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NEET 2027 negative marking is expected to follow the rule of the National Testing Agency's (NTA) latest official marking scheme. Four marks for a correct answer, minus one mark for a wrong answer, and no marks for an unanswered question. That rule decides how many questions you should attempt, because a wrong answer leaves you five marks behind a correct one. The NEET UG paper has 180 compulsory questions for 720 marks. So, one careless habit repeated across the paper can cost a seat. A good attempt strategy keeps accuracy high, guesses only when the odds favour you, and avoids the last-hour panic that produces careless errors. This article explains the marking rules, the arithmetic of guessing, a tie-breaking rule that makes wrong answers costlier than they look, and an attempt plan. A practice mock test is linked towards the end.
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NTA has not published the NEET 2027 pattern or marking scheme, and the exam mode is undecided. The Centre has told the Supreme Court that a shift to computer-based testing is under active consideration, with the final decision to follow the recommendations of the task force headed by Nandan Nilekani.
Situation (2026 bulletin) | Marks |
Correct or most appropriate answer | +4 |
Wrong option marked | −1 |
Unanswered | 0 |
More than one option found correct | +4 only to those who marked any correct option |
All options found correct | +4 to all who attempted the question |
No option correct, question wrong, or question dropped | +4 to every candidate who appeared, whether or not they attempted it |
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Each question has four options with one correct answer. A correct answer adds 4 marks and a wrong answer subtracts 1. So, a guess breaks even at 20% accuracy. A blind guess has a 25% chance of being right, which gives an expected value of +0.25 marks. Removing options raises the odds.
Options left after elimination | Chance of being right | Expected marks per guess |
4 | 25% | +0.25 |
3 | 33% | +0.67 |
2 | 50% | +1.50 |
These are averages over many questions. A single guess is still a gamble, and a run of wrong guesses can pull a score down quickly. Elimination built on knowledge is worth far more than random marking.
The NTA bulletin sets the order for breaking ties between equal scores. The candidate with higher marks in Biology ranks first, then Chemistry, then Physics. If the tie still stands, the candidate with the lower proportion of incorrect answers to correct answers across all subjects ranks higher, followed by the same check in Biology, Chemistry and Physics. A wrong answer therefore lowers your score by one mark and can also lose a tie. Accuracy is a ranking factor as well as a scoring one.
Your position on a question | What to do |
Sure of the answer | Mark it and move on. |
Can remove two options | Attempt it. The expected value is +1.5 marks. |
Can remove one option | Attempt it if time remains. The expected value is +0.67 marks. |
Cannot remove any option | Leave it for the end. A late guess has a small positive value (+0.25) and a tie-break cost if it is wrong. |
Work in two passes. In the first pass, answer the sure and short questions and skip the long ones. In the second pass, return to the skipped questions and apply elimination. As a suggestion, keep the last few minutes for checking your answers, and change an answer only when you can state a reason. Mark one option per question, since the bulletin asks candidates to choose one option, and correcting a marked bubble on an OMR sheet is hard.
Questions aspirants ask whether marking several options avoids a penalty, and the replies disagree. Rely on the bulletin, not on replies. Other common mistakes are:
Guessing early in the paper, before the second pass.
Leaving questions blank out of anxiety when two options have already been removed.
Spending several minutes on a doubtful question. If a question is found wrong or is dropped, all candidates get four marks.
Practising without a timer, which hides the rushed guesses of the final hour.
Take a full paper under timed conditions and score it with +4 and −1. Record the number attempted, correct and wrong for each subject, and work out accuracy as correct answers divided by attempted answers. Compare these figures across mocks. Careers360's NEET UG free mock test with detailed solutions is available as a PDF, and a login may be needed to download it.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
In the official NEET (UG) 2026 bulletin, each wrong answer carried a deduction of one mark, and unanswered questions carried no marks. Confirm the rule in the 2027 bulletin on neet.nta.nic.in.
Not automatically. Attempt every question where you can narrow the options to two or three, and keep blind guesses for the end. Guessing has a small positive expected value, but wrong answers also count against you in the tie-breaking rule.
Under the 2026 bulletin, if no option is correct, or the question is wrong or dropped, all candidates who appeared receive four marks, whether or not they attempted it.
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Ranked #19 by NIRF, NAAC A++ Accredited | Recognized by dental council of India
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