NBEMS Sets Final Mop-Up Schedule for 2026 Post-Diploma DNB Counselling

The National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences has released the final mop-up schedule for online centralised counselling to Post-Diploma DNB seats in the 2026 admission session, giving unallotted registered candidates one last notified round.

Eligible candidates can log in and fill choices from 21 August to 24 August, with the window closing at 5 pm on the final day. NBEMS will process allotments on 25 and 26 August and publish the result on 27 August.

Candidates allotted a seat must physically join the assigned hospital between 27 August and 1 September. The schedule is compact: a doctor waiting for this round should prepare documents and travel plans before the result rather than beginning arrangements only after seeing an allotment.

Participation is limited to candidates who are already registered for the 2026 counselling and did not receive a seat in the first and/or second round. The mop-up round is not a fresh registration opportunity for anyone who missed the original counselling process.

NBEMS has said the seat matrix will be released before the round begins. Candidates should base their preference order on that official matrix, not on an old vacancy list or a forwarded screenshot. A hospital that appeared earlier may have no available seat, while a resignation can return a seat to the pool.

Hospitals have been directed to update joining and resignation information on the counselling portal. Where a candidate resigned before the final round, the hospital must record that resignation by 20 August for the seat to be included. If the update is not made, the seat will remain outside the mop-up matrix.

That administrative deadline matters to applicants because the accuracy of the matrix depends on institutions closing their records on time. NBEMS has placed responsibility on hospitals, but it should also publish a clearly time-stamped matrix and a correction mechanism if a vacancy is omitted or wrongly displayed.

Choice filling requires strategic care. Candidates should arrange hospitals in their genuine order of preference after considering specialty exposure, location, service load, accommodation, fees and personal constraints. A longer list can improve the chance of allotment, but it should not include an institution the candidate is unwilling or unable to join.

The consequence of a casual choice is substantial. NBEMS has warned that a candidate who is allotted a seat but fails to join by 1 September will lose the seat and forfeit the first-year course fee. Before locking an option, applicants should understand both the academic commitment and the financial risk.

Post-Diploma DNB training is conducted in accredited hospitals and leads to a specialist qualification after the prescribed programme and examinations. The environment can differ from a conventional medical-college department, making it important to assess clinical case mix, supervision, duty patterns and teaching support rather than ranking choices solely by city.

Candidates should read the 2026 counselling handbook alongside the new notice. The schedule answers when the round will occur; the handbook governs eligibility, payment, allotment and joining rules. Where a social-media explanation conflicts with either document, the NBEMS material should prevail.

The Communication Web Portal is the board's stated route for clarification. Queries should identify the candidate details and the exact clause or portal issue without sharing passwords or one-time codes. No agent can guarantee an allotment or legitimately alter a locked merit-based result.

The final round offers another opportunity, but it also closes the cycle quickly. By 20 August, hospitals must have corrected their vacancy records. By 24 August, candidates must have made deliberate choices. By 1 September, successful allottees must be physically in place.