Read This First: Pharmacology for NEET PG — What Is Tested and How to Use This Playlist
Start Here
Pharmacology links every clinical subject: nearly every vignette ends in a drug. NEET PG has 180 questions, marked +4 for a correct answer and −1 for a wrong one. NBEMS publishes no subject split, so any number of Pharmacology questions you read online is an estimate. We treat it as a top-tier subject.
The Exam in One Table
Feature | NEET PG | Source |
Questions | 180 MCQs (200 until 2025) | NEET PG 2026 bulletin, as reported |
Time | 3 hours 30 minutes | NEET PG 2026 bulletin, as reported |
Marking | +4 correct, −1 wrong, 0 unattempted | NBEMS bulletin |
Sections | Five time-bound sections (A–E), 42 minutes each | NBEMS bulletin (2025 rules) |
That is about 70 seconds a question. A wrong answer costs a quarter of a right one, so guess only after eliminating options.
What the Curriculum Covers
The NMC curriculum (CBME 2024) gives Pharmacology 10 topics and 92 competencies, grouped as below. Each article lists the competency codes (PH) it covers.
Curriculum area | What you will study here |
General pharmacology | Absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, receptors, adverse reactions, interactions |
Autonomic system and autacoids | Cholinergic and adrenergic drugs, NSAIDs, gout, migraine |
Central nervous system | Sedatives, antiepileptics, antidepressants, antipsychotics, opioids, alcohol |
Cardiovascular and blood | Antihypertensives, heart failure, angina, arrhythmias, lipids, anticoagulants, diuretics |
Respiratory, GI, endocrine | Asthma, peptic ulcer, antiemetics, diabetes, thyroid, steroids |
Chemotherapy | Antimicrobials, antivirals, antiparasitics, anticancer drugs |
Applied | Prescribing, regulation, essential medicines, clinical trials, poisoning |
All 25 Articles in Reading Order
This article is number 0. Read 1–4 first: they are the general pharmacology that every system chapter assumes. New articles are added in this order; "Live" ones are already in the playlist.
# | Article | CBME | Status |
1 | Absorption, bioavailability and distribution | PH1.4–1.6 | Live |
2 | Metabolism, excretion, half-life, steady state | PH1.6, 10.9 | Live |
3 | Pharmacodynamics: receptors, agonists, antagonists | PH1.7, 1.8 | Live |
4 | Adverse reactions, pharmacovigilance, special populations | PH1.10–1.13 | Live |
5 | Drug development, trials, regulation, essential medicines | PH10 | Live |
6 | Cholinergic drugs and organophosphate poisoning | PH2, 9 | Live |
7 | Adrenergic agonists and blockers | PH2 | Live |
8 | NSAIDs, gout, migraine, autacoids | PH2 | Live |
9 | Sedatives, antiepileptics, Parkinson's | PH3 | Live |
10 | Antidepressants, antipsychotics, lithium | PH3 | Live |
11 | Opioids, alcohol, drug dependence | PH2, 3 | Live |
12 | Antihypertensives, heart failure, angina | PH4 | Live |
13 | Antiarrhythmics and lipid drugs | PH4 | Live |
14 | Anticoagulants, antiplatelets, haematinics | PH4 | Live |
15 | Diuretics | PH4 | Live |
16 | Asthma, COPD and cough | PH5 | Live |
17 | Peptic ulcer, antiemetics, laxatives, IBD | PH6 | Live |
18 | Diabetes drugs | PH7 | Live |
19 | Thyroid, steroids, sex hormones, bone | PH7 | Live |
20 | Antimicrobial principles, resistance, beta-lactams | PH8 | Live |
21 | Other antibacterials | PH8 | Live |
22 | Antifungal, antiviral, antiparasitic | PH8 | Live |
23 | Anticancer drugs and immunosuppressants | PH8 | Live |
24 | Poisoning, chelators, skin and eye drugs | PH9 | Live |
How to Learn a Drug
For every drug class, learn | Why |
Mechanism (target and effect) | Most questions start here; it also explains the adverse effects |
One or two key kinetic facts | Route, half-life, prodrug, enzyme inducer or inhibitor |
Main uses and drug of choice | Clinical vignettes end in a drug choice |
Signature adverse effect | One toxicity per drug is the most-asked fact |
Important interactions and contraindications | Pregnancy, renal or liver disease, the elderly |
Learn by class, not by name: a new drug name in a question is usually a member of a class you already know.
Most-Tested Themes and Where to Find Them
NBEMS publishes no question papers, so there is no official topic breakdown. Recall-based reviews of recent papers keep naming the same themes, and the commonest question styles are drug of choice and adverse effect. Revise these first.
Theme named most often | Article(s) |
General pharmacology: half-life, zero-order kinetics, CYP inducers and inhibitors | 1–3 |
Autonomic drugs and organophosphate poisoning | 6, 7 |
Emergency drugs and antidotes | 7, 11, 24 |
Cardiovascular drugs: antihypertensives, antiarrhythmics, heart failure | 12–15 |
CNS drugs: antiepileptics, antipsychotics, lithium | 9, 10 |
Drug of choice and adverse effects | every article (Traps + questions) |
How You Will Be Asked
Question style | Example | How to prepare |
Mechanism | Which drug blocks this enzyme or receptor? | Group drugs by target, not by name |
Adverse effect | A patient on drug X develops this side effect | Learn the signature toxicity of each class |
Calculation | Half-life, volume of distribution, loading dose | Practise the three formulas by hand |
Drug of choice | Which drug for this clinical scenario? | Learn from current guidelines; they change |
How to Use This Playlist
Read the article, then try Test Yourself. Questions are original and in the exam's style; they are not past papers.
Use Flashcards daily, and the Memory Hooks for lists and numbers.
Start with the general pharmacology articles. They explain the reasoning used in every later article.
Revise this playlist on the playlist page mixes due cards from every article into one round.
How we check facts: every claim is checked against a named reference listed under Sources: the MSD Manual Professional Edition for clinical pharmacology, the IUPHAR receptor-nomenclature committee for definitions, Indian regulators and programmes (CDSCO, the Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission's PvPI, the National List of Essential Medicines) and official drug labels. Every practice question's answer is matched to a sentence in those sources. We do not reuse textbook or coaching text. A doctor has not yet reviewed these articles. If you spot an error, please tell us.
Sources
Facts in this article were checked against these documents.
NEET-PG 2025 Information Bulletin — National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences, 2025 (link)
NEET PG 2026 exam pattern changed — number of questions reduced from 200 to 180 (quotes the 2026 bulletin) — Medical Dialogues, 2026 (link)
Competency Based Undergraduate Curriculum, Pharmacology (PH) — National Medical Commission, 2024