Exam guide · NEET SS Surgery
NEET SS Surgery (Surgical group): MCh courses, pattern, cut-off and mock tests
The NEET SS Surgical group is the paper MS/DNB General Surgery graduates sit for 12 MCh and DrNB super-speciality courses, from CVTS and Neurosurgery to Urology and Surgical Oncology. It is one common paper of 150 General Surgery questions at PG-exit level, in 150 minutes with +4 / −1 marking; the qualifying cut-off for NEET SS 2025 was 288 out of 600 at the 50th percentile, later reduced to 243.
By the Duramater team · Updated
At a glance
- Questions from
- MS/DNB General Surgery, PG-exit level
- Courses
- 12 MCh/DrNB courses (table below)
- Paper
- 150 MCQs, 150 minutes, three sections of 50
- Marking
- +4 / −1, out of 600
- 2025 cut-off
- 288 (50th percentile); 243 after the cut to the 30th
- 2024 cut-off
- 285 (50th percentile)
- NEET SS 2026
- 11–12 December 2026 (tentative)
- Not in this group
- MCh Head & Neck Surgery (ENT group)
Courses in the NEET SS Surgical group
Anyone with an eligible feeder degree may sit the Surgical group paper, but after qualifying you can choose only the courses your own degree is a feeder for.
| Course | Degree | Eligible feeder qualifications |
|---|---|---|
| Cardiovascular & Thoracic Surgery (CVTS) | MCh / DrNB | MS/DNB General Surgery |
| Paediatric Cardiothoracic Vascular Surgery | MCh | MS/DNB General Surgery |
| Paediatric Surgery | MCh / DrNB | MS/DNB General Surgery |
| Surgical Gastroenterology (GI Surgery) | MCh / DrNB | MS/DNB General Surgery |
| Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Surgery | MCh | MS/DNB General Surgery |
| Neurosurgery | MCh / DrNB | MS/DNB General Surgery, MS/DNB ENT, MS Traumatology & Surgery |
| Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery | MCh / DrNB | MS/DNB General Surgery, MS/DNB ENT, MS Traumatology & Surgery |
| Urology | MCh / DrNB | MS/DNB General Surgery |
| Vascular Surgery | MCh / DrNB | MS/DNB General Surgery, MS Traumatology & Surgery |
| Surgical Oncology | MCh / DrNB | MS/DNB General Surgery, MS/DNB Orthopaedics, MS/DNB ENT |
| Endocrine Surgery | MCh | MS/DNB General Surgery |
| Thoracic Surgery | DrNB | MS/DNB General Surgery |
What the Surgical group paper tests
Every question comes from MS General Surgery at the level of the postgraduate exit curriculum: its general and basic component and all of its sub-speciality and system components. Whether you want Urology or CVTS, you sit the same General Surgery paper, and your rank in it decides which MCh you get. Read the full NEET SS pattern, including the three time-bound sections.
Our topic-wise tests follow these 15 blocks of the General Surgery syllabus, a practical way to plan your revision:
- Basic principles
- Pre-operative care
- Trauma
- Breast
- Endocrine surgery
- Cardiac surgery
- Thorax and biostatistics
- Vascular surgery
- Upper GI and bariatric surgery
- Hepato-pancreato-biliary (HPB) surgery
- Lower GI and hernia
- Neurosurgery
- Urology
- Plastic and paediatric surgery
- Transplant and head and neck
NEET SS Surgery cut-off
| Cycle | Cut-off | Note |
|---|---|---|
| NEET SS 2025 | 288 | 50th percentile, result of 23 January 2026 |
| NEET SS 2025 (revised) | 243 | 30th percentile, NBEMS notice of 22 September 2026 |
| NEET SS 2024 | 285 | 50th percentile |
Qualifying only makes you eligible for counselling. The MCh you get depends on your Surgical group rank against the seats MCC offers, so aim well above the cut-off.
How to prepare for NEET SS Surgery
- Start from previous-year questions. They show which General Surgery topics the Surgical group keeps returning to; read the textbook chapters (Bailey & Love, Sabiston, Schwartz) for those topics first.
- Revise by system and test the same week. After each block above, take a 50-question topic-wise test to find what did not stick.
- Don’t neglect the “small” topics. Biostatistics, transplant, paediatric and plastic surgery are a few questions each, but they add up across three sections.
- Switch to full mocks in the last six to eight weeks. Sit them as three 50-minute blocks and review every wrong and guessed answer.
- Keep wrong answers low. At +4 / −1, attempt when you can rule out an option; fewer wrong answers is also the first tie-breaker.
NEET SS Surgery mock tests
Curated by NEET SS toppers: topic-wise tests across the General Surgery syllabus and full-length grand tests on the exact NEET SS pattern, each with an explained answer key. The first full mock is free.
- NEET SS · Surgery
NEET SS Surgery Mock Test Series
25 tests · 900 questions · 1 free
Typical mock: 50 questions in 50 min, +4 / −1
Details
Upcoming NEET SS Surgery tests
No dated tests are scheduled right now. New dates are added as each series opens.
Free NEET SS Surgery mocks
NEET SS · Surgery
Full mock 1
150 questions 150 min
Frequently asked questions
Which courses come under the NEET SS Surgical group?
Twelve: CVTS, Paediatric CTVS, Paediatric Surgery, Surgical Gastroenterology, HPB Surgery, Neurosurgery, Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery, Urology, Vascular Surgery, Surgical Oncology, Endocrine Surgery and Thoracic Surgery (DrNB).
Is the NEET SS Surgery paper only General Surgery?
Yes. All 150 questions come from MS General Surgery at PG-exit level, whichever MCh you are aiming for.
What was the NEET SS 2025 Surgical group cut-off?
288 out of 600 at the 50th percentile. After NBEMS reduced the qualifying percentile to the 30th on 22 September 2026, it became 243.
Can ENT or Orthopaedics PGs take the Surgical group paper?
Yes, for the courses that accept them: MS/DNB ENT for Neurosurgery, Plastic Surgery and Surgical Oncology; MS/DNB Orthopaedics for Surgical Oncology. MS Traumatology & Surgery is a feeder for Neurosurgery, Plastic and Vascular Surgery.
Is MCh Head & Neck Surgery in the Surgical group?
No. It is in the ENT group, so General Surgery graduates who want it must sit the ENT group paper.
Is there a free NEET SS Surgery mock test?
Yes. The first full-length mock of the Duramater NEET SS Surgery series is free; create a free account to take it. More are listed on the free mock tests page.
Official sources
Exam rules change between cycles. Always confirm dates, eligibility and fees in the latest information bulletin before you apply.
Keep reading
- NEET SS exam guide
Dates, pattern, all 15 groups, eligibility and counselling.
- INI SS Surgery guide
Course-specific MCh papers at AIIMS, PGIMER and JIPMER.
- NEET SS Medicine guide
The Medical group: 10 DM/DrNB courses from General Medicine.
Revise General Surgery the way NEET SS asks it
Topic-wise tests and full-length grand tests by NEET SS toppers, with explained answer keys. Your first full mock is free.