NEET UG 2026 Exam Pattern & Marking Scheme

NEET UG 2026 Single paper (NEET UG 2026) exam pattern

Pen and paper (offline). Answers are marked on an OMR sheet. Single day, single shift. · 3 hours (180 minutes). PwD/PwBD candidates with a physical limitation to write get 1 extra hour, with or without a scribe.

Marking: +4 for a correct (or most appropriate) answer, −1 for a wrong answer, 0 for an unanswered question.

• All 180 questions are compulsory. There are no optional questions (2026 bulletin, as per NMC letter of 5 December 2025).
• Every question is an MCQ with four options and one correct or best answer.
• If more than one option is correct, +4 goes to everyone who marked any correct option. If all options are correct, +4 goes to everyone who attempted the question. If no option is correct, or a question is wrong or dropped, every candidate gets +4.
• The paper is offered in 13 languages: Assamese, Bengali, English, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu. Hindi gives an English + Hindi booklet. A regional language gives English + that language. Regional languages are offered only at centres in certain states. If a translation is unclear, the English version is final.
• The medium you choose in the application form cannot be changed later.
• Ties are broken by higher marks in Biology, then Chemistry, then Physics. Next comes a lower ratio of wrong to correct answers (overall, then Biology, Chemistry and Physics). If still tied, it is settled by a random process guided by an independent expert committee.
• The 21 June 2026 re-exam window was 195 minutes (2:00 PM to 5:15 PM). NTA said the extra 15 minutes were for formalities such as signing the attendance sheet, documentation and verification. Booklets had four rough-work pages instead of two (NTA notice, 12 June 2026, and NTA re-exam FAQs).
• Mobile phones, smart watches, calculators, wallets, jewellery, metal items and food packets are not allowed in the exam hall. A transparent water bottle is allowed (NTA, 2 May 2026).