NEET MDS 2026: Notification, Registration, Exam Dates, Pattern, Syllabus & Eligibility

National Eligibility cum Entrance Examination for MDS admissions 2026 ( NEET MDS )

Rupali
Rupali Pruthi
Deputy Manager - Editorial
Updated on Dec 2, 2025 15:55 IST
NEET MDS 2026 exam is expected to be conducted by the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) in April 2026. NBEMS is expected to announce the NEET MDS 2026 exam date, along with application form and information bulletin in February 2026.

NEET MDS 2026 notification will be released soon. The National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) is likely to conduct the NEET MDS exam in April 2026. The NEET MDS exam date 2026 will be released along with the application form and information bulletin in February 2026.

NEET MDS 2026

NEET MDS 2026

The National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences will soon release the notification for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test for Master of Dental Surgery (NEET MDS). The NBEMS, the exam conducting authority, is likely to announce the NEET MDS exam date by the second week of February 2026. The exam will be conducted in a computer-based mode for three hours, from 2 to 5 PM. There will be two time-bound sections of 75 minutes and 105 minutes. Around 30,000 students are likely to appear for the exam. 

The NEET MDS notification 2026 will be displayed along with the information bulletin at nbe.edu.in. The notification informs about the dates, eligibility, form submission, exam pattern, subjects and syllabus. Candidates need to go through the bulletin before applying online for the exam. The NEET MDS application form 2026 will be released with the notification. The NEET MDS is the entrance exam for admissions to all the postgraduate dental courses offered by dental colleges in India. Read further to know more about the MDS exam 2026.

Q:   What is the NEET MDS exam pattern?
A:

NEET MDS is a computer-based exam of three hours duration with two time-bound sections. Part A was for 75 minutes and had 100 questions. Part B had 140 questions to be solved in105 minutes. The timing of the exam was 2 PM to 5 PM. There were a total of 240 objective-type multiple-choice questions (MCQs) from the NEET MDS syllabus. Each question has four marks and there will be negative marking of one mark for each wrong answer. The following table brings the overview and structure of the NEET MDS exam pattern. 

NEET MDS Pattern 2025
Mode of the examinationOnline
Medium of the examinationEnglish only
Duration of the examination3 hours
Type of questionsObjective type
Total number of questions240
Negative marking25% negative marking for incorrect answers

The NEET MDS 2025 exam pattern has been revised from last year. 

Q:   Will there be negative marking in NEET MDS?
A:

Yes, the pattern of NEET MDS clearly states that penalty marks will be deducted for incorrect answers. Each correct answer will fetch four marks and for each wrong answer, there will be negative marking of one mark. Hence, the negative marking applied in the NEET MDS exam is 25 per cent. No marks will be awarded or deducted for unattempted questions. 

Q:   Has there been any change in the NEET MDS exam pattern this year?
A:

NBEMS has announced a change in the NEET MDS exam pattern and structure. There will be a time-bound sectional demarcation of questions for NEET MDS. There will be two sections, Part A and Part B, of 75 minutes and 105 minutes duration respectively. The total number of questions is 240. In Part A, candidates have to attempt 100 questions, and in Part B, there will be 140 questions. Candidates will not be able to move between two sections unless the time is over. They will have to first complete Part A for 75 minutes, after which the section will automatically switch to Part B. 

Table of contents
  • NEET MDS 2026 Overview
  • NEET MDS Eligibility 2026
  • NEET MDS Exam Dates 2025
  • NEET MDS Exam Pattern 2026
  • NEET MDS 2026 Syllabus
  • NEET MDS 2026 Application Process
  • NEET MDS 2026 Exam Cities
  • NEET MDS 2026 Admit Card
  • NEET MDS 2026 Result
  • NEET MDS 2026 Cutoff
  • NEET MDS 2026 Counselling
View More

NEET MDS 2026 Overview

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The table below brings the highlights of the NEET MDS exam.

Event

Detail

Exam name

National Eligibility Entrance Test for Master's of Dental Surgery 

Conducting body

NBE

Exam level

Postgraduate Exam at the National level

Exam frequency

Once a year

Mode of exam

Computer-based test

Courses offered

MDS/PG Diploma in Dental

Exam fees

INR 3,500 (Unreserved category)

INR 2,500 (Reserved category)

Exam duration

3 hours

Exam timing

2 PM to 5 PM

Total marks

960

Total questions

240

Marking scheme

 4 marks for right answer

-1 for each wrong answer

Language

English

Participating colleges

274

Test cities

59 

Total seats

6,501

Official website

nbe.edu.in

Contact details

Helpline Number - 799 6165 3333

Email - mail@natboard.edu.in

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The NEET MDS eligibility is shared below-

  • Candidates must have a Bachelor of Dental Surgery from a University/ Institute recognised by the DCI.
  • They must be registered with the DCI or the State Dental Council.
  • They must have completed 12 months of compulsory rotatory internship on or before the date specified by NBE.
  • Candidates need to complete the internship before the cutoff date.

NEET MDS Exam Dates 2025

The complete schedule, or the NEET MDS 2026 dates, will be announced by NBE along with the notification. The table below brings the tentative NEET MDS exam dates for 2026.

Events

Tentative Dates

Registrations open

Second week of February 2026

Last date to submit the application form

Fourth week of February 2026

Edit window

First week of March 2026

Final correction window to rectify images

Third week of March 2026

Admit card to be issued 

First week of April 2026

Exam date

Third week of April 2026

Result

Third week of May 2026

NEET MDS Exam Pattern 2026

The NEET MDS 2026 exam pattern is likely to remain the same as last year. Last year, NBE introduced time-bound sections. The test will be conducted for three hours. There will be 240 multiple-choice objective-type questions. The sections are Part A and Part B, of 75 minutes and 105 minutes’ duration, respectively. The number of questions in Part A and Part B is 100 and 140, respectively. Have a look at the pattern below-

Q:   Was there any change in the NEET MDS 2025?
A:

The National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) released the complete notification or information bulletin for NEET MDS 2025. There is no specific change in this year's NEET MDS. The number of exam cities has increased from 56 to 59. Apart from that, the change in NEET MDS 2025 is in terms of the exam date, which was originally on January 31, but has now been postponed to April 19, 2025.  The NEET MDS 2025 exam structure has been revised. The two sections will be time-bound for 75 minutes with 100 questions and 105 minutes with 140 questions.

Subjects

Number of Questions

Part A

100

General Anatomy- embryology and histology

14

General Human Physiology and Biochemistry

14

Dental Anatomy, Embryology & Oral Histology

14

General Pathology and Microbiology

14

General and Dental Pharmacology and Therapeutics

14

General Medicine

15

General Surgery

15

Part B

140

Dental Materials

14

Oral Pathology and Oral Microbiology

14

Oral Medicine and Radiology

14

Pedodontics and Preventive Dentistry

14

Orthodontics & Dentofacial Orthopedics

14

Periodontology

14

Prosthodontics and Crown & Bridge

14

Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics

14

Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery

14

Public Health Dentistry

14

Grand Total (Part A + Part B)

240

NEET MDS 2026 Exam Structure

The table brings the NEET MDS 2026 exam structure as per the time-bound sections.

Section

Number of Questions

Duration (in minutes)

Part A

100

75

Part B

140

105

NEET MDS 2026 Marking

The NEET MDS marking process is given in the table below.

Type of response

Marks awarded

Correct response

+4

Incorrect response

-1

Unanswered 

0

NEET MDS 2026 Syllabus

The NEET MDS syllabus is in line with the BDS curriculum. It contains subjects from Anatomy, Surgery, to Pathology. There will be a total of 17 subjects.

NEET MDS 2026 Application Process

The NEET MDS application form will be released by NBE in online mode. The process to register and apply for is given below.

How to Register for NEET MDS 2026

Candidates will have to use the process given below to register for NEET MDS 2026.

  • Go to www.nbe.edu.in.
  • Click on NEET-MDS.
  • In the Links section, click on New Registration
  • Enter the given details- 
    • Name of Candidate
    • Date of Birth
    • Gender 
    • Nationality
    • Mobile Number
    • Email Address
    • Captcha
  • Check the details for errors.
  • Click on Submit.
  • User ID and password will be sent to the registered email ID and mobile number.

How to fill NEET MDS 2026 Application Form

The NEET MDS 2025 application form needs to be filled as per the process shared below-

  • Log in by clicking on the Applicant Login section.
  • Enter the user ID and password.
  • Click on Go to application form.
  • Enter personal, academic, internship, and registration details.
  • Choose the desired NEET MDS test centre city.
  • Upload documents such as a photograph, signature, thumb impression or other documents.
  • Pay the application fee through Credit Card, Debit Card or Net Banking.

The table below shows the category-wise NEET MDS 2026 application fee.

Category

Application fee In INR

General

3,500

Other Backward Classes

3,500

Scheduled Caste/ Scheduled Tribe

2,500

PWD

2,500

NEET MDS 2026 Exam Cities

It is likely that the NEET MDS 2026 exam cities are going to be located in around 60 cities across India. Last year, the total number of exam cities was increased from 56 to 59. 

NEET MDS 2026 Admit Card

The NEET MDS 2026 admit card will be released in the first week of April 2026. The hall ticket must be carried to the exam centre, without which test takers will not be allowed entry. It contains information about the exam taker, centre, and instructions. 

NEET MDS 2026 Result

The result is likely to be released in the third week of May 2026. The NEET MDS result will be declared in an online mode on the exam portal. A merit list will also be released along with the scorecard. The NEET MDS 2026 scorecard has to be downloaded by logging in. The NEET MDS result 2026 will release information such as candidates’ marks, percentile, and All India Rank.

NEET MDS 2026 Cutoff

The NEET MDS 2026 cutoff will be released along with the result. Cutoff refers to the minimum marks or percentile a candidate has to obtain to qualify for the exam. The NEET MDS cutoff varies as per the candidate category. The table brings the category-wise cutoff.

Category

NEET MDS Cutoff Percentile

General and EWS

50th Percentile

SC/ ST/ OBC (PwBD of SC, ST, OBC)

40th Percentile

General PWBD

45th Percentile

Various factors determine the cutoff, such as the toughness level, the number of test takers, number of seats, among others. The actual cutoff marks will be provided along with the NEET MDS 2026 result. Last year, the cutoff was reduced by 19.863 percentiles for each category.

NEET MDS 2026 Counselling

The NEET MDS 2026 counselling will be conducted by the Medical Counselling Committee. The NEET MDS counselling process will begin around a month after the result declaration. It is likely that the counselling may start by June 2026.

There will be around three to four rounds of counselling. For each round, MCC will release a separate seat matrix and conduct the registration and choice filling processes. Based on the choices entered, seats will be allotted to candidates. The state counselling authorities will conduct separate processes for State Quota seats.

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About the Author
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Rupali Pruthi
Deputy Manager - Editorial

With MA in English, Rupali has more than 15 years of editorial experience. At Shiksha.com, a subsidiary of Info Edge (India) Limited, she creates content and make prep guides for students preparing for competitive e

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