NEET (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test) Requirements & Prerequisites
Everything you need to know before registering for the NEET (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test), eligibility, cost, format, and what to expect on exam day.
Cost
~$20 (INR 1600)
Provider
NTA
Validity
Annual exam
Available
India
Education
Check official exam requirements
Experience
3-5+ years of professional experience typically required
Specific Requirements
- Completion of 17 years of age on or before 31 December of the year of the examination. For NEET (UG) 2026, candidates in every category had to be born on or before 31 December 2009.
- No upper age limit. The National Medical Commission's Under Graduate Medical Education Board removed it, and the 2026 bulletin states plainly that there is no upper age limit.
- A Class 12 or equivalent qualifying examination that includes Physics, Chemistry, Biology or Biotechnology together with English, from a board recognised by the concerned government, including practical tests in those subjects.
- Candidates may take Physics, Chemistry, Biology or Biotechnology with English as additional subjects after passing Class 12, following the National Medical Commission decision of 14 June 2023 and the public notice of 22 November 2023, and remain eligible.
- No cap on the number of attempts. NEET (UG) runs once a year and a candidate may sit it in successive years.
- Indian citizens and Overseas Citizens of India intending to study undergraduate medicine at a foreign institution must also qualify NEET (UG).
- NRI, OCI and foreign national candidates are eligible for admission subject to the rules of the respective state governments and institutions, with additional document upload requirements at application.
Number of Questions
180 compulsory questions. Physics 45, Chemistry 45, Biology (Botany and Zoology) 90. Maximum marks 720.
Duration
180 minutes (three hours), 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM Indian Standard Time. PwD and PwBD candidates with a physical limitation to write receive one hour of compensatory time, whether or not they use a scribe, ending at 6:00 PM.
Question Format
Multiple choice with four options and a single correct or best answer. Every question on the paper is this type., All 180 questions are compulsory. NTA removed the optional Section B choice pattern; the 2026 bulletin states the paper consists of 180 compulsory questions to be attempted in 180 minutes., Answers are marked on an OMR sheet with the pen supplied at the centre. Candidates may not bring their own pen, and marks on the OMR cannot be corrected.
Passing Requirement
A percentile, not a mark. Unreserved and General-EWS candidates need the 50th percentile, SC, ST and OBC candidates the 40th, Unreserved and General-EWS candidates with a benchmark disability the 45th, and reserved-category candidates with a benchmark disability the 40th. In 2026 the UR and EWS band was reported as 715 to 213 marks and the reserved-category band as 212 to 177.
How It Is Delivered
Pen and paper, single day and single shift, at NTA-designated centres. The 21 June 2026 sitting ran at 5,440 centres in 551 cities in India and 14 cities abroad. Entry closes at 1:30 PM and candidates arriving later are not admitted under any circumstances.
Languages Offered
English, Hindi, Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu., Language availability is tied to centre location: English only at centres outside India, English and Hindi at all centres in India, and regional languages at centres in the relevant states. A candidate opting for a regional language also receives the English version of the test booklet.
Visit the official NTA certification page
Create an account and select your exam
Choose a test center or online proctoring option
Pay the exam fee and schedule your date
Score Scale
Raw marks from minus 180 to 720, reported alongside a percentile score. Each of the 180 questions is worth plus four for a correct answer and minus one for an incorrect one, giving 180 marks each for Physics and Chemistry and 360 for Biology.
Score You Need
A percentile, not a mark. Unreserved and General-EWS candidates need the 50th percentile, SC, ST and OBC candidates the 40th, Unreserved and General-EWS candidates with a benchmark disability the 45th, and reserved-category candidates with a benchmark disability the 40th. In 2026 the UR and EWS band was reported as 715 to 213 marks and the reserved-category band as 212 to 177.
How It Is Calculated
Marks are added directly with no scaling or normalisation, because NEET (UG) runs as a single paper on a single day in a single shift, which removes the need for cross-shift equating. Wrong answers cost one mark each, so scoring is not compensatory within a question and there is no partial credit. Percentile is derived from the marks distribution of candidates who appeared in that cycle, which is why the mark equivalent of a percentile moves year to year. Ties are broken first by Biology score, then Chemistry, then Physics, then by the ratio of incorrect to correct answers.
When You Get Results
No same-day result. In the 2026 cycle NTA published the provisional answer key four days after the exam, opened a challenge window at 200 rupees per question, displayed scanned OMR sheets and recorded responses from 13 to 15 July, then published the final answer key and declared the result together on 16 July 2026, 25 days after the 21 June sitting.
In raw terms: The raw mark is the score. NTA reports both the total marks out of 720 and the percentile derived from that year's distribution, so no conversion table exists or is needed.
- Two forms of valid ID (one government-issued with photo)
- Appointment confirmation email
- For online proctoring: webcam, microphone, clean desk, stable internet
What are the prerequisites for the NEET (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test)?
Completion of 17 years of age on or before 31 December of the year of the examination. For NEET (UG) 2026, candidates in every category had to be born on or before 31 December 2009.. No upper age limit. The National Medical Commission's Under Graduate Medical Education Board removed it, and the 2026 bulletin states plainly that there is no upper age limit.. A Class 12 or equivalent qualifying examination that includes Physics, Chemistry, Biology or Biotechnology together with English, from a board recognised by the concerned government, including practical tests in those subjects.. Candidates may take Physics, Chemistry, Biology or Biotechnology with English as additional subjects after passing Class 12, following the National Medical Commission decision of 14 June 2023 and the public notice of 22 November 2023, and remain eligible.. No cap on the number of attempts. NEET (UG) runs once a year and a candidate may sit it in successive years.. Indian citizens and Overseas Citizens of India intending to study undergraduate medicine at a foreign institution must also qualify NEET (UG).. NRI, OCI and foreign national candidates are eligible for admission subject to the rules of the respective state governments and institutions, with additional document upload requirements at application..
How much does the NEET (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test) cost?
The NEET (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test) exam costs ~$20 (INR 1600). This includes the exam fee only, study materials are additional.
How do I register for the NEET (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test)?
Visit the official NTA certification page → Create an account and select your exam → Choose a test center or online proctoring option → Pay the exam fee and schedule your date
What should I bring to the NEET (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test)?
Two forms of valid ID (one government-issued with photo). Appointment confirmation email. For online proctoring: webcam, microphone, clean desk, stable internet.
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