How Many Candidates Appear for NEET SS?

Wondering how many appear for NEET SS? On average, 15,000-17,000 candidates appear for NEET SS each year. Understand the competition level, specialty-wise exam groups, and what this means for your preparation. Get insights to plan your super speciality journey better.

Table of Contents

How Many Students Appear for NEET SS Every Year?
Format of NEET SS Exam
Super Specialty Groups You Can Apply for in NEET SS
Tips to Prepare for NEET SS 2026

If you're preparing for NEET SS, you've probably wondered, ‘how many students am I actually competing against?’ The numbers might seem intimidating when you first look at them, but once you understand what's really happening, the exam becomes far less daunting. So let's break it down together and help you see what you're truly up against.

How Many Students Appear for NEET SS Every Year?

Before you start stressing about the competition, it helps to know what you are really dealing with. Every year, thousands of super-specialty aspirants register for NEET SS, but the count keeps shifting a little based on seat availability, policy changes, and how many specialities are offered in that cycle. Around 15,000-17,000 candidates appear for NEET SS every year.

Now, that number might feel huge at first glance, but here’s the part people forget, candidates apply across different groups. So your real competition is only within your own speciality group, which is usually much smaller.

Format of NEET SS Exam

Before worrying about how many people appear for the exam, it really helps to know how the exam works. The structure is very straightforward, but strict. You get only one type of question: questions that directly come from the subject you already studied in your MD/MS/DNB. So the exam focuses more on depth, not just random memorising. If you have a strong understanding of your core branch, that's already half the work done.

Particulars	Details
Mode	Computer-Based Test
Total Questions	150 MCQs
Time Limit	2 hours 30 minutes
Question Level	Based on the PG feeder subject
Marking	+4 for correct, -1 for wrong

Super Specialty Groups You Can Apply for in NEET SS

Understanding NEET SS becomes much easier when you know how your PG specialty connects to your SS branch. Below is a list of the super specialties.

Question Paper Group	Eligible PG Degree (MD/MS/DNB)	Super-Specialty Courses Included
Medical Group	MD/DNB in General Medicine	Cardiology, Clinical Haematology, Clinical Immunology & Rheumatology, Endocrinology, Medical Gastroenterology, Hepatology, Infectious Diseases, Medical Genetics, Nephrology, Neurology
Surgical Group	MS/DNB in General Surgery	CTVS, Paediatric CTVS, Paediatric Surgery, Surgical Gastroenterology, HPB Surgery, Neurosurgery, Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery, Urology, Vascular Surgery, Surgical Oncology, Endocrine Surgery, Thoracic Surgery
Orthopaedics Group	MS/DNB in Orthopaedics	Hand Surgery, Paediatric Orthopaedics
Paediatrics Group	MD/DNB in Paediatrics	Neonatology, Paediatric Hepatology, Paediatric Nephrology, Paediatric Oncology, Paediatric Neurology, Paediatric Cardiology, Paediatric Gastroenterology, Paediatric Critical Care
OBGYN Group	MD/MS/DNB in Obstetrics & Gynaecology	Gynaecologic Oncology, Reproductive Medicine & Surgery
Anaesthesia Group	MD/DNB in Anaesthesiology	Cardiac Anaesthesia, Neuroanaesthesia, Organ Transplant Anaesthesia & Critical Care, Paediatric & Neonatal Anaesthesia
Radiology Group	MD/DNB in Radiodiagnosis	Neuroradiology, Interventional Radiology
Respiratory Medicine Group	MD/DNB in Pulmonary/Respiratory Medicine	Pulmonary Medicine
Microbiology Group	MD/DNB in Microbiology	Virology
Pathology Group	MD/DNB in Pathology	Onco-Pathology
Psychiatry Group	MD/DNB in Psychiatry	Geriatric Mental Health
Pharmacology Group	MD/DNB in Pharmacology	Clinical Pharmacology
ENT Group	MS/DNB in ENT	Head & Neck Surgery

Tips to Prepare for NEET SS 2026

Once you know that roughly 15,000-17,000 candidates appear every year, it's easier to understand the actual competition. But again, your competition is only your own speciality group, not the entire number. Some simple things can really help: revise your core subjects again and again, stay updated with clinical guidelines, and practise NEET SS sample questions so you don’t get surprised on exam day.

Tip	Details
Strengthen feeder subject basics	150 questions are deep PG-level concepts.
Solve past papers	Helps with recall under pressure.
Focus on speed	2.5 hours feels short for 150 specialty-level MCQs.
Stay updated with exam notices	NEET SS dates and formats sometimes change slightly.

So, when someone asks, “How many candidates appear for NEET SS?”, the answer right now is 15,000-17,000 doctors every year. It’s competitive, yes, but it’s not an impossible number. Once you understand the exam pattern, the eligible groups, and build a steady prep routine, you can easily stay ahead of most of the crowd.