NEET-PG aspirants are worried about delay in registration, cancellation of NEET-UG

Students after appearing for NEET exam in Vijayawada. File | Photo credit: KVS Giri

While stress is mounting for students preparing for the NEET-UG resit exam, those preparing for the NEET-PG exam, which is scheduled for August 30, are in a similar situation.

Their concerns stem from the delays of the past two years. The National Eligibility Test for Postgraduate Students (NEET-PG) conducted by the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) has been repeatedly postponed in 2024 and 2025.

In 2024, the exam was rescheduled three times before it took place on August 11, with the latest postponement coming just hours before the June 23 date. In 2025, it was held on August 3 after one postponement.

Already under a cloud of uncertainty, students received another shock when NEET-UG was canceled following a paper leak. “Last year, when we were all set to write the exam, we came to know that the exam was postponed. The information came around midnight, a few hours before the exam was to begin,” says Prateek, who completed an MBBS-equivalent course in Kyrgyzstan.

After his internship in May 2024, he spent two years making repeated visits from his hometown in Srikakulam to the AP Medical Council (APMC) in Vijayawada for permanent registration, without which a foreign medical graduate cannot practice or continue his studies. After protests, requests and further visits, he received registration in May 2026.

“While the previous two attempts were only for practice, I was pinning all my hopes on the upcoming exam,” he says, adding that he had already wasted two years of delay by the APMC and could not afford to waste any more time.

Another student, Bhushan, from Vijayawada and now preparing for the exam in Hyderabad, says his anxiety has increased after news of the NEET-UG paper leak, making it difficult for him to concentrate.

The exam date is approaching but the registration date has not yet been announced, adding to their worries.

“Earlier, the exam was held in June-July and the admission process would be over by the end of January. But last year, students who secured seats in the first round of counseling joined the class till the end of January,” says Prateek, hoping that this year’s admission process will go ahead without any delays.

Published – 19 Jun 2026 13:54 IST