Medical · Entrance Exams

NEET UG 2026 Result, Cut-off and Re-examination; NEET 2027 Exam Date, Exam Pattern, Syllabus, Eligibility and Free NEET Mock Tests

NEET UG is the single entrance examination for undergraduate medical, dental, AYUSH and allied courses across India. One paper, one merit list, and admission through central and state counselling — there is no separate entrance for any recognised medical college.

It is also, in a specific sense, the most concentrated examination in the country. The syllabus is fixed at class 11 and 12 NCERT content, the questions rarely go beyond it, and with millions of candidates competing for a limited number of seats, the difference between ranks is measured in single marks. That combination makes NEET a precision test rather than a difficulty test.

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NEET UG · checked 19 September 2026

NEET UG at a glance, from the official notices

The dates, vacancies and rules below are read on the conducting body’s own site and rewritten as each notice appears. The guide beneath carries the full pattern, syllabus, cut-offs and free mock tests.

Free NEET UG mock testNEET UG syllabusToday’s current affairs
19September 2026

Checked 19 September 2026

NEET UG: the facts that matter now

  1. 01

    Notified 8 February; applications 8 February – 8 March (extended); held 3 May 2026, cancelled on 12 May after a malpractice investigation, and…

    2026 cycle

  2. 02

    22,79,743 registered, 19,99,895 appeared on 21 June, 11,21,185 qualified; highest score 715 out of 720 (two candidates); 19 candidates above 700…

    2026 result

  3. 03

    UR and EWS 213 marks (50th percentile); OBC, SC and ST 177 (40th percentile); UR-PwBD 194 (45th percentile); reserved PwBD 177

    2026 cut-off

  4. 04

    General ₹1,700; General-EWS and OBC-NCL ₹1,600; SC, ST, PwBD and third gender ₹1,000; ₹9,500 for centres outside India

    Fee (2026)

Notification

NEET UG notification and key dates

Checked 18 September 2026 on neet.nta.nic.in and nta.ac.in. NEET 2027 will move to a computer-based test: the Education Minister announced the switch on 15 May 2026, NTA wrote to AICTE on 4 September 2026 to map CBT centres, and the NTA Director General confirmed it on 14 September 2026; the 180-question, 720-mark, +4/−1 pattern is expected to carry over, and NEET UG is not in NTA’s December 2026 – March 2027 examination calendar of 16 September, so the notice is still expected in February 2027. NEET UG 2026 was held on 3 May 2026 and then cancelled on 12 May, after inputs on malpractice around the examination were referred to central agencies on 8 May and the Government referred the matter to the CBI. The examination was re-conducted on 21 June 2026 for the same candidates, at the centres already opted for, with no fresh registration and no fee; fees paid for the May examination were refunded through a bank-details window that ran into July. The result of the 21 June examination was declared on 16 July 2026, in time for counselling, with 11,21,185 candidates qualified.

NEET UG 2026 — the cycle as it ran.
EventDate
Syllabus for NEET (UG) 2026 published8 January 2026
Public notice and information bulletin; applications open8 February 2026
Last date for applications8 March 2026 (extended by the notice of 8 March); corrections 10 – 12 March
City intimation and admit cards12 April and 26 April 2026
Examination (later cancelled)3 May 2026, 2 – 5 p.m.
Provisional answer key of the 3 May paper6 May 2026
Cancellation and CBI referencePress releases of 10 and 12 May 2026
Re-examination notice; address and city-change window15 May 2026; window 15 – 21 May
City intimation and admit cards for the re-examination7 June and 14 June 2026
Re-examination21 June 2026, 2 – 5:15 p.m. including formalities, pen and paper, 13 languages
Provisional answer key and challenge25 – 28 June 2026
Scanned OMR sheets and recorded responses displayed13 – 15 July 2026
Final answer key and result16 July 2026
NEET UG 2026 result at a glance (examination of 21 June 2026).
ItemFigure
Registered22,79,743 (13,32,914 women, 9,46,815 men, 14 third gender)
Appeared19,99,895 at 5,440 centres in 551 cities and 14 abroad
Qualified11,21,185 — 6,54,049 women (56.8 per cent of those appearing) and 4,67,134 men (55.1 per cent)
Qualified by categoryGeneral 2,91,133; OBC 5,12,014; SC 1,59,296; ST 63,716; EWS 95,026; PwBD 3,666
Highest score715 / 720 — Aryan Gupta (Punjab) and Panshul Bansal (Haryana)
Score bands19 above 700; 138 above 690; 1,492 at 650 or more; 10,160 at 600 or more; 90,780 at 500 or more
Largest stateUttar Pradesh, with over 1.7 lakh qualified
NEET UG qualifying cut-offs — marks out of 720 at the qualifying percentile.
CategoryPercentile202620252024
UR and EWS50th715 – 213 (9,96,935 qualified)686 – 144720 – 162
OBC, SC, ST40th212 – 177 (81,111; 29,947; 12,452)143 – 113161 – 127
UR and EWS PwBD45th212 – 194 (480)143 – 127161 – 144
OBC, SC, ST PwBD40th193 – 177 (185; 64; 11)126 – 113143 – 127
Total qualified11,21,18512,36,53113,15,853

The 2026 paper scored higher than 2025: the general qualifying mark rose from 144 to 213 and the highest score from 686 to 715, so the same marks carry a lower rank in 2026 than they would have in 2025. Language-wise, 18,08,535 registered in English and 3,45,247 in Hindi, with Gujarati (49,647), Bengali (38,577) and Tamil (29,845) the next largest. NTA’s press release records the examination as conducted under Section 14 of the NMC Act on the direction of the Supreme Court and with the approval of the two ministries.

NEET 2027

Not yet notified. The 2026 syllabus notice came on 8 January and the application notice on 8 February with the examination on the first Sunday of May; the 2027 cycle should follow the same shape, and the NMC letter of 5 December 2025 that fixed the 2026 pattern (180 compulsory questions, pen and paper, single shift) is the best guide to the paper until the 2027 bulletin appears. Watch neet.nta.nic.in and nta.ac.in only; NTA has issued repeated notices about fake documents, seat-blocking calls and OMR sheets circulated on social media.

Overview

What NEET UG is, and who it suits

NEET UG replaced the patchwork of national and state medical entrances with a single examination. Its score determines admission to MBBS, BDS, AYUSH, veterinary and allied programmes across government and private institutions, through the all-India counselling conducted centrally and the state counselling conducted by each state for its own quota.

The paper covers physics, chemistry, botany and zoology, with forty-five questions in each. Biology therefore accounts for half the paper — ninety questions and three hundred and sixty marks — which is the single most important structural fact for a candidate planning their preparation.

What makes NEET distinctive

  • Biology is half the paper — ninety of a hundred and eighty questions, and the section where marks are most reliably earned.
  • NCERT is the effective syllabus — questions stay unusually close to the textbook, particularly in biology and inorganic chemistry.
  • Precision matters more than difficulty — with millions competing, a handful of marks separates thousands of ranks.
  • One examination, all colleges — no recognised medical college conducts its own entrance.

Ranks are compressed at the top

Because so many candidates score in a narrow band, small differences in marks translate into large differences in rank. That is why accuracy discipline — avoiding careless errors on questions you knew — matters more in NEET than in almost any other examination, and why a single avoidable mistake can cost thousands of places.

Eligibility

Who can apply for NEET UG

NEET UG eligibility, from chapter 6 of the 2026 information bulletin, which quotes the NMC’s Graduate Medical Education Regulations 2023 and the NMC letters of December 2025 and January 2026.

Who may appear.
ConditionRule
Minimum age17 years on or before 31 December of the year of the examination — born on or before 31 December 2009 for NEET 2026, all categories
Upper ageNone (NMC letter of 9 March 2022)
Qualifying examinationClass 12 or equivalent after 12 years of study with physics, chemistry, biology or biotechnology and English (Code 02); candidates whose class-12 result is awaited may apply (Code 01) but must pass by the first counselling round
Additional subjectsPhysics, chemistry, biology or biotechnology and English studied as additional subjects after passing class 12 from a recognised board are accepted (NMC decision of 14 June 2023, public notice of 22 November 2023), with documentary proof
Marks in the qualifying examinationAs required by the NMC regulations and the admitting authority — 50 per cent in physics, chemistry and biology together for the general category, 45 for general PwBD and 40 for SC, ST and OBC; verified at counselling
NationalityIndian nationals, NRIs, OCIs, PIOs and foreign nationals; OCIs and Indians studying medicine abroad also need NEET
AttemptsNo limit

Other rules from the bulletin

  • Documents at application — a recent photograph, address proof, signature, and for NRI, OCI and foreign candidates the embassy or citizenship certificate; Aadhaar, UDID and category certificates should be updated before applying (advisory of 5 January 2026).
  • Choice of language — the medium is chosen in the form and cannot be changed; the paper is bilingual with English except for English-medium candidates.
  • PwBD candidates — compensatory time of one hour on the three-hour paper, and a scribe under the RPwD Act rules; certificates from designated centres for admission purposes.
  • One application only — multiple forms are cancelled and NTA’s 2026 notices warn of legal action for fake, altered or AI-generated documents.

Qualifying is not admission

The qualifying percentile — 50th for general, 40th for reserved categories — is the floor for taking part in counselling, and in 2026 it was 213 marks. Government MBBS seats closed far higher in every round, and state quota closing ranks differ by state and category; the rank, not the qualifying mark, decides the seat.

Selection process

How NEET UG selection works

Each stage in order, and what it actually tests.

Stages change between cycles. Confirm the structure in the notification for the cycle you are sitting.
StageFormatWhat it involves
The NEET UG paperPen-and-paper OMR, 180 questions, 720 marks, 3 hours, single shiftPhysics 45 questions (180 marks), Chemistry 45 (180), Biology — Botany and Zoology — 90 (360). Every question is compulsory; +4 for a correct answer, −1 for a wrong one, 0 for a blank. Bilingual question paper in the language chosen with English.
Answer key, OMR display and resultProvisional key challenge, OMR display, final key, All India RankIn 2026 the provisional key went up on 25 June with a challenge window to 28 June, scanned OMR sheets were displayed from 13 to 15 July, and the final key and result came on 16 July. The scorecard carries the marks, the percentile and the All India Rank; category ranks for counselling are worked out by the counselling authorities.
Counselling and admissionMCC and state rounds on the NEET rankThe Medical Counselling Committee runs the All India Quota, central and deemed university, AIIMS, JIPMER and ESIC rounds; each state runs its own for the 85 per cent state quota and private seats; AACCC runs AYUSH. Admission needs the class-12 pass with the required subjects by the first round, the qualifying percentile, and the documents in the bulletin.

Application to admission

How NEET UG runs, from the NTA form to the OMR paper, the rank and counselling

The steps follow the NEET (UG) 2026 information bulletin and the notices of the 2026 cycle, including the re-examination.

The NEET UG process

  1. Register and fill the form on neet.nta.nic.in One registration with the candidate’s own or a parent’s mobile number and e-mail; the form takes the personal details as on the class-10 certificate, the category and PwBD status, the qualifying examination code, the medium, and city preferences. Upload the photograph, signature, address proof and the category or nationality documents in the sizes the bulletin specifies.
  2. Pay the fee ₹1,700 for General, ₹1,600 for General-EWS and OBC-NCL, ₹1,000 for SC, ST, PwBD and third gender in India, ₹9,500 abroad, plus processing charges and GST, by card, net banking or UPI. The application counts only when the payment succeeds; save the confirmation page.
  3. Correction window Three days after the closing date (10–12 March in 2026) for the fields NTA allows; nothing afterwards. In 2026 a separate address and city-change window ran from 15 to 21 May for the re-examination.
  4. City intimation and admit card The city slip appears about three weeks before the examination and the admit card about a week before, on the portal. Carry the admit card, a passport photograph, the photo-ID used in the form and, for PwBD candidates, the certificate. The dress-code and permitted-items advisory applies at the gate.
  5. Examination day A single shift from 2 to 5 p.m.; reporting begins late morning and the gate closes before the paper at the time printed on the admit card. Biometric verification and frisking at entry; the OMR sheet is filled in ballpoint pen; the question paper and a carbon copy of the OMR are taken home. Rough work is on the paper itself.
  6. Answer key, OMR display, challenge The provisional key with the recorded responses is displayed for about three days; a challenge costs ₹200 per question, refundable if accepted. The scanned OMR is displayed separately (13–15 July in 2026), de-linked from the key challenge, so a candidate can check the sheet against the key.
  7. Result, scorecard and counselling The final key and the result are published together on the portal; the scorecard shows marks, percentile and All India Rank. MCC opens registration for the All India Quota and central institutions within days on mcc.nic.in; state counselling authorities and AACCC (AYUSH) follow with their own portals and rounds, each verifying the class-12 marks and documents.

Exam pattern

NEET UG exam pattern and marking

The NEET UG exam pattern below is chapter 4 of the 2026 information bulletin, as approved by the NMC on 5 December 2025: a single pen-and-paper shift of 180 compulsory questions in 180 minutes, worth 720 marks, with four marks for a correct answer and one deducted for a wrong one. The optional questions of 2021–2023 are gone; every question counts.

NEET UG paper. 3 hours, 2 to 5 p.m., OMR.
SubjectQuestionsMarksContent
Physics45180Class 11 and 12 physics on the NMC syllabus published 8 January 2026
Chemistry45180Physical, inorganic and organic chemistry, classes 11 and 12
Biology (Botany and Zoology)90360Class 11 and 12 biology, the largest block and the first tie-breaker
Total180720All compulsory
Marking and rules.
ItemDetail
Correct answer+4
Wrong answer−1
Unanswered0
Dropped question+4 to every candidate, attempted or not; a question with more than one correct option gives +4 to those who marked any correct option
Medium13 languages — English, Hindi, Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu; bilingual with English
Tie-breakHigher marks in Biology, then Chemistry, then Physics; then the lower proportion of wrong to right answers overall, then in Biology, Chemistry and Physics
Qualifying50th percentile (UR, EWS), 45th (UR-PwBD), 40th (OBC, SC, ST and their PwBD); 213 / 194 / 177 marks in 2026
PwBD timeOne extra hour for candidates entitled to compensatory time

What 213 and 600 mean in practice

The 2026 qualifying mark of 213 is about 30 per cent of the paper. Government MBBS seats close far above that line — the closing ranks of each MCC and state round on mcc.nic.in and the state portals are the reference — and the 600-plus band held just 10,160 candidates in 2026. The negative mark makes attempt discipline worth 20–40 marks: a candidate at 150 attempts with 80 per cent accuracy scores 450; at 180 attempts with 70 per cent accuracy, 450 again, with far more risk.

Study plan

How to prepare for NEET UG

NEET is a two-year syllabus tested in three hours, and the paper is written from the NCERT textbooks — the NMC syllabus of January 2026 is chapter-mapped to them. Biology is half the marks and the first tie-breaker; Physics is where ranks separate. A class-12 candidate has the school year plus the February–April run-in; a dropper has a full twelve months.

Twelve-month plan for NEET 2027.
MonthsWorkOutput
1–4Class 11 syllabus in all three subjects from NCERT, chapter by chapter, with the NCERT exercise questions and one problem book for Physics and physical chemistryChapter notes; NCERT read line by line in Biology
5–8Class 12 syllabus the same way; weekly chapter tests with the +4/−1 schemeA running error log by chapter
9–10Previous NEET papers (2026 re-examination, 2025, 2024, 2023) as full three-hour OMR papers; revise from the error logEvery paper scored; attempt count settled
11Full mocks twice a week in the 2–5 p.m. slot; NCERT re-read for Biology and inorganic chemistryTarget score fixed against last year’s cut-offs for the seat you want
12Light revision, formula and diagram sheets, one mock a week; admit card, documents and centre travel sortedReady for the first Sunday of May

What the top scorers do

  • They read NCERT, not summaries of NCERT — the Biology paper quotes the textbook’s lines, tables and diagrams, and 90 questions at four marks each are 360 of the 720.
  • They fix a reliable attempt count — with −1 per wrong answer, 160 careful attempts beat 180 hurried ones; the 2026 tie-break rules also reward fewer wrong answers.
  • They practise on the OMR — the paper is pen and paper; 180 bubbles filled subject by subject, not in the final minutes.
  • They use the previous papers as the syllabus check — the 2026 re-examination paper is the most recent picture of the 180-compulsory-question format.

Practice on this site

NEET UG syllabus NEET UG previous year papers NEET UG mock tests NEET UG study material NEET PG guide

Sources

Official notifications and sources

Checked 15 September 2026 against the NEET (UG) 2026 information bulletin, the NTA press releases and public notices on neet.nta.nic.in and nta.ac.in, and NTA’s “Key data points of NEET (UG) over years” sheet of July 2026.

Official documents

NEET (UG) — NTA portal Press release: NEET (UG) 2026 result, 16 July 2026 (PDF) Key data points of NEET (UG) over the years — registrations, qualified and cut-offs (PDF) List of toppers, NEET (UG) 2026 (PDF) Final answer keys, NEET (UG) 2026 re-examination (PDF) Public notice: conduct of the re-examination on 21 June 2026, dated 15 May 2026 (PDF) Press release: decision on the examination of 3 May 2026, dated 12 May 2026 (PDF) Press release of 10 May 2026 on the investigation (PDF) Information bulletin, NEET (UG) 2026 (PDF) Public notice: inviting applications, 8 February 2026 (PDF) Syllabus for NEET (UG) 2026, 8 January 2026 (PDF) Medical Counselling Committee National Medical Commission

Exam resources

Everything for NEET UG

Six resource pages, each kept in step with the latest official notification.

NEET UG SyllabusNEET UG syllabus — physics, chemistry, botany and zoology drawn from the class 11 and 12 NCERT curriculum.NEET UG Exam PatternNEET UG exam pattern 2026 and 2027 — 180 compulsory questions, 720 marks, 3 hours, +4/−1 marking, subject split, tie-break, qualifying percentiles and cut-offs.NEET UG Previous PapersNEET UG previous year papers — mining past papers for NCERT-linked biology questions and building physics problem practice.NEET UG Mock TestsNEET UG mock tests — full 180-question practice with the correct marking, and analysis focused on accuracy rather than coverage.NEET UG PreparationNEET UG preparation strategy — NCERT-first study, physics problem practice and the accuracy discipline the ranking demands.NEET UG Study MaterialNEET UG study material — biology, chemistry and physics notes built around the NCERT syllabus.

Related

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Questions

NEET UG — FAQs

Why is NCERT so important for NEET?

Because the questions stay unusually close to it, particularly in biology and inorganic chemistry, where a striking proportion trace back to a specific line, table, diagram caption or summary point in the textbook. Biology is half the paper, so thorough NCERT knowledge is close to being half the examination on its own. Physics and physical chemistry are the exception: NCERT establishes the concepts but does not supply enough problems to build the capability those sections test.

Which subject matters most in NEET UG?

Biology by weight — ninety of the hundred and eighty questions, and 360 of the 720 marks — and it is also the most reliably scoreable, since it rewards thorough textbook study rather than problem-solving ability. Physics, however, is usually the differentiator: it is the section where candidate scores vary most, and where practice rather than reading determines the outcome. A strong NEET candidate is thorough in biology and competent in physics.

Is NEET the only entrance for medical admission in India?

Yes, for recognised undergraduate medical, dental, AYUSH, veterinary and allied programmes. No recognised medical college conducts its own separate entrance. Admission is made from the NEET merit list through the all-India quota counselling conducted centrally and the state counselling conducted by each state for its own quota, subject to meeting the qualifying percentile for your category.

What is the NEET 2027 exam date?

Not yet announced. NTA published the NEET (UG) 2026 syllabus on 8 January and the application notice on 8 February 2026, with the examination on Sunday 3 May; NEET 2027 is expected on the same calendar — a February notice and a first-Sunday-of-May examination — on neet.nta.nic.in. The 2026 examination itself was re-conducted on 21 June 2026 after the 3 May paper was cancelled.

What was the NEET UG 2026 cut-off?

213 out of 720 for the unreserved and EWS categories (50th percentile), 177 for OBC, SC and ST (40th percentile), 194 for unreserved PwBD (45th percentile) and 177 for reserved PwBD — from the examination of 21 June 2026 whose result came on 16 July. In 2025 the same lines were 144, 113 and 127. These are qualifying marks for counselling, not admission cut-offs; government MBBS seats closed far higher.

Why was NEET UG 2026 held twice?

The examination of 3 May 2026 was cancelled by NTA with the Government’s approval on 12 May, after inputs on alleged malpractice around the paper — first acted on by the Rajasthan Special Operations Group and referred by NTA to central agencies on 8 May — and the matter was handed to the CBI. It was re-conducted on 21 June 2026 for the same candidates, at the centres already chosen, with no fresh registration and no fee, and the May fees were refunded. The 21 June paper is the one that counts.

How many candidates qualified NEET UG 2026?

11,21,185 of the 19,99,895 who appeared on 21 June 2026 (22,79,743 registered): General 2,91,133, OBC 5,12,014, SC 1,59,296, ST 63,716, EWS 95,026 and PwBD 3,666. More than 58 per cent of the qualifiers were women. Two candidates scored 715 out of 720, 19 crossed 700 and 10,160 scored 600 or more.

What is the NEET UG exam pattern?

A single three-hour pen-and-paper shift of 180 compulsory multiple-choice questions for 720 marks: Physics 45, Chemistry 45 and Biology 90, with four marks for a correct answer and one deducted for a wrong one. There are no optional questions. The paper is offered in 13 languages, and ties are broken on Biology, then Chemistry, then Physics marks and then fewer wrong answers.

Who is eligible for NEET UG?

Anyone who is 17 on or before 31 December of the examination year (born on or before 31 December 2009 for NEET 2026) and has passed or is appearing in class 12 with physics, chemistry, biology or biotechnology and English — including as additional subjects after class 12. There is no upper age limit and no limit on attempts. The minimum marks in physics, chemistry and biology (50 per cent general, 40 reserved, 45 general PwBD) are verified at counselling.

What is the NEET UG application fee?

In 2026: ₹1,700 for General, ₹1,600 for General-EWS and OBC-NCL, ₹1,000 for SC, ST, PwBD and third gender for centres in India, and ₹9,500 for centres abroad, plus processing charges and GST. Candidates of the cancelled 3 May 2026 paper were not charged again for the re-examination, and their fees were refunded.

Is there negative marking in NEET?

Yes — one mark is deducted for every wrong answer against four for a correct one, and a blank scores nothing. With 180 compulsory questions that makes the attempt count a strategic choice, and the tie-break rules also favour the candidate with fewer wrong answers. Dropped or defective questions earn four marks for everyone.

Are there free NEET mock tests?

Yes. The free NEET mock tests here follow the 2026 pattern — 180 compulsory questions with the 45/45/90 split, three hours, +4 and −1 — and report the score against the 2026 qualifying cut-off and the 600-plus band that only 10,160 candidates reached. Use the 2026 re-examination paper and the 2025 and 2024 papers first, then the mocks in the last two months.

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