DNB-PDCET 2026: Diplomate of National Board Post Diploma Centralized Entrance Test (DNB-PDCET) 2026

Diplomate of National Board Post Diploma Centralized Entrance Test

Diplomate of National Board Post Diploma Centralized Entrance Test (DNB-PDCET) 2026

DNB-PDCET 2026
[Diplomate of National Board Post Diploma Centralized Entrance Test 2026]
conducted by National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS)
Admission to Post-Diploma DNB Programs, 2026-27

DNB-PDCET is the ranking examination for admission to various Post Diploma DNB courses. NBEMS offers Post Diploma DNB courses in 14 broad specialty subjects.

Candidates who have passed the final examination leading to the award of Post Graduate Diploma from Indian Universities which are duly recognized as per provisions of the NMC Act 2019 and the repealed Indian Medical Council Act 1956, Govt of India can apply for the DNB-PDCET in the same Broad specialty. The result of final examination for the said Post Graduate Diploma qualification should have been declared on or before the prescribed cut-off date of a particular admission session.

This webpage on NBEMS website offers easy access to the Information Bulletin of DNB-PDCET, Online Application submission weblinks, Guidelines for application submission, Applicant Login, Notices related to DNB-PDCET published time to time and Results of DNB-PDCET examinations conducted by NBEMS.

Important Dates

Starting Date for submission of Online Application	17/02/2026 (05:00 P.M.)
Closing Date for submission of Online Application	08/03/2026 (11:59 P.M.)
Edit Window for All Payment Success Applications (Any information/documents can be edited except Name, Date of Birth, Nationality, Mobile Number, Email Address, Aadhaar details & Test City)	11/03/2026 to 13/03/2026
Final And Selective Edit Window to rectify deficient/Incorrect Images 1. Photographs 2. Signatures 3. Thumb Impression	20/03/2026 to 23/03/2026
Informing the test city to the Applicants	27/03/2026
Issue of Admit Card	08/04/2026
Date of Examination	12/04/2026
Declaration of Result	By 12/05/2026

Eligibility Criteria

The eligibility criteria for admission to Post Diploma DNB Courses of 2 years duration is as follows:

Candidates who have passed the final examination leading to the award of Post Graduate Diploma from any Indian Universities / NBEMS which are duly recognized as per provisions of the NMC Act 2019 and the repealed Indian Medical Council Act 1956 can apply for the DNB-PDCET 2026 in the same Broad specialty through online application system at website https://natboard.edu.in.
The result of final examination for the said Post Graduate Diploma qualification should have been declared on or before 31/01/2026.
Candidates must note that it is mandatory for them to submit proof / documentary evidence that clearly establishes that the result of the final examination for their Post Graduate Diploma qualification was declared on or before the cut-off date i.e. 31/01/2026.
In the event that the proof / documentary evidence submitted by the candidate does not clearly establishes that the result of the final examination of his / her Post Graduate Medical Diploma qualification was declared on or before 31/01/2026, the candidature shall be cancelled and the candidate shall be declared as ineligible.
Candidates found to be INELIGIBLE at any stage of DNB-PDCET 2026 will not be permitted to appear in the examination and / or counseling. In an unlikely event of any ineligible candidate appearing and / or being successful in the DNB-PDCET 2026, the results / candidature of such candidate shall be cancelled and / or are deemed to be cancelled.
Requests for appearing in DNB-PDCET 2026 from candidates qualifying PG Medical Diploma qualification after 31/01/2026 or having qualifications that are not recognized as per the NMC Act, 2019 and the repealed IMC Act, 1956 shall be summarily rejected. Candidates are further advised not to canvass for the same.
Candidates already pursuing a MD / MS /DNB course are NOT ELIGIBLE to appear for DNB-PDCET till such time they have completed the duration of prescribed course or have been discharged from the course. This shall be irrespective of their resignation or discontinuation from the course due to any reason.
Candidates possessing Diploma qualifications awarded by the College of Physicians and Surgeons (CPS), Mumbai other than DPB, DCH and DGO are NOT ELIGIBLE to apply for DNB-PDCET in line with the clarification received from the Govt. of India vide MoHFW letter No. C.18018/11/2021-MEP dated 30.04.2021.
Registration with the NMC (the erstwhile Medical Council of India) or State Medical Council is necessary and its documentary proof should be furnished by the candidates on the day of examination and at the time of counseling / admission.
Eligibility of candidates issued admit card for the examination shall be purely provisional. Appearing in DNB-PDCET 2026 does not confer any automatic rights upon the candidate for admission to Post Diploma DNB courses.
NBEMS does not verify the information provided by the candidates during online submission of application form and hence candidature will be purely provisional subject to fulfilment of eligibility criteria as mentioned in the Information Bulletin for DNB-PDCET 2026.
Candidates are advised not to canvass with NBEMS for eligibility in DNB-PDCET or issuance of admit card. Queries, if any, can be submitted through Communication Web Portal only. Canvassing in any form shall invite rejection of the application.

Examination Fee

The examination fee (exclusive of payment gateway charges) is: Rs. 4,250/-.

Applications forms once submitted cannot be withdrawn. Fee shall neither be carried forward to a future date nor refunded under any circumstances. Any claim for refund, adjustment or carrying forward of Application fee will not be entertained.

How to pay: The prescribed exam fee should be remitted through payment gateway provided using a Credit Card / Debit Card issued by banks in India / UPI or other modes as may be made available and have been provided on the web page. Fee cannot be deposited through any mode other than the payment gateway available while submitting online application form submission.

List of Post Diploma DNB Courses

List of Post Diploma DNB Courses admissions to which shall be undertaken through DNB-PDCET 2026

Sl. No.	Name of Post Diploma DNB Courses	Prior Entry Eligible Qualification
1	DNB (Anaesthesiology)	DA / DA (NBE)
2	DNB (Dermatology, Venereology & Leprosy)	DVD
3	DNB (Nuclear Medicine)	DNM
4	DNB (Family Medicine)	D.Fam. Med. (NBE)
5	DNB (Obstetrics and Gynaecology)	DGO / DGO (NBE)
6	DNB (Ophthalmology)	DOMS / DO (NBE)
7	DNB (Orthopaedics)	DORTHO
8	DNB (Otorhinolaryngology)	DLO / DLO (NBE)
9	DNB (Paediatrics)	DCH / DCH (NBE)
10	DNB (Psychiatry)	DPM
11	DNB (Radio Diagnosis)	DMRD / DMRD (NBE)
12	DNB (Radiation Oncology)	DMRT
13	DNB (Respiratory Medicine)	DTCD / DTCD (NBE)
14	DNB (Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation)	DPMR
15	DNB (Pathology)	DCP
16	DNB (Emergency Medicine)	D.Emergency Medicine

Scheme of DNB-PDCET 2026

DNB-PDCET 2026 shall be conducted in a single day & single session as a computer based examination on 12/04/2026.
The level of the questions shall be at the Post Diploma exit examination in concerned specialty. The examination shall comprise of multiple-choice questions (MCQs) delivered as a computer-based test (CBT).
The examination shall be a multiple-choice questions test delivered using computers network (CBT) as per scheme prescribed.
Each question will be having 4 response options / distractors in English language only. Candidates are required to select the correct / best / most appropriate response / answer out of the 4 response options provided in each question.
There shall be a total of 120 MCQs in each question paper from the concerned specialty covering the entire curriculum relevant to the Diploma specialty. For e.g. the question paper for admission to Post Diploma DNB Anaesthesia course shall comprise of all 120 questions from Anaesthesiology, covering the entire curriculum of Diploma in Anaesthesiology course. Total time allotted shall be 120 minutes.
The question paper for DNB-PDCET will be divided into multiple time bound sections. For example, if there are 3-time bound sections* (Section A, B & C) in the question paper, each Section will have 40 questions and 40 minutes of time allotted for the section. Candidates would be restricted to proceed to the next section until completion of the allotted time of the previous section and candidates would not be allowed to review the questions / modify the responses of a section after the completion of the allotted time of that section. Questions of the next section will start automatically after the completion of the allotted time of the previous section.

Marking Scheme: Allocation of marks for each MCQ shall be as follows:

Sl. No.	Response	Marks
1	Correct Response	4 Marks
2	Incorrect Response	1 Mark shall be deducted
3	Unattempted Question	Zero(0)

There shall be 25% negative marking for incorrect answers. No marks will be deducted for unattempted questions.
Candidates are given an option to mark any question, whether attempted or not, for review which means that candidate has been given an option to go through these questions in a section again before the allotted time to a section ends. Candidates may note that such questions which are marked for review shall be evaluated as per the marking scheme mentioned above.

Allocation of time for DNB-PDCET 2026 shall be as follows:

Activities	Time
Allow Candidates to enter the examination centre and Commence Registration for the test	07:00 A.M.
Entry closes at Examination Center	08:30 A.M.
Grant access for Candidate Login	08:45 A.M.
Candidates log in to read instructions	08:50 A.M.
Exam Start Time	09:00 A.M.
Exam End Time	11:00 A.M.

Overview of Computer Based Test:
- Online Application Form Submission
- Issuance of Admit Cards
- Reporting at Test Centre on Scheduled Date & Time
- Security Check-in Process
- Registration for Test + Face ID & Biometric Capture
- During Exam FaceID/Biometric Verification
- Examination Begins
- Examination Ends

CONTACT
+91 79961 65333 (09:30 A.M. to 06:00 P.M.)

Information Bulletin
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Edited By: Sahadeb

Edited On: 20 Feb 2026

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