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    NEET 2016 vs NEET 2025: Difficulty Level, Qualifying Marks, & Cut off

    NEET 2016 vs NEET 2025: Difficulty Level, Qualifying Marks, & Cut off

    #NEET
    Manisha TiwariUpdated on 06 May 2025, 05:36 PM IST

    The NEET 2025 exam has been regarded as one of the toughest exams ever in the NEET history. According to several experts of top coaching institutes, the difficulty level of NEET 2025 is in comparison to that of the 2016 NEET exam. Although several things in the medical entrance exam have changed since its inception,however given the similarity of NEET exam difficulty level, there is a growing speculation that NEET cutoff 2025 might align with the cutoff trends in 2016. Read the article to know a brief comparison of the NEET 2016 and NEET 2025.

    Live | Jul 21, 2026 | 5:04 PM IST

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    • 15% All India Quota Seats of ESIC
    • 100% seats in Deemed Universities
    • BSc Nursing programs in selected participating institutes
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    This Story also Contains

    1. Comparison of NEET 2016 and NEET 2025
    2. NEET marking scheme 2016 vs 2025
    3. NEET 2016 cutoff vs NEET 2025 cutoff
    4. NEET difficulty level 2016 vs 2025
    5. Is NEET 2025 tougher than NEET 2016?

    Comparison of NEET 2016 and NEET 2025

    A brief comparison of NEET 2016 and NEET 2025 can be checked below.

    NEET 2016 vs NEET 2025

    Particulars

    NEET 2016

    NEET 2025

    Exam conducting body

    Exam conducted by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE)

    Exam conducted by National Testing Agency (NTA)

    Regulatory body

    Regulated by the Medical Council of India (MCI)

    Regulated by National Medical Commission (NMC)

    NEET eligibility criteria

    Minimum age: 17 years as on December 31 of the year of admission.


    Maximum age: 25 years (30 years for reserved categories)


    Number of attempts: 3


    Students from J&K, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh were not eligible for 15% All India seats

    Minimum age: 17 years as on December 31 of the year of admission.


    No maximum age limit


    Unlimited attempts


    Foreign and NRI candidates can also apply

    NEET exam pattern

    Exam was conducted in two phases (NEET I and NEET II)

    Single phase exam

    NEET exam mode

    Pen and paper mode

    Pen and paper mode

    Total number of questions

    180 (45 questions in each subject)

    180 (45 questions in each subject)

    NEET paper medium

    English and Hindi

    13 languages (English, Hindi, Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu)

    NEET total marks

    720

    720

    NEET counselling

    15% All India Quota seats were under MCC.


    States had varying approaches to using NEET scores.

    Uniform counselling through MCC and state authorities.


    Private colleges and Deemed universities are fully under MCC.

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    NEET marking scheme 2016 vs 2025

    Understanding the NEET marking scheme is important to calculate the NEET scores. A detailed comparison of NEET 2016 marking scheme and NEET 2025 marking scheme can be checked below.

    NEET 2016 marking scheme

    • +4 for each correct response.

    • -1 for each incorrect response.

    • 0 mark for the answered question.

    • More than one answer marked for a question was considered as incorrect and was negatively marked.

    NEET 2025 marking scheme

    • +4 marks will be given for the correct answer or the most appropriate answer.

    • -1 for any incorrect option marked.

    • 0 mark for unanswered question.

    • If more than one option is found to be correct, +4 marks will be given to the candidates who have marked any of the correct options.

    • If all options are found to be correct, +4 marks will be given to candidates who have attempted the question.

    • If no option is correct or the question is incorrect, +4 will be given to all candidates whether they have attempted the question or not.

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    NEET

    NEET AYUSH All India Counseling

    Maharashtra MBBS/BDS Counselling

    Arunachal Pradesh MBBS/BDS Admissions

    NEET UG

    Karnataka MBBS/BDS Counselling

    UP MBBS/BDS Counselling

    Gujarat MBBS/BDS Counselling

    Madhya Pradesh MBBS/BDS Counselling

    Kerala MBBS/BDS Counselling

    Tamil Nadu MBBS/BDS Counselling

    Telangana MBBS/BDS Counselling

    Andhra Pradesh MBBS/BDS Counselling

    West Bengal MBBS/BDS Counselling

    Rajasthan MBBS/BDS Counselling

    Bihar MBBS/BDS

    Haryana MBBS/BDS

    Punjab MBBS/BDS Counselling

    Chhattisgarh MBBS/BDS

    Odisha MBBS/BDS

    Assam MBBS/BDS

    Himachal Pradesh MBBS/BDS

    Jharkhand MBBS/ BDS

    Jammu and Kashmir MBBS/BDS

    Tripura MBBS/BDS

    Puducherry MBBS/BDS

    Uttarakhand MBBS/BDS

    Delhi MBBS/BDS

    Chandigarh MBBS/BDS Admissions

    NEET 2016 cutoff vs NEET 2025 cutoff

    The NEET 2025 cutoff will be released after the declaration of NEET result. Meanwhile candidates can check the NEET cutoff trend 2016 to 2025 based on the NEET 2025 expected cutoff from the table below.

    NEET cutoff 2016 vs NEET cutoff 2025

    Category

    NEET qualifying percentile

    NEET 2016 cutoff for Phase I

    NEET 2016 cutoff for Phase II

    NEET 2025 expected cutoff marks

    General

    50th percentile

    685-145

    678-118

    720-155

    OBC

    40th percentile

    678-118

    678-118

    154-125

    SC

    40th percentile

    595-118

    595-118

    154-125

    ST

    40th percentile

    599-118

    599-118

    154-125

    General- PwD

    45th percentile

    474-131

    474-131

    154-135

    SC/ ST/ OBC- PwD

    40th percentile

    474-131

    474-131

    130-125

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    NEET difficulty level 2016 vs 2025

    As the year 2016 was the inception year of the NEET exam, students were unfamiliar with the type of questions to be asked in the exam. The NEET 2016 difficulty level was moderate to tough. However, the NEET UG 2025 exam was notably more difficult compared to previous years. Both students and experts pointed out that the Physics section was especially tough as more complex and time-consuming questions were asked.

    The Chemistry section in the NEET 2025 exam was also lengthy and included multiple correct answer questions, which created confusion among many medical aspirants. Additionally, the Botany and Zoology parts were quite extensive, making time management a major challenge.

    NEET Syllabus: Subjects & Chapters
    Select your preferred subject to view the chapters

    Is NEET 2025 tougher than NEET 2016?

    Many experts believe that the NEET 2025 question paper is the toughest so far, especially when compared to the NEET 2016 paper. The Physics section in NEET 2025 has been considered more difficult than the Physics section in NEET 2016.

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    Have a question related to NEET ?
    My son has got 346 marks in neet exams, what are the possible college to get management seat. State quota . All india quota -deemed university in tamilnadu
    Read Complete Answer
    S
    Samyak Jain
    20 Jul'26
    i have got 460 marks in neet 2026 rank is approx 150450 i m from UP and category is OBC is there any chances of getting college in mbbs bds or bams or deemed University at low budget

    Hello Dear Student,
    With 460 marks and an AIR of ~150,450, a government MBBS seat is highly unlikely. However, you have very strong chances of securing a seat in Private MBBS, BDS, BAMS, or Deemed Universities.

    You can check, find and access more information here:

    Read Complete Answer
    S
    Samyak Jain
    20 Jul'26
    Neet score 118 sc category me college

    Hello Dear Student,
    With a NEET score of 118 in the SC category, securing a government MBBS seat is not possible. The cut-off for government medical colleges typically ranges between 450 and 500+ marks. However, your score makes you eligible for private medical or BDS colleges through state-level counseling.

    You

    Read Complete Answer
    S
    Samyak Jain
    20 Jul'26
    Neet result marks 549 All India rank 37754 Category OBC State UP Sumit chaurasia

    Dear Aspirant,

    Based on the details you have shared: NEET 2026 score 549 marks l, All India rank AIR 37,754 OBC category and Uttar Pradesh domicile:

    • You have a good chance of getting a government MBBS seat in Uttar Pradesh state counselling.
    • Under the All India Quota competition is tougher,
    Read Complete Answer
    K
    King Singh
    21 Jul'26
    What will be the cutoff for assam ?re neet 2026

    Dear Aspirant,

    The Assam NEET 2026 cutoff has not been released yet, It will be announced after the you NEET UG counselling process begin and will vary depending on factor such as the number of applicant, seat availability, reservation category, and the difficulty level of the exam.

    As a rough

    Read Complete Answer
    K
    King Singh
    21 Jul'26
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    Sub-maxillary / sub-mandibular

    Ii

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    Sub-linguals

    Iii

    Cheek
    Option: 1

    a(i), b(ii) , c(iii)

     


    Option: 2

    a(ii), b(i), c(iii)

     


    Option: 3

    a(i), b(iii), c(ii)


    Option: 4

    a(iii), b(ii), c(i)


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    Ethyl \; ester \xrightarrow[(excess)]{CH_{3}MgBr} P

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    Option: 1


    Option: 2


    Option: 3

    \left ( C_{2}H_{5} \right )_{3} - C- OH


    Option: 4


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     Valve name                            

    		              

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        I   Aortic valve     A

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        II   Mitral valve     B

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        III   Pulmonic valve     C

     Prevents backward flow from the aorta into the left

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    Column A Column B
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    B

    b) Leads to formation of two daughter cells.
    C

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    D

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    0.014 Kg of N2 gas at 27 0C is kept in a closed vessel. How much heat is required to double the rms speed of the N2 molecules?

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    Option: 2

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    Option: 3

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    Option: 4

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    Option: 2

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    Option: 3

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    Option: 4

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    Option: 2

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    Option: 2

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