NEET Exam Pattern, Eligibility, Syllabus and What Comes After

The NEET exam pattern is the same for every student in India: one pen and paper test of 180 compulsory questions, 720 marks, 3 hours, with plus 4 for a right answer and minus 1 for a wrong one. Physics and Chemistry have 45 questions each and Biology has 90. NEET UG is conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) once a year, and it is the only entrance test for MBBS, BDS and AYUSH degrees across the country. Below is everything a class 12 PCB student and their parents need: eligibility, age limit, syllabus, how the result is used, and a study plan that works.

All points here follow the latest NEET UG information bulletin. Dates, centres and fees change each cycle, so confirm on the official website before applying.

What is NEET exam and who conducts it

NEET full form is National Eligibility cum Entrance Test. The NTA NEET exam for undergraduates is called NEET UG. It is used by government, private and deemed medical colleges, so there is no separate test for most medical seats. If you are wondering "NEET exam kya hota hai", think of it as the single door to a medical seat after class 12.

Do not confuse it with the NEET PG exam. NEET PG is a different test, run by the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS), for doctors who have finished MBBS and want MD, MS or diploma seats. The NEET PG exam schedule and timings come from the NBEMS website, not from NTA. NEET SS is a further exam for super speciality seats after MD or MS. This page is only about NEET UG.

NEET exam pattern, total marks and exam time

Here is the paper as described in the latest bulletin.

• NEET exam time: 180 minutes in a single afternoon shift (2 PM to 5 PM in the latest cycle). PwD and PwBD candidates get one extra hour.
• Marking: plus 4 for a correct answer, minus 1 for a wrong answer, zero for a question left blank.
• Choice: all 180 questions are compulsory. There is no optional section now.
• Mode: pen and paper, with an OMR answer sheet, on one day in one shift for the whole country.
• Languages: 13 mediums: English, Hindi, Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu. Hindi medium students get a bilingual booklet.

So the NEET exam total marks are 720. Biology alone is half the paper, which is why strong Biology students often score better than students who are only good at Physics.

NEET exam eligibility and age limit

The PCB percentage is checked at counselling, not when you write the exam. Students who did Biology through open schooling or with extra subjects should read the qualifying exam codes in the bulletin carefully, as each case is listed there.

Not sure if your age fits for the admission year? Use the age checker below.

NEET exam syllabus outline

The NEET exam syllabus is notified by the National Medical Commission (NMC) and printed in the bulletin. It covers class 11 and 12 science. A quick outline:

• Physics: units and measurement, motion, laws of motion, work and energy, rotation, gravitation, properties of matter, thermodynamics, oscillations and waves, electrostatics, current electricity, magnetism, EMI and AC, optics, dual nature, atoms and nuclei, electronic devices.
• Chemistry: basic concepts, atomic structure, bonding, thermodynamics, equilibrium, redox, solutions, electrochemistry, kinetics, p, d and f block, coordination compounds, organic basics, hydrocarbons, functional groups, biomolecules.
• Biology: diversity of living world, plant and animal structure, cell biology, plant physiology, human physiology, reproduction, genetics and evolution, biology and human welfare, biotechnology, ecology.

NCERT Biology books are the backbone. A large share of Biology questions come straight from NCERT lines and diagrams.

NEET exam pass mark and how the result is used

There is no fixed NEET exam pass mark in raw numbers. NTA declares a qualifying cut-off as a percentile for each category, and the marks that match that percentile change every year with the paper and number of candidates. Reserved categories have a lower percentile. Qualifying only makes you eligible for counselling; it does not give a seat.

• All India Quota and central institutes: counselling by the Medical Counselling Committee for government college seats under the all India quota, deemed universities and central institutes like AIIMS.
• State quota: each state runs its own counselling for its government and private college seats, using NEET ranks.
• AYUSH: separate counselling for BAMS, BUMS, BSMS and BHMS seats.
• Nursing and veterinary: NEET data is used for some BSc Nursing seats, including the four year course at armed forces hospitals for Military Nursing Service, and for the Veterinary Council's quota in BVSc and AH.

Rank decides everything. A government MBBS seat usually needs a high rank, while private and deemed seats accept lower ranks but cost much more.

After NEET which course is best: NEET courses list rank wise

A rough order most families follow, from highest rank needed to lowest:

Many students also keep allied courses as backup, which do not always need NEET. See medical courses after 12th, BAMS and AYUSH, BSc Nursing, veterinary doctor and paramedical courses.

Jobs and salary after NEET

NEET itself is not a job exam. The job comes after the degree. A rough NEET jobs list with salary:

• MBBS doctor: government medical officer posts in central services generally start at Level 10 (₹56,100 basic pay) plus allowances; private hospital pay varies widely by city. Details in our MBBS doctor guide.
• Specialist after MD or MS: pay rises sharply, both in government and private hospitals.
• Nursing: government nursing officer posts are on the central pay matrix, as explained on that page.
• AYUSH and dental: government posts in state health services, plus private practice and clinics.

NEET exam preparation tips from experience

1. Two year plan: start in class 11. Finish each chapter from NCERT, then practise MCQs on it the same week.
2. Biology daily: read NCERT Biology every day, including diagrams and examples. Make short notes of lines you keep forgetting.
3. Physics problems: practise numericals regularly; this is where most students lose marks.
4. OMR practice: write full mock tests on paper with an OMR sheet in the same 2 PM to 5 PM slot. Time management on paper is different from screen tests.
5. Careful guessing: with minus 1 for a wrong answer, a blind guess can cost you. Skip when unsure.
6. Short crash course only for revision: a NEET crash course in the last months can help with revision and tests, but it cannot replace two years of steady study.

Also follow the dress code and reporting rules given on the admit card. Students do get stopped at the gate for small mistakes.

Official website, NEET exam form and fees

Many students type exams.nta.nic.in neet or exam.nta.ac.in neet into search. The correct official site is neet.nta.nic.in, and the main NTA site is nta.ac.in. The NEET exam form, city slip, admit card, answer key and result all come only from there. In the latest bulletin, the NEET exam fees for centres in India were ₹1,700 for General, ₹1,600 for General EWS and OBC (NCL), and ₹1,000 for SC, ST, PwBD and third gender candidates, with bank charges and GST extra. Fees can change, so check the bulletin. For other options after 12th, see our list of entrance exams after 12th.