The Union Health Ministry announces major changes to NEET-PG 2026 intended to improve candidate convenience and exam-day security. For centre allocation, candidates are allowed to choose three preferred states for their examination centres, aiming to place tests closer to home. The exam will be conducted in a single shift for uniform assessment. While the overall duration remains the same, the number of questions is reduced to 180 to allow more time per question. Registration and security measures are strengthened through Aadhaar and iris biometric verification, with biometric checks used to tighten identity verification on exam day.
According to The Hindu, 2,73,183 candidates have registered so far. The exam is scheduled across roughly 340 cities and more than 1,300 examination centres. The Ministry frames the reforms as steps to make the process smoother for applicants while maintaining consistent evaluation conditions and improving safeguards during the examination.
