NBEMS declared the NEET PG 2026 result on September 24, 2026, following the exam held on August 30. But here’s the part that trips up first-timers every year: the result and the merit list are not the same document, and confusing the two costs candidates real time during counselling.
The Cut-Off Marks (Out of 720)
Qualifying cut-offs this year: 262 marks for General and EWS, 244 for General-PwBD, and 226 for SC/ST/OBC including PwBD candidates. For context, AIR 1 scored 641 out of 720, so there’s a massive spread between “qualified” and “competitive.”
The honest reality here: crossing 262 doesn’t put you anywhere near a good seat. It just means the door to counselling is open.
Qualifying vs. Merit List
A lot of candidates assume “I cleared the cut-off, so I’m on the merit list, so I’ll get a seat somewhere.” That’s only half true.
- The result is simply your raw score and All India Rank, published roll-number wise.
- The merit list is the ranked, category-adjusted list used specifically for seat allotment in counselling, separate for AIQ (All India Quota, run by MCC) and each State Quota (run by respective state authorities).
So your score card confirms you qualified. Your position on the actual merit list depends on category, reservation, quota choice, and which counselling body you’re registering under. Two candidates with identical marks can land completely different ranks once state or category-specific merit lists are drawn up and that’s not an error, that’s how reservation-adjusted merit works.
How to Check the Result on the Official Site
- Go to natboard.edu.in or nbe.edu.in.
- Open the NEET PG 2026 Result link on the homepage.
- Search your roll number in the published PDF (results are listed in ascending roll-number order, not rank order).
- Note your raw score and AIR.
- Save the PDF; individual scorecards and the official answer key only go live on natboard.edu.in from October 1, 2026 — the result PDF released now is not your final scorecard.
How to Check the Merit List
The merit list isn’t on NBEMS and it’s published separately once counselling registration opens:
- AIQ seats: MCC website (mcc.nic.in)
- State quota / private seats: your respective state’s DME/DGME or medical counselling authority portal
Register, fill choices, and the category-wise provisional merit list appears against your application number, not your NEET roll number. That single detail (application number vs. roll number) is where a surprising number of otherwise sharp candidates lose 20 minutes.
Uncommon Scenarios and Hidden Realities
- The Jaipur exception: a power failure at two Jaipur centres forced a re-exam on September 5 for the affected candidates, separate from the main sitting on August 30. Their scores are normalized before merging into the same merit list which is technically fair, practically confusing if you were one of the affected candidates comparing raw numbers with friends who sat the original exam.
- Cut-offs can move. NBE and health authorities can revise the qualifying cut-off if too few candidates clear it initially yet this has happened before in NEET PG history. So a published cut-off isn’t always the final word until counselling actually starts.
- Percentile, not just marks, decides the real cut-off as NBEMS sets cut-offs as a percentile of qualified candidates, and the corresponding mark (262/244/226 this year) is simply what that percentile translates to. That’s why the number shifts slightly year to year even with a similar exam pattern.
- Six-month expiry: scorecards remain downloadable for only six months from release, so please download and archive yours the day it’s live, not “whenever convenient.”
The takeaway: don’t stop at “did I clear the cut-off.” Confirm your AIR, wait for the actual scorecard on October 1, and track the correct merit list portal for your quota as NBEMS gives you the score, but someone else decides your seat.