put in place for the examination, including advance sealing and verification of examination centres, CCTV surveillance, biometric authentication, candidate frisking, deployment of signal jammers, dynamic comput, live monitoring through central and regional command centres, and real-time supervision by independent observers and appraisers.

More than 60,000 examination functionaries will be deployed to ensure the smooth conduct of the examination, the ministry said.

Published – August 02, 2026 02:04 am IST