NEET PG 2026 cutoff out: qualifying marks and percentiles released

In short

The National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) released the NEET PG 2026 cutoff marks, results, and ranks on September 24, 2026.
The qualifying cutoff for General and EWS candidates is 262 marks (50th percentile) out of a total of 720 marks.
General PwBD candidates require 244 marks (45th percentile) to qualify for the 2026-27 academic session.
SC, ST, and OBC candidates, including PwBD candidates from these categories, need 226 marks (40th percentile).
Individual scorecards and answer keys for NEET PG 2026 will be available from October 1, 2026.

The National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) released the NEET PG 2026 cutoff marks, results, and ranks on September 24, 2026. These cutoffs determine the minimum eligibility for admission to postgraduate medical courses for the 2026-27 academic session.

The NEET PG 2026 examination, which has a total of 180 questions and 720 marks, was conducted with a duration of 3 hours and 30 minutes. The marking scheme for the exam awards +4 marks for each correct answer, deducts -1 mark for each wrong answer, and assigns 0 marks for unanswered questions.

NEET PG 2026 Category-Wise Qualifying Marks

The qualifying cutoff marks for NEET PG 2026 vary across different candidate categories. General and EWS candidates are required to secure a minimum of 262 marks, corresponding to the 50th percentile. For General PwBD candidates, the cutoff is set at 244 marks, which is the 45th percentile.

Candidates belonging to SC, ST, and OBC categories, including PwBD candidates within these categories, need to achieve 226 marks, aligning with the 40th percentile. These qualifying scores are essential for candidates to proceed to the subsequent admission process.

Category	Minimum Qualifying Percentile	NEET PG 2026 Cutoff Marks (out of 720)
General/EWS	50th percentile	262
General PwBD	45th percentile	244
SC/ST/OBC	40th percentile	226
SC/ST/OBC PwBD	40th percentile	226

Understanding Qualifying Cutoff vs. Admission Cutoff

The released qualifying cutoff determines a candidate’s minimum eligibility for the admission process but does not guarantee admission to a specific postgraduate medical seat. The actual admission cutoff, or closing score/rank for a particular MD, MS, or DNB seat, is influenced by several factors.

These factors include the candidate’s NEET PG rank, category, chosen speciality, medical college, quota (All India Quota or state quota), number of available seats, candidate preferences during counselling, the specific counselling round, and the overall competition among candidates. The difficulty level of the examination and the number of candidates appearing also play a role in shaping the admission cutoff.

Particular	Qualifying Cutoff	Admission Cutoff
Meaning	Minimum marks required to qualify	Score/rank at which a particular seat is allotted
Basis	Prescribed percentile and corresponding marks	Counselling closing rank/score
Applies to	Candidates seeking to qualify for counselling	Candidates competing for specific seats
Depends on	Category and qualifying percentile	College, speciality, category, quota, seats and round
Does it guarantee admission?	No	Reflects the level at which admission was secured

Next Steps for Candidates

Following the declaration of results on September 24, 2026, candidates who meet the prescribed qualifying criteria can proceed with the applicable counselling process. Individual scorecards and answer keys will be made available for download from October 1, 2026, on the official portal, natboard.edu.in.

Candidates are advised to check their NEET PG 2026 result and rank, download their scorecard, and then register for the relevant counselling process. This involves filling in preferred courses and colleges and locking choices within the stipulated schedule. The state quota merit list will be prepared by the respective States and Union Territories, not by NBEMS.

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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