NEET PG 2026 evaluation: Calls for transparency grow, Doctors' body raises exam security concerns
New Delhi: Amid concerns raised by NEET PG 2026 candidates over alleged discrepancies between their expected and actual scores, doctors have called for greater transparency in the examination and evaluation process.
The concerns emerged after the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) declared the NEET PG 2026 result on September 24. Medical Dialogues had reported that several candidates on social media platform X claimed that their actual scores do not match the number of correct answers they calculated based on question recall. This also includes claims of discrepancies of nearly 100 marks between their expected and actual scores.
Subsequently, medical students' associations demanded the release of the official question paper, answer key and individual response sheets, saying these would allow them to independently verify their responses and marks.
All India Medical Students' Association (AIMSA) J&K President Dr Mohammad Momin Khan told Medical Dialogues that he had been receiving more than 100 direct messages from candidates regarding alleged discrepancies in their results.
"Our demand is straightforward: complete transparency in the evaluation process," Dr Momin said. He said candidates should be given access to the official question paper, official answer key, their recorded responses and question-wise marks so that each candidate can independently verify how their score was calculated.
"For an examination affecting the careers of thousands of doctors, transparency should not be a demand; it should be the standard," he said.
Dr Prince Jain, State President, IMA-MSN Madhya Pradesh, also highlighted the demand for greater transparency in the NEET PG examination process.
At the same time, Dr Rohan Krishnan, Chief Patron of Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA), told Medical Dialogues that the issue needs to be considered from two separate perspectives: transparency in evaluation and protection of examination security.
He said, "The first is the demand for release of the NEET-PG question paper and answer key. We have to understand that NEET-PG operates within a relatively limited question bank, while the number of candidates appearing for the examination continues to increase every year. Releasing the complete question paper publicly may compromise the confidentiality and integrity of the question bank and could potentially affect the security of future examinations. Therefore, there is a genuine rationale behind the existing practice of not publicly releasing the question paper. The second issue is individual response sheets. I believe that every candidate should have reasonable access to his or her own response sheet, wherever feasible, so that the candidate can understand how their responses were evaluated. However, sharing one candidate’s response sheet with another candidate would raise legitimate concerns regarding privacy and confidentiality. A candidate’s individual examination data should not be made publicly accessible without appropriate safeguards."
Further, he added, "At the same time, fairness, transparency and accountability in the examination process are extremely important. Candidates should have confidence that the evaluation process is accurate, consistent and free from any ambiguity. If there are genuine concerns regarding particular questions or answers, there should be an appropriate mechanism for raising and addressing those concerns. Therefore, rather than unnecessarily putting pressure on the National Board for things that may compromise examination security or candidate privacy, we should focus on practical measures that improve transparency without affecting the integrity of the examination system. The objective should be transparency with safeguards—not transparency at the cost of examination security or individual privacy. At present, I believe the existing system should be strengthened wherever necessary, rather than being unnecessarily disrupted."
Meanwhile, Dr Amit Vyas, National Chief and President, Democratic Medical Association (DMA) said, "NBEMS should provide candidates with question-wise correct answers, recorded responses and marks awarded, as scheduled from October 1. The evaluation methodology and normalization, wherever applicable, should be clearly explained. Candidates must have a meaningful opportunity to independently verify their scores. Any genuine discrepancy, if established through the official records, should be investigated and appropriately corrected and counselling should proceed with maximum transparency and confidence among candidates. This is not about questioning an institution without evidence. It is about ensuring that an examination affecting the careers of lakhs of doctors is verifiable, transparent and beyond reasonable doubt."
NBEMS declared the NEET PG 2026 result on September 24, 2026. The result indicates the raw scores obtained by candidates along with their NEET PG 2026 ranks on the official NBEMS website.
As per NBEMS, the answer key for NEET PG 2026 shall be published on its website on or after October 1, 2026. Each candidate who appeared for the examination will be able to access the Question ID numbers, correct answer key IDs, response IDs marked and the score awarded for each question, as per the scheme of evaluation, through their individual applicant login on the NEET PG 2026 index page of the NBEMS website.
The NEET PG 2026 examination was conducted on August 30, 2026, across the country for admission to MD, MS, DNB, DrNB (Direct 6 Years Courses) and PG Medical Diploma courses for the 2026-27 admission session.
Also read- NEET PG 2026 results OUT, check qualifying cutoff scores, ranks
