NEET PG answer keys out, but candidates call it ‘eyewash’; here’s why

On social media, several candidates described the exercise as “eyewash” and “merely a formality”, arguing that making only the question IDs available did little to clarify the evaluation process and, in some cases, only added to the confusion.

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The NBEMS had earlier announced through the NEET PG 2026 information bulletin that it would release the answer keys and candidates’ response sheets in compliance with the Supreme Court’s April 29, 2025, order that directed the board to make raw scores, answer keys, and normalisation details publicly available to ensure transparency.

Speaking to indianexpress.com, a 30-year-old aspirant from Jaipur and a former junior resident at Guru Nanak Eye Centre, New Delhi, said, “I was hopeful that when the answer keys are out, if I am not able to make the cut-offs, I will still be able to understand where I lost marks. This would help in preparing for any subsequent rounds.”

What is visible in NEET PG 2026 answer keys?

As announced by the NBEMS and as confirmed by candidates, upon accessing the answer keys in the candidate login, only these fields are shown:

— Section-wise question IDs in the sequence in which they appeared in the candidate’s question paper.
— Status of each response, including whether the question was answered or not attempted.
— Correct answer key ID (1/2/3/4) for every question.
— Response marked by the candidate against each question.
— Score awarded for each question as per the examination scheme.

Why are these details insufficient for candidates?

The aspirant clarifies, “In NEET PG, the order in which the questions and their options appear is not the same for all candidates. During the actual exam, the questions are shuffled within the section”.

Examination authorities often resort to jumbling the order of questions and answer options to protect the test’s integrity and, to a large extent, restrict chances of malpractice.

According to the aspirant, “Since the sequence of questions within a section was shuffled, question IDs and their corresponding correct option ID appeared differently for candidates. We have no way of knowing or recalling which question ID is against what actual question, and what we have answered.”

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While the NBEMS has released the correct answer key ID, the information remains irrelevant for candidates because the explicit questions and their correct answers have not been disclosed. Without knowing the exact question and its corresponding correct answer, candidates cannot independently verify whether the answer has been marked correctly.

Another candidate, a practising junior doctor at a hospital in Madhya Pradesh, told Indianexpress.com that other nationally organised public entrance and qualifying exams issue answer keys where the questions and their answers are visible to candidates. “CUET UG and PG, NEET UG, JEE Mains and Advanced — all these exams issue answer keys. Why can we not expect the same rigour for NEET-PG?” he said.

Can candidates raise objections?

Neither of the notices issued by the NBEMS on September 24 and October 1 mentions an objection window or any procedure for candidates to challenge the answers.

In its circular issued on September 24, the board said, “Each and every question asked in both the question papers of NEET PG 2026 was reviewed by faculty members from the concerned speciality area after the conduct of NEET-PG 2026 to recheck for technical correctness of the questions as well as answer keys.”

The board announced that none of the questions was found technically incorrect, further eliminating any provision for candidates to challenge the question paper.

IMA official challenges answer key in Supreme Court

Meanwhile, Dr Dhruv Chauhan, national spokesperson of the Indian Medical Association’s Junior Doctors’ Network (IMA-JDN) and founder of the Legal Cell for All India Doctors, has moved the Supreme Court with a public interest litigation (PIL) challenging the NEET-PG 2026 answer keys.

The petition seeks greater transparency in the evaluation process, demanding that the complete question paper be made available along with the corresponding answers and the options actually marked by candidates, rather than merely the serial numbers of the questions and responses.

Dr Chauhan told indianexpress.com, “The aspirants wanted only one thing, that is transparency in the exam.” He added, “Our legal team will pursue this in the larger benefit of the medical students, and have also called for a time-bound objection window to address any discrepancies.”

With the matter now before the Supreme Court, candidates await clarity on whether directions will be issued to make the complete question paper and answer details available, and whether that happens before counselling begins.