NEET UG 2026: India's single medical entrance exam — NEET UG is the only gateway to MBBS, BDS, and AYUSH admissions in all government and private medical colleges.Exam Date: May 2026. Applicants: 24+ Lakh. MBBS Seats: ~1,10,000. Mode: Pen & Paper (OMR).NEET UG (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test — Undergraduate) is India's single entrance exam for admission to MBBS, BDS, BAMS, BHMS, BUMS, and other medical/dental/AYUSH courses in all government and private medical colleges across India (except AIIMS and JIPMER which now accept NEET scores too). It's conducted by NTA once a year.
Registration OpenUpdated: March 2026
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NEET UG 2026
India's single medical entrance exam — NEET UG is the only gateway to MBBS, BDS, and AYUSH admissions in all government and private medical colleges
Exam Date
May 2026
Applicants
24+ Lakh
MBBS Seats
~1,10,000
Mode
Pen & Paper (OMR)
📋Key Details
Conducting BodyNTA (National Testing Agency)
Education12th pass with Physics, Chemistry, Biology/Biotechnology. Min 50% aggregate (40% for SC/ST/OBC).
Age LimitMinimum 17 years as of December 31, 2026. No upper age limit (Supreme Court ruling).
AttemptsNo limit on number of attempts (as per current rules)
Exam ModeOffline — Pen and Paper (OMR sheet) — NOT computer based
Exam Duration3 hours 20 minutes (200 minutes)
Marking720 marks total. +4 for correct, -1 for wrong.
📝NEET UG Paper (3 hours 20 minutes)
200 MCQs: each subject has Section A (35 Qs, all compulsory) + Section B (15 Qs, attempt any 10). Total attempt: 180 questions. OMR-based offline exam.
Physics (35 + 10 from 15)45 Qs · 180 marks
Chemistry (35 + 10 from 15)45 Qs · 180 marks
Botany (35 + 10 from 15)45 Qs · 180 marks
Zoology (35 + 10 from 15)45 Qs · 180 marks
Total180 Qs · 720 marks · 200 minutes
⚠️ Negative marking: -1 for each wrong answer (+4 for correct)
💰Posts & Salary
MBBS at Government College(Government Medical Colleges (fees: ₹10,000-1,00,000/year))
During internship: ₹30,000-60,000/monthMBBS at Private College(Private Medical Colleges)
Fees: ₹5-25 lakh/year (management quota higher)📊NEET Cutoff — What Score Gets You In?
For government MBBS seat (AIQ — All India Quota): General: 620-650+ out of 720 for top colleges (AIIMS Delhi, Maulana Azad, Grant Medical). 550-600 for mid-tier government colleges. 500-550 for lower-tier government colleges.
For state quota government MBBS: Varies hugely by state. In competitive states (Delhi, Rajasthan, UP), cutoffs are similar to AIQ. In less competitive states (NE states, J&K), cutoffs can be 100-150 marks lower.
For private MBBS: 450-550 (General) for most private colleges. Deemed universities may accept lower scores. Management/NRI quota has lower academic cutoffs but higher fees.
Qualifying cutoff (just to be eligible): General: 50th percentile (~130-140 marks out of 720). OBC: 40th percentile. SC/ST: 40th percentile. Meeting qualifying cutoff doesn't guarantee admission — it just makes you eligible for counselling.
📅Important Dates
ApplicationFebruary-March 2026 (expected)
Exam DateMay 2026 (expected — single day exam)
ResultsJune 2026
AIQ CounsellingJuly-August 2026 (by MCC)
State CounsellingAugust-September 2026
📚Preparation Strategy
1.NCERT is the BIBLE for NEET. 90-95% of NEET questions come directly from NCERT 11th and 12th textbooks — especially Biology. Read NCERT Biology line by line, multiple times. Many toppers read NCERT Bio 7-8 times.
2.Biology is the highest-scoring subject (360 out of 720 marks). Most NEET toppers score 340-360 in Bio. Focus 40% of your preparation time on Biology. It's mostly memory-based — consistent revision is key.
3.Physics is the toughest subject for most NEET aspirants. Focus on high-weightage chapters: Mechanics, Optics, Electrostatics, Current Electricity, and Modern Physics. These 5 topics cover 60%+ of Physics questions.
4.Practice with OMR sheets — NEET is offline. Filling OMR bubbles correctly under time pressure is a skill. Practice with printed mock tests using actual OMR sheets. Many students lose 8-12 marks due to OMR filling errors.
❓Frequently Asked Questions
🔗Related Exams
NEET UG — NTA
neet.nta.nic.in