NEW DELHI: After scores of NEET-PG students flagged receiving wrong city intimation, some as far as 2,000 km away, the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) acknowledged that the mistake was due to “some technical issues.”
Hundreds of NEET-PG aspirants took to social media late last night about receiving messages via sms about their exam city centre in far-flung areas.
Some flagged that those who opted for exam centres in north India were instead allotted centres in south and vice versa.
One NEET-PG aspirant from Kashmir said that he had given Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab and Delhi as his three choices, but was instead allotted a centre in Hyderabad. Another from Bihar shared a picture of his sms which stated his exam centre is in Tamil Nadu.
As more and more complaints poured in, the NBEMS, which conducts the national-level exam for admission to postgraduate medical programs (MD, MS, and PG Diploma) across India, quickly clarified that “due to some technical issues, the test city informed some candidates through SMS was incorrect. SMS and Emails indicating the correct test city allotted have since been sent to all concerned candidates.”
The Board said that the correct details of the test city are also published in the applicant portal of all candidates on the NBEMS website.
“Candidates may note that the Test City displayed in their application portal is final. Candidates are therefore advised to make their travel and other necessary arrangements accordingly.”
The Board also informed candidates to rely on the official website of NBEMS www.natboard.edu.in, official NBEMS WhatsApp channel, official handle @NBEMS_Official at ‘X’ for official updates related to the National Eligibility-cum Entrance Test for Postgraduate (NEET-PG) exam scheduled for August 30.
However, as some shared that their exam centre is out of India, NBEMS said, “Please be advised to exercise due caution and refrain from posting or circulating any false, incorrect or misleading information regarding NEET-PG 2026 on social media platforms. Any such act may attract appropriate action under the applicable provisions of law.”
It also announced that the selective edit window has been extended till August 15 (11:55 PM) to enable NEET-PG 2026 candidates to upload their photographs, signatures and/or thumb impressions in their applications as per prescribed Image Upload Instructions.
In a late-night post, FAIMA Doctors Association said they have received multiple reports of mismatched test city information - SMSes from NBEMS mentioning different random cities across India, while the official candidate portal is showing the local/allotted city.
“This has created unnecessary panic among aspirants who may need to arrange travel and accommodation…Aspirants need clarity, not confusion,” they said.
In a X post, Dr Jaswant Singh, Chief Advisor, FAIMA, India, said, “Dear NBEMS, answer this: Why do your “technical glitches” repeatedly happen to candidates -especially NEET PG /FMGs? Test cities are changed without proper justification. Candidates get centres in cities they never opted for - or even cities where the requested centre isn’t available. You admit some errors, yet candidates continue to suffer. If these are genuine mistakes, why do they keep repeating? And if you can admit one mistake, why not acknowledge the rest?
“FMGs cannot be treated as second-class candidates. Your system failed. Your mistakes affected students. So why should students pay the price? NBEMS must accept responsibility, ensure transparency, and provide fair relief to every candidate affected by its failures—enough of excuses. We demand accountability,” he posted.
Dr Dhruv Chauhan, national spokesperson, Indian Medical Association, Junior Doctor Network (IMA-JDN), in a post on X, said, “Another Scam with Students in the country in a National Exam Again with NEET PG aspirants this time. Students are given different exam centres from their choice, with different messages on contact and different ones on their application login. Can’t a single exam be conducted without any discrepancies? Or do we need to protest merely for conducting an Exam every year?
A total of 2,73,183 candidates have successfully registered for NEET-PG 2026, an increase of more than 12.5 per cent over the previous year. The examination will be conducted in a single shift across approximately 340 cities and more than 1,300 examination centres, with over 60,000 examination functionaries deployed to ensure its smooth conduct.
This time, key changes were announced for the smooth conduct of the exam. This time, aspirants were allowed to choose three preferred examination centres, with their allotted test location to be communicated nearly three weeks before the exam.
The examination pattern has also been rationalised to 180 questions to be answered in 210 minutes.
