The reporting and admission period for candidates allotted seats in Round 1 of NEET UG counselling 2026 begins today, running through August 31.

The Medical Counselling Committee had declared the Round 1 seat allotment result on August 20, with a total of 29,945 candidates allotted MBBS and BDS seats across participating institutions.

Candidates who have been allotted a seat are required to report to their respective colleges within this window, submitting original documents and confirming their admission to secure their place.

The counselling process, conducted by the MCC for all-India quota seats and by respective states for state quota seats, follows the NEET UG entrance examination that determines eligibility for medical and dental admissions nationwide.

Candidates who do not report within the specified window risk forfeiting their allotted seat, which would then be released back into the pool for subsequent counselling rounds.

The MCC has said further rounds of counselling will follow after Round 1 reporting concludes, allowing candidates who did not receive a seat in the first round, or who wish to upgrade their allotment, another opportunity.

Medical education experts have noted that NEET UG remains one of India’s most competitive entrance examinations, with the number of applicants continuing to significantly outstrip the available seats each year.

Candidates have been advised to carry all required original documents, including their NEET scorecard, identity proof and category certificates where applicable, when reporting to their allotted institution.

NEET UG remains India’s single largest entrance examination by number of candidates, with lakhs of aspirants competing annually for a comparatively limited number of MBBS and BDS seats across the country.

The MCC conducts centralised counselling for all-India quota seats, deemed universities, central institutions and central pool quota seats, while individual states run separate counselling processes for their own state quota seats.

Seat allotment in NEET counselling is based on a combination of a candidate’s rank, category, and the choices they fill during the counselling process, with higher-ranked candidates given priority in each round.

Photo by Biswarup Ganguly, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0

The National Testing Agency conducted the All India AYUSH Postgraduate Entrance Test, AIAPGET 2026, today, Saturday, August 22.

The exam is held for admission to postgraduate medical programmes in India’s traditional medicine systems, covering Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani and Homoeopathy, across colleges and universities nationwide.

The first shift, held from 10 am to 12 pm, was for candidates appearing in the Ayurveda subject, while the second shift, from 3 pm to 5 pm, covered Siddha, Unani and Homoeopathy candidates.

The NTA had released the admit card for AIAPGET 2026 on August 18, allowing candidates to download their hall tickets using their application number and date of birth.

AIAPGET results are typically used by AYUSH colleges and universities across India to allocate postgraduate seats through subsequent counselling rounds.

Candidates have been advised to keep checking the NTA’s official website for updates on the answer key, result declaration date and counselling schedule in the coming weeks.

AIAPGET is conducted annually and is considered a key gateway examination for postgraduate seats in AYUSH institutions, with competition for seats remaining intense given the limited number of postgraduate slots available each year.

Candidates were required to carry a printed copy of their admit card along with a valid photo identification document to be permitted entry into their designated examination centres.

The NTA has previously said that provisional answer keys are typically released within a few days of the exam, giving candidates a window to raise objections before the final answer key and result are published.

Educational counsellors have noted rising interest in AYUSH postgraduate programmes in recent years, driven partly by growing demand for practitioners trained in traditional Indian medicine systems both within India and among the wider diaspora abroad.

The NTA, which conducts several major national-level entrance exams each year, has continued to expand its use of biometric verification and CCTV monitoring at test centres to prevent impersonation and other forms of malpractice.

Photo by Biswarup Ganguly, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0

The Railway Recruitment Board has released the admit card for its Group D exam under CEN 09/2025, allowing candidates to download their hall tickets using their registration number and password.

Admit cards for the Computer Based Test on August 3 and 4, 2026 are already available, with candidates appearing on later dates able to download theirs four days before their scheduled slot.

The exam will be held across August 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 and 25, 2026, in three shifts each day.

The recruitment drive is for 22,195 Level-1 vacancies, with close to 87 lakh candidates competing for posts including Track Maintainer Grade IV, Pointsman, Assistant (S&T) and Assistant (TL & AC).

The vacancies span 21 Railway Recruitment Boards nationwide, making this among the largest ongoing government recruitment exercises in India.

Candidates have been advised to bring a printed admit card and a valid original photo ID to the exam centre, since entry will be denied without both documents.

CEN 09/2025 is one of the largest single recruitment notifications issued by Indian Railways in recent years, reflecting the scale of staffing turnover across track maintenance, signalling and technical support roles nationwide.

Candidates can check their allotted exam city and shift timing in advance through the city intimation slip, which the Railway Recruitment Board typically releases a few days before the admit card itself.

The RRB Group D exam, conducted as a Computer Based Test, is held in multiple shifts to accommodate the large number of applicants across the country’s 21 Railway Recruitment Boards.

The 22,195 vacancies span multiple technical and support roles in Indian Railways, reflecting the scale of staffing needs across the network’s maintenance and operations divisions.

Candidates are advised to carry a printed copy of their admit card along with a valid original photo ID to the examination centre, as entry is not permitted without both documents.

Photo by Vaibhavmishra123, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0