NEET PG 2026 cutoff lowest in six years: what it means for MD/MS aspirants

The National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) declared the NEET PG 2026 results and qualifying cutoff marks on September 24, 2026. This year’s qualifying cutoffs are the lowest recorded in the past six years, impacting eligibility for MD/MS/DNB programmes across India.

For General and EWS candidates, the NEET PG 2026 cutoff stands at 262 marks (50th percentile), a decrease of 14 marks from the 2025 cutoff of 276. This decline is observed across all categories, with the General-PwBD cutoff at 244 marks (45th percentile) and the SC/ST/OBC cutoff at 226 marks (40th percentile).

Factors Contributing to the Lower NEET PG 2026 Cutoff

The reduction in qualifying cutoff marks for NEET PG 2026 is attributed to several factors, including a change in the maximum marks structure, the perceived difficulty level of the examination paper, and ongoing efforts by medical education bodies to address vacant MD/MS seats. The maximum marks for NEET PG 2026 were reduced to 720, down from 800 in previous years, while the qualifying percentile thresholds (50th, 45th, 40th) remained unchanged.

Dr. Dhruv Chauhan noted that the qualifying score is influenced by the difficulty level of the exam, candidate performance, score distribution, the total number of candidates, and the availability of postgraduate seats. Gaurav Bhagat highlighted that more than 18,000 PG seats remained unfilled in the previous counselling cycle, suggesting a potential reason for the lower cutoffs. Dr. Rohan Krishnan of FAIMA Doctors Association stated that many MBBS graduates enter NEET-PG preparation without a strong conceptual foundation, which could contribute to lower candidate performance.

Comparison with Previous Years’ Cutoffs

The NEET PG 2026 cutoff of 262 marks for General/EWS candidates represents a significant decline when compared to previous years. This year’s cutoff is 14 marks lower than the 2025 cutoff of 276 and 40 marks lower than the 2021 cutoff of 302. Similarly, the General-PwBD cutoff of 244 marks is 39 marks lower than the 2021 cutoff of 283, and the SC/ST/OBC cutoff of 226 marks is also 39 marks lower than the 2021 cutoff of 265.

It is noted that the initial qualifying score of 302 in 2021 was after that revised down to 247. The 2024 examination was an outlier, as NBEMS reported only percentile-based cutoffs without publishing absolute marks, making direct year-on-year comparison difficult for that specific year.

Transparency Measures and Next Steps

In a new development, the NBEMS will release the NEET PG answer key and candidates’ recorded responses for the first time, following directions from the Supreme Court for greater transparency. The answer key will be made available on or after October 1, 2026. Individual NEET PG 2026 scorecards will also be accessible for download from October 1, 2026, and will remain available for six months.

The NEET PG 2026 examination was conducted on August 30, 2026, with a re-examination for affected candidates due to power failure held on September 5, 2026. For State Quota seats, respective States and Union Territories will prepare final and category-wise merit lists. The NEET PG 2026 registration process is likely to have commenced in the first week of April 2026.

Further reading

• NEET PG 2026 result out; MCC to conduct counselling for 50% AIQ seats
• Karnataka NEET PG counselling: Bangalore, Mysore MD cutoffs for previous year released
• NEET PG counselling: rounds, dates and seat allotment Next step
• INI CET July 2026 session online seat allocation schedule released
• FMGE October 2026 registration closes today: apply by 11:55 PM
• Ladakh Central Pool MBBS/BDS: Apply by Sep 10 for 2026-27 single merit list Applications open

Written by Nishit Kumar

Nishit Kumar is a senior EdTech industry leader with over a decade of experience in building and scaling education platforms, shaping their product, content, and growth strategy. At FindMyCollege, Nishit oversees content and editorial strategy, guiding topic selection and content frameworks to ensure accuracy, relevance, and student-first value across the website.

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