NEET Exam Pattern 2026 - Marking Scheme, Exam Mode, Paper Level

NEET Exam Pattern 2026 - Marking Scheme, Exam Mode, Paper Level

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Sonia VatsUpdated on 08 Dec 2025, 12:24 PM IST
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The National Testing Agency (NTA) releases the NEET UG exam pattern with the release of information brochure. As per the NEET exam pattern 2026, a total of 180 questions will be asked in the medical entrance exam. The total exam duration will be 3 hours. Understanding the NEET exam pattern in the early preparation stages is important to boost the level of preparation for the entrance test. Check the detailed NEET 2026 exam pattern from the article below.

This Story also Contains

  1. NEET exam pattern 2026- Overview
  2. NEET paper pattern 2026
  3. How many questions are there in NEET?
  4. NEET exam pattern 2026
  5. NEET paper medium
  6. Important points to remember while choosing medium in NEET
  7. NEET marking scheme
  8. Negative marking in NEET
  9. NEET paper pattern 2026: Instructions for filling OMR sheet
  10. NEET question paper pattern: Paper analysis
  11. How to calculate the NEET 2026 score after the exam?
NEET Exam Pattern 2026 - Marking Scheme, Exam Mode, Paper Level
NEET-exam-pattern

The exam pattern of NEET 2026 specifies the exam structure details on the type of exam, mode of paper, language, duration, question type, official marking scheme, and more. Preparing for the NEET exam is inadequate without a proper familiarity with the NEET 2026 exam pattern.

NTA will conduct the NEET 2026 in offline mode, where candidates have to answer 180 Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) from Physics, Chemistry, and Biology subjects as per the given NEET syllabus. Aspirants seeking more information regarding the NEET 2026 exam pattern can check the article below to know the level of the exam, types, NEET exam format and the number of questions, NEET subject lists, marking schemes, and all other relevant information.

NEET exam pattern 2026- Overview

As per the NEET 2026 major updates for medical aspirants, below is an overview of the exam pattern of NEET UG for a brief understanding of the candidates.

NEET 2026 exam pattern

Particulars

Details

Mode of NEET question paper

NEET 2026 exam mode is pen-and-paper based. Candidates are given an OMR sheet to mark the answers with a black or blue ballpoint pen

Duration of the NEET exam

NEET exam time duration is 3 hours

Language/medium

English, Hindi, Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Oriya, Malayalam, Kannada, Punjabi and Urdu

Question Type

Multiple choice questions

Total number of questions asked in NEET 2026

180 questions

Total marks in NEET

720 Marks

NEET marking scheme 2026

  • 4 marks are awarded for each correct answer

  • Negative marking of one mark for each wrong attempt

  • No marks for unanswered question

NEET paper pattern 2026

Candidates seeking information regarding the section-wise NEET 2026 marks distribution along with the NEET exam total marks can check the table below. In the new NEET pattern 2026, the marks distribution in NEET and types of questions is same.

NEET 2026 paper pattern: NEET subject-wise marks

Subjects

Number of questions

Section-wise marks

Physics

45

180

Chemistry

45

180

Botany

45

180

Zoology

45

180

Total
180
720

Also read: NEET Physics syllabus 2026 | Chemistry NEET syllabus 2026 | NEET syllabus Biology 2026

How many questions are there in NEET?

There are 180 questions in NEET UG exam, which are of multiple choice nature. 45 questions each from Physics, Chemistry, Zoology, and Botany are asked with an equal weightage. These 180 questions are divided into three sections:

  1. Physics: 45 questions

  2. Chemistry: 45 questions

  3. Biology (Botany and Zoology combined): 90 questions

JSS University Mysore 2025

NAAC A+ Accredited| Ranked #24 in University Category by NIRF | Applications open for multiple UG & PG Programs

Also Read: NEET 2026 Biology MCQs | NEET Exam Syllabus 2026 | NEET Preparation Tips 2026

NEET exam pattern 2026

NEET question paper contains 180 multiple choice questions carrying 4 marks each. The question papers of NEET comprise the questions from class 11 and 12 syllabi from Physics, Chemistry, and Biology subjects. As per the NEET negative marking 2026, one mark is deducted for every wrong attempt.

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

NEET paper medium

NEET question paper is provided in 13 languages i.e. English, Hindi, Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, and Urdu. Candidates can choose the question paper language of NEET 2026 while filling the application form. It has to be kept in mind that the choice of the regional language will depend upon the location of the NEET exam centre.

Important points to remember while choosing medium in NEET

Candidates have to fill in the medium of the NEET question paper or language of the question paper while filling the NEET application form. It must be noted that medium of question paper once filled cannot be changed later.

  • Candidates opting for English are provided the NEET UG 2026 test booklet in English only.
  • Students opting for Hindi are provided with a Bilingual Test Booklet in English and Hindi.
  • All candidates opting for regional languages are provided with a Bilingual Test Booklet in their selected regional language and English.
  • In case of any ambiguity in the translation of any of the questions, the English version of the NEET question paper is treated as final.
NEET 2026 Free Mock Test with Solutions
Download the NEET 2026 Free Mock Test PDF with detailed solutions. Practice real exam-style questions, analyze your performance, and enhance your preparation.
Download EBook

The details of the availability and choice of regional languages in the NEET exam are mentioned in the table below.

Language options in NEET exam pattern

Medium

NEET 2026 exam centres

English

All exam centres

English and Hindi

All exam centres in India

English and Urdu

All exam centres in India

English and Assamese

Available only in exam centres in Assam

English and Bengali

Available only in exam centres in West Bengal, Tripura and Andaman & Nicobar Islands

English and Gujarati

Available only in exam centres in Gujarat, Daman, Dadra, and Nagar Haveli

English and Marathi

Available only in exam centres in Maharashtra

English and Tamil

Available only in exam centres in Tamil Nadu, Andaman & Nicobar Island, Puducherry

English and Telugu

Available only in exam centres in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana

English and Oriya

Available only in exam centres in Odisha

English and Malayalam

Available only in exam centres in Kerala and Lakshwadeep

English and Punjabi

Available only in exam centres in Punjab, Chandigarh, New Delhi

English and Kannada

Available only in exam centres in Karnataka

Also Check:

NEET marking scheme

Candidates can go through the NEET marking scheme to understand how the marks are allotted by the authority.

  • For each correct answer in NEET, 4 marks are given and one mark is deducted for each wrong attempt.
  • If any question is not attempted, there is no negative marking in NEET as per the exam pattern.
  • Answers once marked in the NEET OMR sheet cannot be changed.
  • Marking more than one option will cause a negative marking.

Negative marking in NEET

NEET UG exam has a negative marking for each incorrectly answered question. 1/4 marks are deducted for a wrong answer in NEET UG exam.

NEET paper pattern 2026: Instructions for filling OMR sheet

Candidates can understand how to fill the NEET OMR sheet 2026 from the below points to avoid any kind of inconvenience in the exam.

  • As per the NTA guidelines, all NEET answers have to be marked using a ballpoint pen.
  • The ballpoint pen will be provided by the authorities inside the exam hall of NEET 2026.
  • The candidate has to mark the test booklet code on the NEET OMR sheet 2026. Failing to do this will lead the candidates into problems.
  • All the required rough work should be done in the space provided in the test booklet
  • As per the NEET 2026 paper pattern, once marked answer in the OMR sheet can't be erased.

NEET question paper pattern: Paper analysis

After the completion of the medical entrance test, aspirants should be aware of NEET analysis. The paper analysis is important for every aspirant to know the difficulty level of the questions and just to analyze their performance in the NEET exam 2026. A proper analysis of the NEET paper will also end the doubt of the aspirants to clear the exam and aspirants will easily think of their medical colleges in which they can get admission.

How to calculate the NEET 2026 score after the exam?

Candidates can use the below-mentioned formula and calculate their expected score, after the release of the NEET answer key. According to the NEET 2026 marking scheme, candidates can calculate the expected score even before the release of the result and predict their medical college through NEET college predictor. By going through the previous year's NEET cutoff, they will also get an idea about the minimum marks required in NEET for MBBS in a government college and get assured after analyzing their scores.

Formulae to calculate NEET score

NEET Score 2026 = (Correct answers X 4) – (Incorrect answers X 1)

Note: Candidates must note that the above exam pattern of NEET has been written from the previous paper pattern. Any update in the NEET exam pattern for the 2026 session will be updated on this page after the release of information brochure.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: What are the details mentioned in the NEET exam pattern 2026?
A:

In the NEET 2026 exam pattern, authorities specify the details such as type of exam, mode of paper, language, duration, question type, official marking scheme, and more.

Q: What is the official NEET 2026 marking scheme?
A:

As per the official NEET marking scheme 2026, four marks will be given for the correct answer, while one mark will be deducted for the wrong attempt.

Q: Will the NEET 2026 be tough?
A:

Difficulty of NEET 2026 cannot be predicted beforehand. However, the questions in the medical entrance examination will be asked within the boundary of the syllabus.

Q: How many questions are there in NEET?
A:

There are a total of 180 questions in NEET 2026 exam

Q: Is negative marking in NEET 1 or 5?
A:

There is a negative marking of 1 mark in NEET.

Q: Will NEET 2026 be conducted twice?
A:

No, NEET is conducted once for the given session.

Q: Why is knowing the NEET exam pattern 2026 important?
A:

Knowing the NEET 2026 exam pattern in early preparation stages helps in boosting up the level of preparation for the entrance test.

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Questions related to NEET

On Question asked by student community

Have a question related to NEET ?

Hello,

Here you can access Subject Wise High Scoring Topics for NEET 2026:

Biology

  • Human Physiology
  • Genetics & Evolution
  • Ecology & Environment
  • Plant Physiology
  • Cell Biology

Chemistry

  • Organic Chemistry Basics
  • Physical Chemistry Numerical
  • Inorganic Chemistry

Physics

  • Modern Physics
  • Current Electricity
  • Optics
  • Thermodynamics & Heat
  • Laws of Motion & Work/Energy

For more access below mentioned link:

https://medicine.careers360.com/download/ebooks/neet-most-scoring-chapters-topics-based-on-past-5-year-analysis

Hope it helps.

Hello,

NTA itself offers free NEET Mock Tests so you need to visit their official website and then u can go to the NEET section and under that there will be free mock tests available.. also there they provide pyqs as well.. so u can also download that in the pdf form

Hello Candidate.

OCE is known as  "Other eligible communities". If your OCE is  OBC-NCL, you can choose the option for other backward classes with proper verified documents. if not, then choose the general category.

Thank You. Hope this information helps you to apply properly.

firstly, for NEET the main requirements are ur own details.. ur name, ur dob, photo, signature and identity proof.. if ur mother's name is slightly different on ur 10th marksheet and her aadhar card, it usually doesnt create any issue during NEET admission or registration as well.. however if there is a major difference then u should consider getting the aadhar updated to avoid confusion during counselling or document verification