NEET 2026 exam pattern
NEET is a pen-and-paper test of 3 hours 20 minutes with 200 questions. Biology leads with 100 questions (Botany 50 + Zoology 50), Physics 50, Chemistry 50. Marking: +4 per correct, -1 per wrong, 0 unattempted. Total marks 720.
NEET is conducted once per year (May) by NTA. Eligibility: Class 12 with Physics, Chemistry, Biology (or Biotechnology), minimum 50% aggregate for General category (40% for SC/ST/OBC).
Biology syllabus — NCERT is the single source
NEET Biology is drawn almost entirely from NCERT Class 11 and 12 textbooks. Every line of NCERT Biology is potential question material — memorization is the single strongest predictor of Biology score.
- Class 11 Botany: Diversity of Living World, Plant Kingdom, Morphology of Flowering Plants, Anatomy of Flowering Plants, Cell Structure, Biomolecules, Cell Cycle, Transport in Plants, Mineral Nutrition, Photosynthesis, Respiration, Plant Growth
- Class 11 Zoology: Animal Kingdom, Structural Organisation in Animals, Digestion, Breathing, Body Fluids & Circulation, Excretion, Locomotion, Neural Control, Chemical Coordination
- Class 12 Botany: Reproduction in Organisms, Sexual Reproduction in Flowering Plants, Biotech Principles, Biotech Applications, Biodiversity, Environmental Issues, Strategies for Food Production
- Class 12 Zoology: Human Reproduction, Reproductive Health, Principles of Inheritance & Variation, Molecular Basis of Inheritance, Evolution, Human Health & Disease, Microbes in Human Welfare
Physics and Chemistry — concept-driven
NEET Physics syllabus mirrors JEE Main Physics but with slightly easier problem difficulty. Mechanics, Electrodynamics, Modern Physics, and Thermodynamics make up 70%+ of questions. Formula recall matters more than derivation skill.
Chemistry splits 33/33/33 between Physical, Organic, and Inorganic. Physical Chemistry is formula-heavy (Thermodynamics, Kinetics, Equilibrium). Organic is mechanism + reaction recognition. Inorganic is almost pure memorization of periodic table trends and reactions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the NEET 2026 syllabus different from 2025?
No significant changes. NEET syllabus has been stable since 2020. The 2024 pattern adjustment (removed optional 20 questions, made full 200 compulsory) is the current standard.
How much Biology comes from Class 11 vs Class 12?
Roughly 45% from Class 11 and 55% from Class 12 in recent NEET papers. Class 12 chapters — Human Reproduction, Genetics, Molecular Biology, Biotech — dominate the Zoology section.
Is NCERT Biology enough for NEET?
For most students, yes. NCERT line-by-line reading (including figure captions and footnotes) covers 85-90% of NEET Biology. The remaining 10-15% is beyond-NCERT questions (NEET 2023 pattern change added some). NCERT Exemplar is the recommended supplement.
What is the NEET marking scheme for unattempted questions?
0 marks for unattempted. -1 for wrong. +4 for correct. Statistically, you should attempt a question if your confidence is above 25%.
How important is Physics for NEET?
Physics is 180 marks out of 720 (25%). Historically, Physics is the rank-maker — strong Biology is common, but strong Physics separates top-ranked from average candidates. A 160+ in Physics typically correlates with AIR under 1000.
Is there a cutoff per subject for NEET qualification?
No subject-wise cutoff. Only overall cutoff matters: approximately 138+ (General), 108+ (SC/ST/OBC) based on last 3 years. But AIIMS, MBBS in top colleges requires 640+ overall.
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