NEET SS 2025: Registration (Soon), Exam Dates (December 27-28), Syllabus, Pattern, Cutoff

Some of the institutes don't accept NEET SS score for admission into DM/MCh courses. These institutes conduct their own entrance test for admission. The following Medical institutions are not covered for admission to DM/MCh courses through NEET-SS: 

• AIIMS, New Delhi and other AIIMS running super specialty programme
•  PGIMER, Chandigarh
•  JIPMER, Puducherry
• NIMHANS, Bengaluru
• Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology, Thiruvananthapuram

NEET SS stands for National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Super Speciality Courses). The entrance exam is conducted for providing admission into DM/ MCh courses. National Board of Examinations (NBE) conduct the exam once a year in computer-based mode. Candidates who have already completed their PG course can apply for the exam. It is a qualifying-cum-ranking examination for admission to super speciality courses. According to the official information brochure, qualifying NEET-SS is mandatory for entry to DM/MCh/DrNB Courses under various Universities/ Institutions in the country.

NEET SS is the single eligibility cum entrance examination for admission to Super Specialty Courses. Candidates who completed their post graduation (MD/MS) can apply for NEET SS entrance test. The exam is held once a year in computer-based mode. NEET SS is held for admission to following courses:

• All DM/MCh Courses in the country including all Private Medical Colleges/Institutions/Universities/Deemed Universities.

• All DM/MCh courses at Armed Forces Medical Services Institutions

• All DrNB Super-specialty Courses (except Direct 6 Years DrNB Courses

 According to the latest exam pattern of NEET SS, there are 150 multiple-choice questions, from broad speciality and super speciality course. There will be three time-bound sections of 50 minutes each, carrying 50 questions. The question paper is of 600 marks.  The question paper will consist of questions from the General/Basic component of the primary feeder broad specialty subject and from all sub-specialty/systems/component of that primary feeder broad specialty subject. All the 150 questions would be from the Curriculum of the Post Graduate Exit level of the primary feeder broad specialty subject. Candidates will get two-and-a-half hours to attempt the questions. 

The NEET SS exam has 15 course groups. Candidates have to select one or more groups while filling the NEET SS application form. The course groups are listed below:

• ENT
• Respiratory Medicine
• Obstetrics & Gynaecology
• Medical Oncology
• Orthopaedics
• Critical Care
• Medical
• Radiodiagnosis
• Microbiology
• Pathology
• Psychiatry
• Surgical
• Paediatric
• Anaesthesiology
• Pharmacology

The NEET SS exam is conducted for a window of two days, with two slots each day. Hence, the total number of slots in which the NEET SS exam is conducted is four. Each of the slots conducts different exam groups. The duration of the exam is 2.5 hours or 150 minutes. The table below brings the slot-wise timings of the NEET SS exam.

NEET SS Slot	Timings
Forenoon or Morning Slot	9 AM to 11.30 AM
Afternoon Slot	2 PM to 4.30 PM

There are a total of 15 groups which are covered in the NEET SS exam. These groups are divided into the four slots conducted over two days.

Yes, there is no age limit for the candidates appearing for NEET SS. Age limit is one of the eligibility criteria. Other important criteria is Candidate should possess a postgraduate degree (MD/MS/DNB/ Equivalent) from a recognised institution. The National Board of Examinations NBE will release an official information brochure, comprising important details such as eligibility criteria, exam pattern, application process etc. Candidates are advised to check the eligibility criteria before applying online for the exam.

For appearing in NEET SS aspirants require should hold a postgraduate degree (MD/MS/DNB) or any equivalent examination. Only those who will complete their postgraduate degree on or before April 30, 2026, will be eligible for NEET SS 2025. He/ she must be registered with the Medical Council of India or State Medical Council. Candidates need to score the minimum cut off percentile to qualify for the exam. The minimum qualifying cut off is 50 percentile. NEET SS 2025 result will be released online for candidates who appeared for the exam. NBE will upload NEET SS result 2025 for 15 super specialities or groups.

The duration of the NEET SS 2025 application process is expected to be three to four weeks. The exam will be conducted on December 27 and December 28, 2025. Hence, the application process is likely to begin in the fourth week of October 2025. Even though the NEET SS application dates remain unchanged, based on the student requests or other factors, the exam conducting authorities may decide to extend the last date of application. The application fee has to be paid by the last date to complete the process. Candidates have to complete the application process within the given deadline and not wait for NBE to extend the last date.    

The admission process for the NEET SS exam comprises registration and submission of the application form, appearing in the exam, scoring the minimum cutoff, and appearing in the counselling for seat allotment. Registration has to be done on the official website, nbe.edu.in. Thereafter, the exam will be held in computer-based mode. If you score the minimum cutoff, you will be participating in the counselling. NEET SS counselling involves registration, choice declaration, seat processing, seat allotment result, and reporting.

No, there is no category-wise variation in the NEET SS 2025 application fee. Irrespective of each category, candidates have to pay INR 3,500 for each course. The NEET SS application fee has to be paid in online mode only. 

There is no fixed syllabus for NEET SS. The questions can be asked from all the topics that have been covered during both, the undergraduate and postgraduate qualifications. However the subjects that need to be prepared will be limited to the feeder course and super speciality course selected by the candidate Paediatric Cardio thoracic Vascular Surgery Thoracic Surgery Cardio Vascular and Thoracic Surgery Vascular Surgery Hepato Pancreato Biliary Surgery Surgical Gastroenterology Paediatric Hepatology Paediatric Oncology Paediatric Nephrology Paediatric Cardiology Paediatric Gastroenterology Neonatology Paediatric and Neonatal Anaesthesia Organ Transplant Anaesthesia and Critical CareCardiac Anesthesia.

According to the NEET SS exam pattern, each correct answer has four marks, and each wrong answer leads to a negative marking of one mark. The following table shows the marking scheme of the NEET SS exam.

Response	Marks
Correct	+Four
Incorrect	-One
Unattempted	Zero

The total marks for the exam is 400.  

There are certain differences in the NEET SS demo test and the actual NEET SS exam. As NBEMS has introduced time-bound sections for NEET SS 2024, it has also provided a NEET SS demo test to help candidates get accustomed to the new pattern or structure. Unlike the actual exam, the total duration of the NEET SS demo test is 15 minutes, wherein five minutes is allotted to each section. The total number of questions in each section is five. Moreover, the questions of the NEET SS demo test are not as per the syllabus,   On the other hand, the NEET SS exam is of 150 minutes, duration carrying 150 questions from three sections, The section-wise duration in minutes and number of questions will be 50.  

NEET SS 2025 admit card will be released by NBE online, on the official website on the exam by the fourth week of December 2025, a few days before the exam day. Only those candidates who will apply successfully within the given deadline will be issued the admit card. It must be noted NBE doesn't send admit card to individual candidate and he/she have to download the hall ticket from the official website, nbe.edu.in. Candidates have to provide registration ID and password to download the admit card for NEET SS. Candidates have to paste passport size photograph on the admit card after download it. 

NEET SS admit card can be downloaded from the official website once it is released by NBE. Candidates can download the admit card any number of times from the official website till exam date. Candidates need to follow the steps given below to download NEET SS admit card:

• Go to the official website of NBE
• Select "NEET-SS"
• Select the "Applicant Login" under the links section
•  Enter user ID and password generated at the time of registration
•  Click on NEET SS admit card link
• Check the admit card of NEET SS for errors or spelling mistakes
• Download and save the admit card
• Print the NEET SS admit card

Yes, the NEET SS admit card will have important details, including the name and address of the exam centre. NBE will release admit cards on the official website and candidates will have to download it with login credentials. After downloading the admit card, the candidate has to paste a recent passport-sized photograph in the space provided on the NEET SS admit card. All the details given on the admit card must be checked once and if a candidate finds an error in any detail, he/she must inform the exam conducting body immediately.

Details mentioned on the NEET SS admit card 

• Name of the candidate
• NEET SS roll number
• Application number
• Name and address of the exam centre 
• Chosen Specialty
• Post-graduate qualification
• Date of the examination
• Reporting time
• Last entry to the examination hall
• Examination time

No. Candidates will have to score the minimum cutoff marks to qualify for NEET SS exam, which is 50 percentile. NBE prescribes the minimum qualifying cutoff for NEET SS along with the release of the result. Candidates will have to secure the minimum percentile or more to qualify for the exam.  Qualified candidates will be eligible to participate in the counselling process for seat allotment.

Candidates will have to visit the official website to check NEET SS 2025 result. It must be noted NBE will not send result to individual candidates. A separate result PDF will be released for each group of super speciality. Check the steps given below to download NEET SS 2025 result:

• Go to the official website of NBE-nbe.edu.in 
•  Select ‘NEET SS’ from the tabs given on the home page
• Select the result PDF for the respective super speciality course
•  Scroll through the list to find the NEET SS 2025 roll number
• Check the marks and rank obtained in the PDF
• Save the NEET SS 2025 result for future reference

No, candidates will have to download result for NEET SS from the official website of NBEMS. Result will be released in PDF format, comprising roll number, marks scored, and merit position. A separate result will be declared for each group. Candidates who qualify with the minimum cut off will be able to download the scorecard.

The total duration of the NEET SS counselling ranged for around three months. There will be three to four rounds of counselling. The total duration for each round is approximately 15 days. The number of rounds of NEET SS counselling varies depending on the vacant seats or revision in cutoff. 

As announced by the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC), there will be three rounds of NEET SS 2025 counselling. The average duration for each round of counselling is going to be around 15 days. The round-wise start and end dates of NEET SS 2024 counselling are given below. 

NEET SS 2024 Counselling Round	NEET SS 2024 Counselling Opening and Closing Dates
Round 1	May 13, 2025, to May 30, 2025
Round 2	June 2, 2025, to June 19, 2025
Round 3	July 24, 2025, to August 5, 2025

The total number of rounds or the duration may be changed depending on the seat vacancies and other external scenarios. 

Yes, it is important to register and fill choices for each round of the NEET SS counselling. The seat allotment result is computed based on the choices entered by the registered candidates. The seat allotment will be separate for each round and the seat matrix will also vary based on the vacancy. However, if a candidate has registered in a previous round, he/she need not register again. 

NEET SS or National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Super Speciality Courses) is conducted by the National Board of Education for admission to various DM/ M.Ch. Courses. It is a qualifying cum ranking examination for admission to super speciality courses. For appearing in NEET SS, aspirants should hold a postgraduate degree (MD/MS/DNB) or any equivalent examination. By qualifying the exam, candidates can take admission in speciality courses. According to the Indian Medical Council Act, 2016, no other entrance test is valid for admission to these courses. NEET SS is conducted annually in computer-based mode.

If you have spelt your name correctly in the application form of NEET SS and it is still misspelled on the admit card, he/she must contact the office of NBE to get it corrected. This is the reason candidates are advised to check all details on NEET SS admit card carefully after download. To correct the detail, candidates should email the exam conducting body immediately. while writing email for correction in NEET SS admit card, candidates should take care of following things:

• Be clear and concise in your communication with NBEMS
• Provide accurate and complete information in your request
• Be patient and allow time for NBEMS to process your request

No. NBE doesn't send NEET SS admit card on email. Candidates have to download the admit card from the official website, nbe.edu.in. Candidates are informed through SMS/Email alerts and website notice regarding availability of the admit card on the official website. Candidates do have to affix firmly their the latest passport size photograph in the space provided on the admit card. The photograph should be coloured with white backround. To download NEET SS admit card, candidates need to enter login ID and password. There is no fee involved to download admit card multiple times. 

The NEET SS 2024 exam was conducted on March 29 and March 30, 2025, in a window of two days and two slots. According to the test-takers, the difficulty level of the exam was moderate to tough. Those who attempted the exam for the first time found the difficulty level to be very tough. Those who appeared for the second or third time found the NEET SS 2024 difficulty level to be on the moderate to tough lines. Some courses such as Oncology, Critical Care Medicine, and Surgical Groups had higher difficulty levels as compared to other groups. 

No. Candidates can't carry stationary items such as pen, writing pad etc. They can carry only admit card and valid photo identity proof at exam centre. List of items which are debarred at NEET SS exam centre include:

• Any stationery item like textual material (printed or written), Pen Drives, Eraser, etc. 
• Any electronic device like mobile phone, Bbluetooth, earphones etc.
• All ornaments like bracelets, rind, earrings, Nose-pin
•  Other items like wallet, Goggles, Water Bottle etc.
• Any eatable item opened or packed, soft drinks, water bottle etc.

The NEET SS exam does not have a fixed syllabus. Usually, questions from medical course books are asked up to the postgraduate level. You are advised to read your course books to prepare for this exam. Other than course material, you can study the following books: 1. Harrison's textbook of Internal Medicine 2. NEET SS MCQ book by Deepak Marwah & Mudit Khanna 3. Schwartz's Principles of Surgery 4. R. Kumar's book named Clinical Methods in Medicine 5. Guyton and Hall's book named Textbook of Medical Physiology.

The following items will be prohibited from carrying to the NEET SS 2024 exam centre:

·         Any stationery item like textual material (printed or written), notes, plastic pouch, calculator, pen, writing pad, pen drives, eraser, etc.

·         Any electronic device like mobile phone, bluetooth, earphones, microphone, pager, wrist watch/health band/smart watch, calculator, electronic pen/scanner etc.

·         All ornaments like bracelets, ring, earrings, nose-pin, chain/ necklace, pendants, necklace with pendants, badge, brooch etc. Items carried due to religious beliefs, if any, shall only be permitted after thorough examination.

·         Other items like wallet, goggles, handbags, belt, cap, water bottle etc.

·         Any edible item opened or packed, soft drinks, water bottle etc.

·         Any other item which could be used for unfair means, for hiding communication devices like wireless/Bluetooth device, spy camera etc.

·         In case candidates need to carry medicines or a medical equipments, they must carry supportive medical documents such as prescriptions or reports.

The total duration of the NEET SS exam is 150 minutes or 2.5 hours. There is a sectional time limit of 50 minutes for each of the three sections. Hence, candidates have to manage the time accordingly to attempt as many number of questions as possible within this duration. There are 150 questions in total and 50 questions in each section. Hence, to attempt all the questions, test-takers will get one minute per question. Along with maintaining to speed to complete the NEET SS exam, candidates must also maintain accuracy to avoid losing marks since there is a negative marking scheme. 

No. National Board of Examinations NBE released application form online and it has to be submitted there only. The application process started with online registration. Registration could be done on the official website, nbe.edu.in. It must be noted offline and any other mode of application was not be accepted. NBE released the information brochure, explaining the whole process of application. Candidates were advised to read it carefully before applying for NEET SS exam.

Yes, NBE or the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences provides correction facility for NEET SS application form. There are two correction or edit windows provided only for those candidates who submit the application form on time by paying the requisite application fee. The first NEET SS application correction window is for making the basic changes in the application form, in the permitted fields. In the second and the final correction window of NEET SS, candidates are given the opportunity to correct the deficient or incorrect images or files uploaded, such as photograph, signature and thumb impression. Both the NEET SS application correction windows are provided for three days. 

The features of the NEET SS revised pattern, or the time-bound sections are as follows:

• Candidates will not be allowed to proceed to the next section till 50 minutes of the current section is ended.
• They will not be allowed to review questions or modify them after the 50 minutes of that particular section is concluded.
• Questions of the next section will automatically begin once the time of the current section is completed. 

The NEET SS Demo Test can be accessed by following the steps given below.

• Visit the official website of NEET SS – natboard.edu.in
• Click on NEET SS under the Examinations section
• Click on the Application tab
• Click on the link next to Demo Test 
• Click on Sign In
• Read the instructions and click on 'I Agree' checkbox
• Click on 'I am Ready to Begin' tab
• Click on the answer options and click on 'Save & Next'
• You may also click on 'Mark for Review' or 'Clear Responses' if you want to rethink or re-attempt the answer.

The NEET SS counselling is conducted approximately one month after the declaration of the result. As per the dates announced by MCC, the NEET SS 2024 counselling process was originally scheduled from May 13, 2025, to July 7, 2025. However, after the first two rounds, the third round was postponed. MCC released the dates for NEET SS 2024 counselling stray round or Round 3 on July 21, 2025. The counselling process was conducted from July 24 to August 5, 2025.