Everything about the NTA NEET UG Examination
NATIONAL ELIGIBILITY CUM ENTRANCE TEST [ NEET (UG) ]
The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET-UG), conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA), stands as one of India’s most significant examinations in the realm of medical education.
This year the NEET UG exam date was May 5, 2024. The exam was scheduled from 2 PM to 5.20 PM in over 5,000 exam centers in 571 cities across the country and abroad. Over 25 Lakh candidates filled out the exam forms and around 22 lakh applicants appeared for this competitive exam.
All about the NEET Exam
The NEET UG serves as the gateway for aspiring students seeking admission into undergraduate medical (MBBS) and dental (BDS) courses across various colleges in India. NEET UG plays a pivotal role in shaping the future of aspiring medical professionals, emphasizing excellence, dedication, and proficiency in the medical field.
Renowned for its rigorous syllabus which covers physics, chemistry, and biology, NEET UG Exam evaluates students’ aptitude and knowledge in these subjects. Its standardized format ensures fairness and transparency in the selection process, which provides meritocracy and equal opportunities for all aspirants.
Over 20 lakh candidates appear for the NEET exam every year. This exam is conducted in 13 different languages across India. It is conducted once in a year through offline or paper-pencil-based test (PBT) mode for three hours and 20 minutes. According to the general NEET exam pattern, around 200 questions are given from Physics, Chemistry, and Biology, out of which one has to attempt 180 questions.
Eligibility Criteria for NEET
Before applying for this examination, it is vital that you pay attention to the NEET UG eligibility criteria laid out by NTA. Here are the major requirements that need to be satisfied to appear in the examination:
Education Qualifications
- Candidates who have passed 10+2 or its equivalent with the subjects of Physics, Chemistry, Biology / Biotechnology & English shall be eligible to appear in NEET-UG
- Candidates who have passed their Class 12 Board exam from Open Schools will now be eligible for NEET, as per NTA’s NEET 2024 guidelines.
- Candidates must have passed Physics, Chemistry, Biology/Biotechnology, and English subjects individually in the qualifying examination.
- The qualifying aggregate for the General category is 50 percent.
- For the General-PWD and Reserved category candidates, the qualifying aggregates are 45 percent and 40 percent respectively.
Age Limit
- The Candidates should have attained 17 years of age at the time of enrollment or should have attained the same by the last date of the year.
- According to NTA, the minimum date of birth should be December 31, 2007.
- There is no upper age limit for NEET.
Nationality
- Candidates should have the citizenship of India.
- Non-resident Indians (NRI), Overseas Citizens of India (OCI), Persons of India Origin (PIO) wishing to pursue MD/MS or any other medical courses from any Indian institute, and foreign nationals are also eligible to appear for the exam.
List of NEET participating Institutes
Following is the list of revered medical colleges in India that accept NEET scores:
- Maulana Azad Medical College, New Delhi
- AIIMS Delhi
- Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi
- Armed Forces Medical College, Pune
- University College of Medical Sciences, University of Delhi, Delhi
- Lady Hardinge Medical College, Delhi
- Madras Medical College, Chennai
- Institute of Medical Sciences Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi
- King George's Medical University, Lucknow
- Christian Medical College, Vellore
- Kasturba Medical College, Manipal
NEET Syllabus
The NEET syllabus generally covers mainly three subjects: Physics, Chemistry, and Biology. You can always check the current syllabus of the exam on the official site of NMC.
The National Medical Commission (NMC) had released the official NEET syllabus 2024 on October 6, 2023. To gain more clarity and knowledge regarding the same, download the NEET syllabus for 2024.
Download Here: NEET Syllabus 2024
NEET Exam Pattern
As per the NEET exam pattern noticed in 2024, the exam can come in the below-described manner:
- The exam will be conducted through the paper-pencil-based test (PBT) or an offline test method of 200 minutes duration.
- The exam will consist of 200 questions from Physics, Chemistry, and Biology.
- From the total of 200 questions, 180 questions have to be attempted.
- The questions will be objective-type and carry multiple choices, or four answer options.
- The correct answer option has to be bubbled by shading the corresponding circle on the OMR sheet with a blue/black ballpoint pen.
- Each subject will be divided into two sections, Section A carrying 35 questions and Section B carrying 15 questions.
- It is compulsory to attempt all 35 questions in Section A and out of 15 in Section B, candidates will have to attempt 10.
NEET Marking Scheme
The marking scheme released by the NTA for the NEET UG exam is given below:
- Each correct answer will carry four marks.
- There is a negative marking of one mark for each incorrect answer marked by the candidate.
- No marks will be deducted if the candidate leaves any question unattempted.
NEET Exam Application Process
The NEET UG registration and application process has many parts and candidates have to make sure that they go through each of them carefully. Here’s a step-by-step guide that provides much clarity regarding the procedure:
Registration
- To register for the NEET exam, one must visit the official website of NEET.
- Under the "Apply Online" link, Tap on "New Registration"
- Read the instructions carefully and tap the checkbox option.
- Click on the "Proceed" option.
- Fill out the registration form with your details (father's name, mother's name, date of birth, gender, nationality, category, etc).
- Click on "Preview and Submit.".
- Verify your details carefully and click on "Next.".
- You will receive an application number and password on your registered mobile number and email ID.
Application Form Filling
- Log in to the website using your application number and password provided to you after registering on the portal.
- Fill out the application form with details such as your educational qualifications, exam medium, exam city preference, etc.
- Upload your photograph and signature as per the prescribed format.
Document Upload
- Upload scanned copies of your educational certificates, ID proof, category certificate (if applicable), and PwD certificate (if applicable).
- Make sure the documents are clear and legible.
- Make sure that the documents are in the prescribed size.
Fee Payment
- Pay the application fee online using options like credit/debit card, net banking, Paytm, or UPI.
- The application fee will vary according to your category.
Submit the Application Form
- Review your application form carefully and then submit it.
- Once submitted, you cannot make any changes to the form.
- A chance to apply changes to your application form is also given in case the agency provides a correction window after the closing of the application.
A few Important points to keep in mind
- Calculators, log tables, electronic devices, and other similar materials are not allowed in the examination hall.
- Only black ballpoint pens are allowed for marking answers in the OMR sheets.
- Candidates can choose their preferred language for the question paper in the application form.
- The NEET question papers will be in English, Hindi, Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, and Urdu, for the candidate who prefers these languages.
NEET 2024 Analysis
- As per the analysis done by the experts, teachers, and students, the NEET 2024 exam had a difficulty level ranging between moderate to tough.
- The Physics section was considered the toughest by many students, this section had questions mostly from the numerical point of view.
- The biology section was termed to be the easiest.
- The Chemistry section was stated to be of moderate difficulty level, with the Inorganic Chemistry portion being the easiest.
- Common topics such as Human Health and Diseases, Human Reproduction, Plant Physiology, Chemical Bonds, and Semiconductor also appear in the paper.
- Lengthy and laborious questions were also there which made several candidates leave many questions unattempted.
In the below-presented table, you can refer to the highlight of NEET UG 2024:
|
Name of the Examination |
National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test (NEET) |
|
Conducting Body |
National Testing Agency (NTA) |
|
Level of Exam |
Undergraduate (UG) Exam at National Level |
|
Exam Frequency |
Once in a year |
|
Total No. of Registrations |
23,81,833 |
|
Mode of Examination |
Offline or Paper Pencil Based Test (PBT) |
|
Courses Offered |
MBBS, BDS, BSc Nursing, BAMS, BVSC & AH |
|
Examination Fees |
₹1,700 for General category ₹ 1,600 for OBCs ₹1,000 for candidates of the Reserved category ₹ 9,500 for Foreign nationals. |
|
Examination Duration and its timing on May 05, 2024 |
3 hours and 20 minutes (200 minutes) From 2 PM to 5.20 PM |
|
Number of Subjects and Total Marks |
Physics (180 marks), Chemistry (180 marks), Biology (360 marks): Total Marks – 720 |
|
Total Questions |
200 out of which 180 had to be attempted |
|
Marking Scheme |
+4 for every correct answer -1 for every incorrect answer |
|
Number of Exam Cities |
557 cities in India 14 cities Abroad |
|
Language/Medium of Paper |
The exam was conducted in total of 13 Languages comprising English Hindi, Bengali, Urdu, Assamese, Gujarati, Marathi, Odia, Kannada, Tamil, Malayalam, Punjabi, and Telugu |
|
Accepting Colleges |
1,613 |
|
Total Number of Seats |
MBBS – 1,09,015 BDS – 27,868 BAMS – 52, BVSc 720 AH – 603 |
|
NEET Helpline Numbers |
011-69227700, 011-40759000
Email: neet@nta.ac.in |
|
NEET Official Website |
www.neet.ntaonline.in, www.exams.nta.ac.in/NEET |
Expected NEET CutOff 2024
The official NEET 2024 cutoff will be released by NTA alongside the result. The NEET cutoff marks vary for each category. The table given below will provide you with the cutoff trends of past years released by the official websites.
| Category | NEET 2023 Cutoff Percentile | NEET 2023 Cutoff Marks |
|---|---|---|
|
General/EWS |
50 |
720-137 |
|
OBC, SC, ST |
40 |
136-107 |
|
General/EWS/PH |
45 |
136-121 |
|
OBC, SC, ST & PH |
40 |
120-107 |
NEET Result 2024
The NEET result 2024 will be declared on June 14, 2024, through the official portal in online mode in the form of scorecards. Candidates will be able to access their scorecards in PDF format by logging in to the NEET 2024 website. The NEET result 2024 will be carrying the following details:
- Candidate Name
- Subject-wise marks or scores
- Subject-wise percentile
- Total score obtained out of 720
- Total percentile
- All India Rank (AIR)
Get More Details to Fill The Form
NEET 2024 Tie-Breaking Policy
The NEET 2024 tie-breaking criteria are listed below. The preference will be given in the following order:
- Candidate obtaining higher marks/percentile scores in Biology (Botany & Zoology) on the Test
- Candidate obtaining higher marks/percentile scores in Chemistry on the Test
- Candidate obtaining higher marks/percentile scores in Physics on the Test
- Candidate with less proportion of the number of attempted incorrect answers and correct answers in all the subjects in the Test
- Candidate with less proportion of several attempted incorrect answers and correct answers in Biology (Botany & Zoology) in the Test, followed by
- Candidate with less proportion of some attempted incorrect answers and correct answers in Chemistry in the Test, followed by
- Candidate with less proportion of many attempted incorrect answers and correct answers in Physics in the Test.
NEET Counselling
NEET UG counseling 2024 is expected to commence in the fourth week of July 2024. Candidates who would qualify for the exam after securing the NEET 2024 cutoff marks will be eligible to appear in the NEET 2024 counseling.
NEET counseling is generally conducted in two categories:
- 15 per cent All India Quota (AIQ) seats
- 85 percent State Quota (SQ) seats.
The Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) will be conducting the counseling for the AIQ seats and the state counseling authorities of the Directorates of Medical Education for different states will be conducting the state-wise counseling process.
Following are the different steps required for the NEET counseling:
- Registration
- Choice filling and locking
- Seat allotment result
- Institute reporting
Courses Offered Through NEET UG
NEET UG is a prerequisite to attain admission in multiple medical and paramedical courses, such as:
- MBBS
- BDS
- Ayurvedic Medicine
- Homoeopathy Medicine
- Unani Medicine
- Siddha Medicine
- Veterinary Sciences and Animal Husbandry
- BSc (Hons) Nursing
- Bachelor of Physiotherapy
- Bachelor of Occupational Therapy
- Bachelor of Audiology, Speech and Language Pathology
- Bachelor of Prosthetics and Orthotics.
At present, there are a total of 702 Medical, 323 Dental, 914 AYUSH, and 47 BVSc & AH colleges present in India that give admission to their courses following the NEET score. There are 15 AIIMS and two JIPMER campuses that also accept the NEET score for admission to MBBS in India. BSc Nursing course also provides Admission through NEET scores.
Frequently Asked Questions
NEET UG is a national-level entrance examination conducted in India for admission to undergraduate medical (MBBS/BDS) and allied health science courses in approved/recognized medical/dental colleges.
NEET UG is conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA), an autonomous organization under the Ministry of Education, Government of India.
Candidates must have completed 10+2 or equivalent examinations with Physics, Chemistry, Biology/Biotechnology, and English as core subjects. They must also meet the age limit criteria, which is generally between 17 to 25 years (relaxable for reserved categories).
NEET UG admissions are conducted once a year, usually in May. However, it’s essential to check the official notification for any updates or changes in the examination schedule.
NEET UG exam consists of 180 multiple-choice questions (MCQs) divided equally among Physics, Chemistry, and Biology (Botany and Zoology). Each correct answer carries 4 marks, and there is a negative marking of -1 for each incorrect answer.
The syllabus for NEET UG is based on the NCERT curriculum of classes 11 and 12. It includes topics from Physics, Chemistry, and Biology (Botany and Zoology).
Yes, NRI students can apply for NEET UG. They need to fulfill the eligibility criteria and other requirements specified by the conducting authority.
NEET UG score is used by various government, private, and deemed medical/dental colleges across India for admission to undergraduate courses. Admission is based on merit, and candidates are allotted seats through centralized counseling conducted by respective authorities.
Yes, NEET UG is mandatory for Indian students who wish to pursue medical studies abroad, especially in countries like Russia, China, Ukraine, etc. They need to qualify for NEET UG to obtain an eligibility certificate from the Medical Council of India (MCI) or the National Medical Commission (NMC).