The National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS), New Delhi, has invited applications for Graduate Pharmacy Aptitude Test (GPAT) 2026, an entrance test for admission to the M.Pharm course and for the Award of Scholarship for M.Pharm courses.

Eligibility: Applicant should be a citizen of India and should hold a bachelor’s degree in pharmacy (4 years after 10+2, including lateral entry students) or equivalent from a recognized university.

Those appearing for the final year (4th year) examination of Bachelor of Pharmacy (B.Pharm), whose result will be declared before commencement of admission to M.Pharm course for the academic year 2026-27, are eligible to appear in GPAT 2026. Those appearing for the Pre-final year (3rd year) examination of Bachelor of Pharmacy (B.Pharm) whose results for Final Year (4th year) will be declared before commencement of admission to M.Pharm course for the academic year 2027-28, are also eligible to appear in GPAT 2026. B.E./B.Tech. (Pharmaceutical and Fine Chemical Technology)/Equivalent candidates are not eligible to appear in GPAT 2026.

Structure of GPAT: The examination will be conducted in a single session on 07.03.2026 from 9 am to 12 noon on a computer-based platform at various examination centers across the country. It will have 125 Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs), with each question having 4 response options/distractors in the English language only. Questions will be from (i) Pharmaceutical Chemistry & Allied Subjects (38 questions), (ii) Pharmaceutics & Allied Subjects (38), (iii) Pharmacognosy & Allied Subjects (10), (iv) Pharmacology & Allied Subjects (28), and (v) Other Subjects of B. Pharm course (11). The syllabus for the GPAT shall comprise subject/knowledge areas as per “The Bachelor of Pharmacy (B. Pharm.) Course Regulations, 2024”. Each correct response will get 4 marks and each incorrect response will result in a loss of 1 mark.

The question paper for GPAT will be divided into multiple time-bound sections. If there are 5 time-bound sections (Section A, B, C, D & E) in the question paper, each section will have 25 questions and 36 minutes allotted for the section. Candidates would be restricted from proceeding to the next section till completion of the allotted time of the previous section, and candidates would not be allowed to review the questions/modify the responses of a section after the completion of the allotted time of that section. Questions of the next section will start automatically after the completion of the allotted time of the previous section. The actual number of such time-restricted sections may vary based on the total number of questions in the question paper and operational feasibility in making such sections.

Application: Online Submission of the application form can be made at https://www.natboard.edu.in/ till 11:55 pm on 12.01.2026. Examination Fee is Rs. 3,500/-. It is Rs. 2,500/- for SC, ST and PWD. The exam fee should be remitted through the payment gateway provided using a credit card or a debit card issued by banks in India or other modes as may be made available and have been provided on the web page.

The edit window for all successful payment applications will be open from 16.01.2026 to 19.01.2026. Any information/documents except Name, Nationality, Email, Mobile Number, Aadhaar Number and Test City can be edited during this time period.

The Selective Edit Window to rectify deficient/incorrect images (photographs, signatures, and thumb impressions) will be open from 06.02.2026 to 09.02.2026. The final selective edit window to rectify deficient/incorrect images (photographs, signatures, and thumb impressions) will again be available from 17.02.2026 to 19.02.2026, after which no further opportunity shall be given.

Intimation of the Test City will be made on 24.02.2026.

Admit Card: Admit cards shall be made live on the NBEMS website https://natboard.edu.in on 02.03.2026. Candidates will be informed through SMS/email alerts regarding the availability of the admit card on the NBEMS website. Admit card will not be sent to the candidates by Post / Email.

The result will be declared by 07.04.2026.

The role of NBEMS is limited to the conduct of GPAT, declaration of the result and handing over the result to the Pharmacy Council of India (PCI). NBEMS has no role in counseling and the disbursement of scholarships. Verification of documents and eligibility determination of the candidates shall be undertaken at the time of counseling/admission process by concerned authority. The candidate may also note that appearance in GPAT does not confer any automatic rights to secure an M.Pharm seat and/or scholarship. The selection and admission to M.Pharm course is subject to fulfilling the admission criteria, eligibility and such criteria as may be prescribed by the State Government/Admission Committee as may be applicable.

For any queries, clarifications, or assistance related to GPAT-2026, candidates are requested to contact NBEMS through its Communication Web Portal, the link to which is given in the Notification at https://www.natboard.edu.in/