NEET PG 2026: Official Answer Key Expected Soon; Check Marking Scheme and Tie-Breaking Rules
The National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) is preparing to release the official NEET PG 2026 answer key, following the conclusion of the high-stakes postgraduate medical entrance examination held on August 30.
The examination, which saw approximately 2.63 lakh candidates appear at centers nationwide, was conducted in compliance with a Supreme Court mandate from April 2025. As students await the official release, the publication of the answer key will provide much-needed clarity, allowing candidates to cross-verify their responses against the board’s designated answers.
Current Status and Interim Guidance
While the official key remains pending, many candidates have turned to memory-based question papers and unofficial answer keys circulated by various coaching institutes and subject experts. While these resources are useful for gauging an estimated score, officials advise students to treat these as preliminary references rather than final results.
Exam Format and Marking Scheme
The 2026 edition of the NEET PG introduced a significant change in the question paper structure. The number of questions was reduced from 200 to 180, with the total marks capped at 720. The marking scheme follows a standard objective format:
- Correct Answer: +4 marks
- Incorrect Answer: -1 mark
- Unattempted Question: 0 marks
Candidates can apply this scheme to their responses to derive a rough estimate of their performance.
Decoding the Tie-Breaking Criteria
In anticipation of high-scoring clusters, NBEMS has established a strict hierarchy for tie-breaking should two or more candidates achieve the same aggregate score. The criteria will be applied in the following order:
- Fewer overall incorrect answers.
- Fewer incorrect answers in Section A.
- Fewer incorrect answers in Sections B, C, D, and E (sequentially).
- Higher aggregate marks in MBBS professional examinations.
- Seniority by age.
Updates on Examination Logistics
The August 30 examination was a massive undertaking, covering 1,111 centers across 338 cities. While the majority of the 2.65 lakh registered candidates completed the process successfully, technical difficulties disrupted the proceedings at two examination centers in the Sitapura area of Jaipur due to a localized power failure.
To ensure fairness, the NBEMS has officially scheduled a re-examination for the 2,445 affected candidates. This make-up test is slated for September 5, 2026, at 3:00 PM in Jaipur.
For the remainder of the candidates, the focus now shifts to the official website for the upcoming release of the answer key. Candidates are encouraged to monitor the official portal regularly to avoid relying on unofficial projections when the final document is made available.
