NEET (UG) guide
The medical entrance, from NTA's own bulletin — 180 compulsory questions in 180 minutes, on paper rather than a screen. Every fact below links the page it was read from.
- Conducted by
- NTA
- Mode
- Pen and paper (OMR)
- Format (2026 bulletin)
- Single day, single shift
- Held in 2026
- 3 May 2026; re-examination 21 June 2026
- Questions
- 180, all compulsory
- Duration
- 180 minutes
- Maximum marks
- 720
What is NEET (UG)?
NEET (UG) is the entrance test for undergraduate medical courses in India, conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA). It is one pen-and-paper paper of 180 compulsory questions in Physics, Chemistry and Biology.
NTA's bulletin notes that Indian citizens and OCI cardholders who intend to study undergraduate medicine at a foreign institute also need to qualify NEET (UG).
Last reviewed 14 September 2026 · Source: neet.nta.nic.in (official document)
Who can sit NEET (UG)?
A candidate aged at least 17 by 31 December of the exam year, with no upper age limit, who has passed or is appearing in Class 12 (or equivalent) with Physics, Chemistry, Biology or Biotechnology, and English.
| Minimum age | Completed 17 years on or before 31 December of the exam year (for 2026: born on or before 31 December 2009) |
|---|---|
| Upper age limit | None |
| Qualifying examination | Class 12 or equivalent with Physics, Chemistry, Biology/Biotechnology and English |
| Class 12 result awaited | May apply and appear, but is not eligible for admission without passing the qualifying examination by the first round of counselling |
| Minimum for admission | 50th percentile (General, General-EWS); 40th percentile (SC, ST, OBC); 45th percentile for PwBD General and General-EWS; 40th percentile for PwBD SC, ST, OBC-NCL |
Last reviewed 14 September 2026 · Source: neet.nta.nic.in (official document)
What is the NEET (UG) exam pattern?
180 compulsory multiple-choice questions — 45 Physics, 45 Chemistry, 90 Biology — in 180 minutes, for 720 marks. A correct answer earns 4 marks and a wrong one loses 1.
Biology carries 360 of the 720 marks — as much as Physics and Chemistry together.
| Subject | Questions | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| Physics | 45 | 180 |
| Chemistry | 45 | 180 |
| Biology (Botany & Zoology) | 90 | 360 |
| Total | 180 | 720 |
Marking: +4 for a correct answer, −1 for an incorrect one, 0 for a question left unanswered.
Time: 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM (IST) — the single-day, single-shift schedule NTA's 2026 bulletin set, which applied to the 3 May 2026 sitting.
Medium: Assamese, Bengali, English, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu or Urdu, chosen in the application form and not changeable. A regional-language booklet comes with English.
Last reviewed 14 September 2026 · Source: neet.nta.nic.in (official document)
What is the NEET (UG) syllabus?
The National Medical Commission (NMC) notifies the syllabus. NTA prints it in full as Appendix III of the information bulletin, covering Physics, Chemistry and Biology.
NTA publishes no chapter-wise weightage, so this guide gives none.
- Physics
- Chemistry
- Biology (Botany and Zoology)
Last reviewed 14 September 2026 · Source: neet.nta.nic.in (official document)
When is NEET (UG)?
NEET (UG) 2026 was held on 3 May 2026, and NTA held a re-examination on 21 June 2026. NTA had not announced a 2027 date when this guide was last reviewed.
NTA's public notice of 15 May 2026 set the re-examination on 21 June 2026 from 2:00 PM to 5:15 PM (IST), including time for examination formalities, in pen-and-paper mode.
Every date listed here has passed. The next cycle’s dates appear once the conducting body announces them.
| Exam | Date | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| NEET-UG — original sittingNTA refunded the examination fee for this sitting and held a re-examination on 21 June 2026. | 3 May 2026 | Held | NTA |
| NEET-UG — re-examinationThe re-examination of the 3 May 2026 sitting. | 21 June 2026 | Held | NTA |
Checked against the official sources on 14 September 2026. Confirm on the conducting body's site before you rely on a date.
Last reviewed 14 September 2026 · Source: neet.nta.nic.in (official document)
How should a student use the official material?
Work from the syllabus NMC notifies, printed in the bulletin, and practise on paper with an OMR sheet: the exam is pen-and-paper, and every wrong answer costs a mark.
Last reviewed 14 September 2026 · Source: neet.nta.nic.in (official document)
Coaching for NEET at Zigyan
NEET is taught in the Class XI and Class XII programmes alongside JEE, because at Class XI level the Physics and Chemistry syllabi are nearly identical and only the third subject differs — Mathematics for JEE, Biology for NEET. Many students keep both open for a year and commit in Class XII on the evidence of their test data.
Our first NEET cohort is still studying, so there are no NEET results to show yet. When there are, they will be published the same way the JEE results are: named students and their ranks.
NEET (UG), answered
Is NEET (UG) a pen-and-paper exam?
Yes. NTA's 2026 bulletin set it as a single-day, single-shift exam in pen-and-paper mode, and NTA's notice of 15 May 2026 set the 21 June 2026 re-examination in pen-and-paper mode too.
Last reviewed 14 September 2026 · Source: neet.nta.nic.in (official document)
How many marks is Biology worth?
360 of 720. Biology (Botany and Zoology) has 90 of the 180 questions — as many as Physics and Chemistry combined.
Last reviewed 14 September 2026 · Source: neet.nta.nic.in (official document)
Is there negative marking in NEET (UG)?
Yes. Each incorrect answer loses 1 mark; a question left unanswered scores 0.
Last reviewed 14 September 2026 · Source: neet.nta.nic.in (official document)
Is there an upper age limit for NEET (UG)?
No. The bulletin states there is no upper age limit; the only age rule is completing 17 years by 31 December of the exam year.
Last reviewed 14 September 2026 · Source: neet.nta.nic.in (official document)
In how many languages can NEET (UG) be written?
Thirteen: Assamese, Bengali, English, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu. The choice is made in the application form and cannot be changed.
Last reviewed 14 September 2026 · Source: neet.nta.nic.in (official document)
Is NEET conducted online or offline?
Offline, on paper, with an OMR sheet — unlike JEE Main and BITSAT, which are computer-based.
That difference is worth practising for: filling an OMR under time pressure is its own skill.
Does Zigyan have NEET results?
Not yet. Our first NEET cohort is still studying.
We coach NEET in the Class XI and XII programmes and will publish those results the same way we publish the JEE ones — named students and their ranks — when they exist.
Official sources
Every fact in this guide was read from the conducting bodies’ own pages and documents. Confirm on them before you rely on a date or rule — they change from cycle to cycle.
Preparing for NEET 2027?
Sit the scholarship test and talk to a mentor about which programme fits.