NEET UG exam pattern: 180 questions, 720 marks, +4 and −1
How the paper is built, how it is marked, and what happens when a question turns out to be wrong. Based on the 2026 bulletin; the 2027 bulletin is awaited.
This page follows the NEET (UG) 2026 Information Bulletin, which set the pattern under an NMC letter dated 5 December 2025. The 2027 bulletin has not been published yet.
How many questions are in NEET UG, and how many marks?
| Subject | Questions | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| Physics | 45 | 180 |
| Chemistry | 45 | 180 |
| Biology (Botany and Zoology) | 90 | 360 |
| Total | 180 | 720 |
All 180 questions are compulsory. There is no optional section and no choice within a section.
Biology is exactly half the paper. That matters for your study time, and it matters again if you tie with another candidate (see below).
What type of questions are asked?
Every question is a multiple-choice question with four options and one correct or best answer. There are no numerical-answer questions, no multiple-correct questions and no matching sections with partial marks.
How long is the exam?
3 hours (180 minutes), from 2:00 to 5:00 pm IST. That works out to one minute per question on average.
Candidates with a benchmark disability who have a writing limitation get 1 extra hour of compensatory time.
Is NEET UG online or offline?
In 2026 it was a pen-and-paper exam: you mark answers on an OMR sheet. It was held on a single day, in a single shift. The June 2026 re-examination used the same mode.
There have been news reports that NEET UG will move to computer-based testing from 2027. No official NTA or NMC notification confirms this, and one report says the Centre told the Supreme Court in August 2026 that no final decision had been taken. Treat the mode for 2027 as unannounced.
What is the NEET UG marking scheme?
| Response | Marks |
|---|---|
| Correct or most appropriate answer | +4 |
| Incorrect answer | −1 |
| Unanswered | 0 |
There are also rules for questions that turn out to be faulty after the answer key is challenged:
- More than one option correct: +4 for anyone who marked any of the correct options.
- All options correct: +4 for everyone who attempted the question.
- Question wrong, no correct option, or dropped: +4 for every candidate who appeared, whether or not they attempted it.
Is NEET UG normalised like JEE Main?
No. Everyone sits the same paper in one shift, so there is no percentile normalisation between shifts. The merit list is based on your marks out of 720.
How are ties broken in NEET UG?
If two candidates have the same total, NTA breaks the tie in this order:
- Higher marks in Biology (Botany and Zoology)
- Higher marks in Chemistry
- Higher marks in Physics
- Fewer incorrect answers in proportion to correct answers, across all subjects
- The same ratio in Biology
- The same ratio in Chemistry
- The same ratio in Physics
- If still tied, a random process overseen by an independent expert committee
Age and application number are not used. This follows an NMC public notice of 13 June 2023.
Two things follow from this. Biology marks count twice, once in your total and again in a tie. And careless wrong answers cost you twice too: one mark each, and a worse ratio if you tie.
In which languages can you take NEET UG?
13 languages in 2026: English, Hindi, Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu.
Hindi and regional-language booklets are bilingual, printed alongside English. If the two versions differ, the English version is final.
What to read next
- The syllabus lists every unit that can appear in these 180 questions.
- The preparation strategy covers how to handle +4/−1 marking and one minute per question.
- The cutoff page shows what these marks meant for qualifying in 2026.
TestGuru’s NEET UG mock tests are not open yet. When they are, each will follow this pattern.