NEET-PG 2026 Round 1: Branch Closing Ranks and Allotment Patterns
Closing rank is a more useful starting point than the share of seats filled within a rank band. It shows how far down the rank list a branch received an allotment; rank-band counts then show where allotments clustered.
This analysis covers AIQ, NEET-PG 2026, Round 1, exact category label Open. It includes standard All India quota MD/MS and DNB Quota DNB allotments. These are recorded allotments, not candidates’ stated preferences.
MD/MS: closing ranks
| Branch | Allotments | Median rank | Closing rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radiodiagnosis | 219 | 635 | 3,058 |
| General Medicine | 523 | 1,005 | 4,703 |
| Dermatology | 117 | 1,233 | 5,628 |
| Paediatrics | 387 | 3,624 | 9,574 |
| ENT | 188 | 12,209 | 20,996 |
| Anaesthesiology | 565 | 14,458 | 24,614 |
| Pathology | 344 | 28,110 | 46,664 |
| Community Medicine | 193 | 45,393 | 71,442 |
| Pharmacology | 158 | 48,052 | 81,803 |
| Microbiology | 215 | 53,739 | 84,064 |
| Biochemistry | 170 | 66,435 | 97,763 |
| Physiology | 160 | 74,456 | 1,21,940 |
| Anatomy | 147 | 89,432 | 1,27,533 |
DNB: closing ranks
| Branch | Allotments | Median rank | Closing rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radiodiagnosis | 444 | 2,832 | 5,705 |
| General Medicine | 948 | 6,155 | 12,413 |
| Paediatrics | 484 | 11,580 | 17,931 |
| Obstetrics & Gynaecology | 302 | 13,564 | 19,559 |
| General Surgery | 523 | 18,313 | 27,458 |
| Emergency Medicine | 324 | 19,152 | 28,724 |
| Orthopaedics | 622 | 24,378 | 33,600 |
| Anaesthesiology | 935 | 27,925 | 36,391 |
| Pathology | 124 | 41,954 | 56,996 |
| Microbiology | 28 | 62,658 | 82,472 |
Where allotments clustered
Exclusive rank bands below count allotments only within each interval. For example, 10–20k means ranks 10,001–20,000.
| Pathway | 10–20k | 20–30k | 30–50k | Above 50k |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DNB Paediatrics | 349 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| MD/MS Anaesthesiology | 376 | 57 | 0 | 0 |
| DNB Anaesthesiology | 69 | 539 | 327 | 0 |
| MD/MS Pathology | 59 | 123 | 149 | 0 |
| MD/MS Microbiology | 2 | 10 | 75 | 127 |
| MD/MS Biochemistry | 2 | 3 | 31 | 134 |
| MD/MS Physiology | 3 | 3 | 23 | 131 |
| MD/MS Anatomy | 1 | 2 | 10 | 134 |
What stands out
- Radiodiagnosis and General Medicine close early in both MD/MS and DNB pathways. MD/MS Radiodiagnosis closed at 3,058; DNB Radiodiagnosis at 5,705.
- Basic-science MD/MS branches extend much further down the rank list. Anatomy and Physiology have the latest closing ranks in this comparison, followed by Biochemistry and Microbiology. Most allotments in these branches went to ranks above 50,000.
- Pathology sits between these groups: MD/MS Pathology closed at 46,664, while DNB Pathology closed at 56,996.
- Degree pathway matters. DNB Anaesthesiology and MD/MS Anaesthesiology show different rank distributions; combining them would hide that distinction.
Closing rank is an indicator of the final recorded allotment, not a pure measure of demand or preference. Seat numbers, institute quality and location, fees, eligibility and the counselling process all affect the result. Small allotment counts should also be interpreted cautiously.
Source: Desire’s Neon PostgreSQL counselling dataset; AIQ, 2026, Round 1, exact category Open, standard All India quota MD/MS and DNB Quota DNB records with non-null ranks. Diploma, management, minority, institutional and other quota pathways are excluded.