NEET PG 2026 counselling is about to begin, and qualified candidates are checking which course and college they can get with their NEET PG 2026 rank. While most aspirants target MD/MS seats, DNB (Diplomate of National Board) courses, awarded by the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS), are a major postgraduate option that many candidates also choose based on their NEET PG score. Based on last year's NEET PG counselling trends, candidates can get an idea about the 10 most and least competitive DNB courses.
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Qualified candidates, as per the NEET PG 2026 result have to register and complete the choice filling for the final seat allotment. The final seat allotment is done based on factors such as category, preferred branch, NEET PG cutoff, seat availability, and choice preference. To check the top 10 most and least competitive DNB courses based on last year's highest closing ranks, along with the score vs rank breakdown and seat matrix, read the full article below.
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Candidates appearing for the NEET PG 2026 counselling can check the previous years’ comparison between how many students registered vs appeared for the exam in the table below.
Particulars | NEET PG 2025 | NEET PG 2026 |
Candidates registered | 2.42 lakh | 2.73 lakh |
Candidates appeared | 2.30 lakh | 2.65 lakh |
Candidates qualified | 1.28 lakh | Yet to be updated |
With NEET PG seats increasing, candidates appearing for NEET PG counselling for DNB courses have a better chance to secure a medical college seat. Since the official NEET PG 2026 seat matrix is usually released closer to the counselling rounds, the previous year's NEET PG seat matrix helps candidates plan for choice filing.
State | 2024 | 2025 | Growth | Growth % |
Private/Deemed | 22868 | 28620 | 5,752 | 25.15% |
Govt. | 27108 | 29780 | 2,672 | 9.86% |
Total | 49976 | 58400 | 8,424 | 16.86% |
The final allotment of the NEET PG DNB course and college is based on the marks secured by the candidate in the NEET PG exam. As per the previous year’s trends, NEET PG marks ranging between 201 and 300 had a total of 71,305 candidates, which is the highest. In a band of candidates, a few marks can shift the NEET PG rank by thousands of places. Check the NEET PG score range vs number of candidates in the table below.
Score Range | Candidates | Rank Range |
601–700 | 100 | 1 – 100 |
501–600 | 11,727 | 101 – 11,827 |
401–500 | 39,324 | 11,828 – 51,151 |
301–400 | 56,399 | 51,152 – 107,550 |
201–300 | 71,305 | 107,551 – 178,856 |
101–200 | 67,029 | 178,857 – 245,885 |
1–100 | 19,817 | 245,886 – 265,702 |
-59–0 | 258 | 265,703 – 265,960 |
Based on last year’s NEET PG statistics, DNB Nuclear Medicine was the toughest at rank 5,763, followed by Dermatology and Radiodiagnosis. The popular clinical branches (General Medicine, OBG, Pediatrics) closed between ranks 19,784 and 23,857. Check the NEET PG Top 10 Most competitive branches in the table below.
No. | Branch | Highest Closing Rank (GEN) |
1 | DNB Nuclear Medicine | 5,763 |
2 | DNB Dermatology | 7,881 |
3 | DNB Radio Diagnosis | 12,303 |
4 | DNB General Medicine | 19,784 |
5 | DNB OBG | 23,378 |
6 | DNB Paediatrics | 23,857 |
7 | DNB TB & Respiratory Disease | 24,004 |
8 | DNB Geriatrics | 24,774 |
9 | DNB Plastic Surgery (6 yr) | 25,195 |
10 | DNB Psychiatry | 26,494 |
If we talk about the top 10 least competitive DNB courses in NEET PG counselling is mostly the non-clinical or para-clinical branches that close at much higher ranks, so candidates with higher NEET PG 2026 ranks have better chances here. Last year, DNB Biochemistry and DNB Anatomy had almost identical closing ranks and the least competition of all.
No. | Branch | Highest Closing Rank (GEN) |
1 | DNB Biochemistry | 1,80,849 |
2 | DNB Anatomy | 1,80,299 |
3 | DNB Physiology | 1,56,942 |
4 | DNB Microbiology | 1,39,101 |
5 | DNB Community Medicine | 1,05,319 |
6 | DNB Pharmacology | 93,485 |
7 | DNB Pathology | 89,798 |
8 | DNB Forensic Medicine | 82,026 |
9 | DNB IHBT | 75,408 |
10 | DNB Health Administration | 69,478 |
NEET PG closing ranks change every year with the number of candidates appearing for the counselling, seat matrix and choice-filling patterns, so candidates must take last year's data for reference purposes only. A branch with a higher cut-off is not automatically the better choice. DNB training quality depends on the hospital's caseload and clinical exposure.
On Question asked by student community
Hello Student,
If you are looking for information about NEET PG 2025 DNB seat allotment and the fees payable at the allotted college or hospital, DNB seats are allotted through the respective counselling process based on your rank, category, choice of speciality, and seat availability.
For the 2025 session, the
Dear Student, with a NEET PG 2026 rank of 6,600 in the EWS category, your options should be assessed using the relevant counselling year's college-wise closing ranks, category-wise seats and counselling round. Please also confirm whether you are applying through the applicable All India counselling route or another quota. That
Hello, with a NEET PG rank of 11,000, your chances of getting MS ENT at Government Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram depend on your category, state quota, counselling round and previous year’s closing rank. You can check the cutoff details here: https://medicine.careers360.com/articles/kerala-neet-pg-cut-off
Dear Student, with a NEET PG rank of 8,571, you can explore DNB Pediatrics options through the relevant counselling process. If Bangalore is your preferred location, it would be useful to compare the available hospitals on factors such as patient load, paediatric case exposure, teaching environment, stipend, bond conditions and
Hello, with a NEET PG 2026 AIR of 57,213, the available branch options will depend on your category, state, counselling quota and preferred type of college. You can check possible branches and colleges based on your rank using the NEET PG College Predictor: https://medicine.careers360.com/neet-pg-college-predictor
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