Know this. The internship completion cut-off is fixed per year; if your internship ends after it, you must wait for the next cycle.
- Run by
- National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS)
- Admits you to
- MDS seats in the all-India 50% quota, state quotas, private dental colleges and Armed Forces Medical Services institutions, and screening for the Army Dental Corps. AIIMS New Delhi admits separately.
- Who can sit
- A recognised BDS degree, provisional or permanent registration with a State Dental Council, and the 12-month rotatory internship completed by the cut-off date in that year's bulletin.
- Pattern
- Computer-based test, 3 hours, 240 multiple-choice questions in English, in two time-bound parts: Part A 100 questions in 75 minutes, Part B 140 questions in 105 minutes; you cannot go back to Part A. +4 for a correct answer, 25% negative marking for a wrong one.
- When
- Usually in spring (the 2026 exam was held in early May); counselling follows through MCC and state authorities.
- Limits
- No attempt or age limit is set in the bulletin.
Courses it leads to
Sources, checked 2026-09-28: natboard.edu.in · nbe.edu.in