Government Enhances Technology-Driven Security for NEET-PG 2026

With NEET-PG 2026 scheduled for August 30, the Centre has intensified preparations to ensure the postgraduate medical entrance examination is conducted in a secure, transparent and technology-driven manner. Union Health Minister J P Nadda on Saturday reviewed the readiness of the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS), technology partners and other stakeholders, stressing that every aspect of the examination must uphold the highest standards of integrity while providing a smooth experience for candidates.

According to the Health Ministry, the examination will be held in a single shift across nearly 340 cities and more than 1,300 examination centres, with 2,73,183 candidates registered an increase of over 12.5 per cent compared to last year. During the review, officials briefed the minister on logistics, candidate facilitation measures, security protocols and technology-enabled interventions designed to strengthen the examination process.

Addressing concerns over examination irregularities, Nadda urged candidates to ignore rumours and fraudulent claims of question paper leaks, asserting that the final question paper is generated through a highly encrypted, time-bound process shortly before the examination begins. He emphasised that multiple technological and operational safeguards ensure complete confidentiality until the scheduled start of the test and advised aspirants to rely only on official communications from NBEMS and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.Several new measures have been introduced to improve both security and convenience. Candidates will now select three preferred states for test centres, with their home state as the mandatory first choice, while test city details will be shared nearly three weeks in advance. The examination format has also been revised to 180 questions in 210 minutes, providing more time per question.

To prevent impersonation and malpractice, Aadhaar-based verification, iris biometric authentication, CCTV surveillance, candidate frisking, signal jammers, dynamic computer allocation and live monitoring through command centres will be deployed. More than 60,000 examination personnel will oversee the conduct of the examination, while NBEMS has also launched a dedicated email channel for reporting impersonation, touting and other unfair practices. The comprehensive security framework reflects the government's effort to restore confidence in high-stakes medical entrance examinations by minimising the scope for irregularities and ensuring a fair evaluation process for all candidates.