The NEET PG syllabus is the entire MBBS curriculum prescribed by the NMC (and, before it, the Medical Council of India), from first year anatomy to final year medicine, surgery and obstetrics. NBEMS does not issue a separate chapter list; any topic you met during MBBS can appear.
What has changed is the paper around it. The latest information bulletin moved to 180 questions in place of 200, still within three and a half hours, split into five time bound sections. Below you will see the pattern, the subjects arranged by MBBS phase, and a six month schedule that fits around duty hours.
Exam at a glance
Conducted by
National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS)Purpose
Admission to MD, MS and PG diploma seatsMode
Computer based test, in English onlyQuestions
180 MCQs with four options each (latest bulletin)Time
3 hours 30 minutes, in five sections of 42 minutesMarking
+4 correct, minus 1 wrong, 0 unansweredEligibility
MBBS with registration and internship completed by the cut off date in the bulletinOfficial website
NEET PG exam pattern in the latest bulletin
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Questions | 180 multiple choice, one best answer out of four |
| Sections | Five (A to E), 36 questions each |
| Time per section | 42 minutes |
| Total time | 3 hours 30 minutes |
| Maximum marks | 720 (180 x 4) |
| Negative marking | 1 mark deducted per incorrect answer |
| Language | English |
The sections are locked. Once you finish a section early or its 42 minutes run out, the screen moves ahead and that block stays closed for good. Questions you mark for review are still evaluated, so a marked guess counts the same as any other answer.
Subjects in the NEET PG syllabus
The syllabus spans 19 subjects. Students usually group them by MBBS phase.
Pre-clinical (first professional year)
- Anatomy
- Physiology
- Biochemistry
Para-clinical (second professional year)
- Pathology
- Pharmacology
- Microbiology
- Forensic Medicine
- Social and Preventive Medicine (Community Medicine)
Clinical (final year and internship)
- General Medicine, with Dermatology and Venereology, and Psychiatry
- General Surgery, with Orthopaedics, Anaesthesia and Radiodiagnosis
- Obstetrics and Gynaecology
- Paediatrics
- Otorhinolaryngology (ENT)
- Ophthalmology
Counting the allied subjects separately gives the 19 subjects commonly cited for NEET PG.
How questions are spread across subjects
NBEMS has not published an official subject wise map for the 180 question format, and the five sections are not divided by subject. Figures you may see online for subject wise counts were built for the older 200 question paper and do not add up cleanly for the new one, so do not plan on them.
What students consistently report is that the large clinical subjects (Medicine, Surgery, Obstetrics and Gynaecology) together with Pathology, Pharmacology and Community Medicine supply a big share of questions, and that many questions are clinical vignettes which test two or three subjects at once. A case of a pregnant woman with anaemia, for example, can draw on physiology, pathology, pharmacology and obstetrics.
High yield areas within each phase
- Anatomy: brachial and lumbosacral plexus injuries, neuroanatomy tracts, embryology of the heart and gut
- Physiology and Biochemistry: cardiac cycle, renal handling of sodium, enzyme defects in metabolic disorders, vitamins
- Pathology: neoplasia, haematology, inflammation, systemic pathology of kidney and liver
- Pharmacology: autonomic drugs, antimicrobials, anticancer agents, adverse effects
- Community Medicine: national health programmes, biostatistics, epidemiology, vaccines and cold chain
- Clinical: standard treatment guidelines, emergency management, image based questions (X rays, ECGs, fundus photographs, instruments)
Treatment guidelines and national programmes keep getting updated, so take Community Medicine and clinical management from current official sources rather than old notes.
A six month revision plan
- Months 1 to 3: First full pass of all 19 subjects, the large subjects in two to three weeks each, short subjects in five to seven days. Close every subject with 50 to 100 MCQs.
- Months 4 and 5: Second, faster revision with your own short notes. Start one grand test a week under the five section timing.
- Month 6: Two grand tests a week, review every mistake, and revise images, tables and drug lists daily.
Eligibility in brief
You need an MBBS degree or provisional MBBS pass certificate recognised under the National Medical Commission Act, a permanent or provisional registration with the NMC or a state medical council, and completion of the one year rotatory internship by the cut off date notified in the bulletin. No upper age limit is mentioned in the NBEMS criteria. Check the current bulletin for the exact internship date, which changes every cycle.
After the result, seats are filled through counselling: the all India quota and deemed universities through the central MCC (Medical Counselling Committee) process, while state quota seats go through state counselling bodies. Read about scores and ranks on the NEET PG cut off page.
Books and sources
Your MBBS standard textbooks remain the foundation, with a single set of concise review notes per subject for quick revision. If NBEMS offers a demo test on its website, sit it once so the exam screen holds no surprises. Keep the national programme guidelines from official health ministry sources for Community Medicine. For the undergraduate entrance that started it all, see the NEET syllabus, and nurses can compare the NORCET syllabus.
Frequently asked questions
Is there an official syllabus of NEET PG?
NBEMS says the exam follows the MBBS curriculum laid down by the NMC and the erstwhile Medical Council of India. It does not publish a topic by topic list, so the MBBS curriculum is the syllabus for NEET PG.
How many questions are in NEET PG now?
The latest information bulletin set 180 multiple choice questions, down from 200, with the time unchanged at 3 hours 30 minutes. That gives about 70 seconds a question.
What is the marking scheme?
Four marks for a correct answer, minus one for an incorrect answer and zero for a question left blank. Questions marked for review are counted under the same rule.
Can I go back to an earlier section?
No. Each of the five sections has its own 42 minute window and closes when you move on or time runs out.
Will I be too old for NEET PG at some point?
The NBEMS eligibility criteria mention no maximum age. What matters is your MBBS, registration and internship completion by the notified date.
Which subjects should I start with?
Many students begin with the large subjects they find hardest, such as Medicine or Pathology, while energy is high, and fit short subjects like ENT and Ophthalmology between them. Whatever order you choose, finish the first pass of all subjects before you start full grand tests.