National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) for undergraduate courses is a well known entrance exam for medical courses in India, especially MBBS. Even after its popularity, students fail to understand its structure and pattern. All candidates appearing for NEET UG exam 2026 must know the NEET exam pattern, NEET UG exam structure, marking scheme, subjects involved, how many times it is being conducted, etc. Here is the quick guide provided for NEET aspirants to know answers to all these queries.
NEET Exam Pattern 2026
The NEET exam pattern tells you how the test is set up and designed. For NEET UG, the pattern has gone back to the style before COVID. There are no optional questions now. All questions are compulsory. The exam will have 180 questions in total, 45 each from Physics, Chemistry, Botany, and Zoology. Biology includes both Botany and Zoology. Here is a breakdown of the questions and marks:
- Physics: 45 questions, 180 marks
- Chemistry: 45 questions, 180 marks
- Biology (Botany and Zoology): 90 questions, 360 marks
The total marks are 720. Each question is a multiple-choice type with four options. Candidates have to pick one right answer. The exam will be conducted for three hours in offline mode with pen and paper. Answers would be marked on the given OMR sheet. The test will be conducted in many languages like English, Hindi, and others.
|
NEET UG Exam Pattern |
|
|
Number of Questions |
180 MCQs, out of which 180 should be answered. |
|
Total Marks |
720 Marks |
|
Exam Mode |
Offline |
|
Types of questions |
Multiple Choice Questions |
|
Duration of Exam |
3 hours |
|
Subjects |
Botany, Zoology, Chemistry, Physics |
|
Language |
English/ Hindi/ Marathi/ Bengali/ Gujarati/ Tamil/ Telugu/ Kannada/ Oriya/ Assamese/ Punjabi/ Malayalam/ Urdu |
|
Marking Scheme |
4 marks for each right answer |
|
Negative Marking |
Deducts 1 mark for each wrong answer. |
|
Frequency of Exam |
Once a year |
Total Number of Questions in NEET Exam
The NEET UG exam has a total of 180 questions. No choice will be give to choose from. That is, all the questions are compulsory.
|
Subject |
Total Questions |
Questions to be Answered |
Marks Per Question |
|
Physics |
45 |
45 |
4 marks each |
|
Chemistry |
45 |
45 |
4 marks each |
|
Botany |
45 |
45 |
4 marks each |
|
Zoology |
45 |
45 |
4 marks each |
|
Total |
180 |
180 |
720 |
Latest Changes in NEET Exam Pattern
There are certain changes that have been introduced to the NEET exam pattern. Students aspiring for this exam must check the new changes and prepare accordingly:
- The exam will be conducted in offline mode with OMR sheets.
- The question paper is divided into one section: Only Section A
- All the questions will be from the subjects: Botany, Zoology, Chemistry, and Physics.
- With 45 questions from each subject, Section A will have the compulsory questions. Candidates have to answer all 45 questions in this section.
- Section B has been eliminated from the exam pattern making all the questions compulsory.
- The total marks of the question paper are 720.
- The duration of the test is 3 hours.
NEET UG Marking Scheme
Here is the NEET marking scheme which will be followed for the 2026 exam. This information will also be mentioned on the first page of the NEET question paper, still it is better to know them in advance. Understand how many marks you will get for correct, incorrect, unanswered and multiple answers.
|
Response Type |
Marks Awarded |
Marks Deducted |
Final Effect on Score |
|
Correct Answer |
+4 |
0 |
Adds 4 marks |
|
Incorrect Answer |
0 |
−1 |
Deducts 1 mark |
|
Unattempted Question |
0 |
0 |
No effect |
|
Multiple Responses Marked |
0 |
−1 |
Deducts 1 mark |
Note: Students should avoid guessing blindly, as each wrong answer reduces the score by 1 mark.
Language Options in NEET Exam
The NEET UG Exam is conducted in multiple languages to help students across India. Candidates can choose their preferred language while filling out the application form. Here are the options:
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Language Options |
States / Regions Where Available |
|
English |
Available across India |
|
Hindi |
Available across India |
|
Assamese |
Assam |
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Bengali |
West Bengal, Tripura |
|
Gujarati |
Gujarat, Daman & Diu, Dadra & Nagar Haveli |
|
Kannada |
Karnataka |
|
Malayalam |
Kerala |
|
Marathi |
Maharashtra |
|
Odia |
Odisha |
|
Punjabi |
Punjab |
|
Tamil |
Tamil Nadu, Puducherry |
|
Telugu |
Andhra Pradesh, Telangana |
|
Urdu |
Across India (selected centres) |
Students must select the language carefully, as it cannot be changed later. The exam paper is bilingual (English + chosen language).
How Many Times NEET Exam is Conducted in A Year?
The NEET UG exam is conducted only once a year by the National Testing Agency (NTA). It is usually held in the month of May in offline (pen-and-paper) mode. Students get just one attempt per year to appear for NEET, unlike some other exams like JEE Main which are held multiple times.
NEET 2026 Syllabus With Weightage
The NEET syllabus is based on the NCERT curriculum of Classes 11 and 12, covering Physics, Chemistry, and Biology, with Biology carrying the highest weightage. Nearly 50% of the paper comes from Biology, while Physics and Chemistry contribute equally to the remaining half. Class 11 topics like Mechanics, Thermodynamics, Organic Chemistry basics, and Plant & Animal Physiology are important, whereas Class 12 topics such as Electrodynamics, Organic Chemistry (Carbonyl Compounds, Biomolecules), Genetics, and Human Physiology hold high weightage. Students should focus more on chapters with repeated question trends, as NCERT-based concepts form the backbone of the exam. Careful analysis of chapter-wise weightage can help in prioritising topics for maximum scoring. Download the NEET syllabus PDF for better understanding.
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