NEET Marking Scheme 2026: This article is a full-fledged guide about NEET Marking Scheme 2026 including the new exam pattern, section-wise marks distribution for Physics, Chemistry & Biology, total number of questions asked in exam, marking rules (+4, -1) and significant changes such as the withdrawal of Section B. It also focuses on crucial details of the exam such as duration, choice of language & question type to help students prepare brilliantly.
As per the Latest NEET marking Scheme, for each correct response student will be given four marks in the NEET 2026 exam. If the candidate does not attempt any question, then a “zero” mark will be awarded for that question. In NEET 2026, there is a negative marking scheme for incorrect answers. And for each incorrect response, there is a penalty of ”one” mark. There will be one correct answer for every question in the NEET UG exam. In case 1, where the question has more than one correct answer, 4 marks are allocated if the candidate checks any of the correct options. The NEET UG exam has 720 marks in total.
The NEET exam pattern is made up of Physics, Chemistry, and Biology. All questions available in the section Biology are distributed across 2 subsections- Botany and Zoology. The NEET question paper consists of 180 questions. You have to solve these questions within 180 minutes, or 3 hours. The NEET Exam Pattern will have (MCQ) multiple choice questions with one correct response. Only 45 questions are in Physics and Chemistry, which will carry 180 marks each, and in Biology, 90 questions have to be answered, which will carry 360 marks in total.
This article will give detailed insight related to the NEET Marking Scheme 2026, NEET Section Wise Marks, NEET Changed Exam Pattern, and NEET Exam Highlights.
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NEET Exam 2026 Overview
Here is the table that provides details of the NEET 2026 exam:
| Particulars | Details |
| Examination Mode | Offline |
| Duration of the exam | Three hours |
| Exam timing | 3 hours – 2 to 5 PM (as per IST) |
| Question type | Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) |
| Total number of Questions | 180 questions in total |
| Total Marks | 720 marks in total |
| Is there any Negative marking | Yes, -1 for each incorrect answer |
| Total number of sections in the exam | 3 (Physics and Chemistry contain 45 questions each, and Biology contains 90 questions). |
| In how many Languages NEET Question Paper available | 13 – English, Hindi, Gujarati, Tamil, Assamese, Urdu, Bengali, Punjabi, Odia, Marathi, Kannada, Malayalam, Telugu. |
Check NEET Eligibility Criteria 2026
NEET Marking Scheme 2026 and Changed Exam Pattern Overview
NEET 2026 exam will consist of 180 objective-type questions. There is no choice between the questions, so students have to compulsorily attend all the questions. Candidates must know the NEET marking scheme and prepare accordingly so as to tentatively reduce negative marking in the exam. The test will be scored on 720 total points.
So far, you’ve broken up sections A & B Now the exam paper has been revised and Section B has disappeared. So, the test will be of 180 Questions, all from the A section, and Each Subject will have 45 Questions.
For each correct response, +4 marks will be rewarded and for each incorrect response, -1 mark will be subtracted. Keep in mind that if responses are shaded on the NEET OMR sheet, there is no way to change them.
In the NEET question paper 2026, each question carries 4 marks each. The student would be given four marks for the correct answer, and one mark would be subtracted from the score in case of a wrong answer. Thus, the candidates are recommended to reply only to ‘known’ questions and avoid negative marking. Answers should be indicated by a black/blue ball pen. If the student marks more than one answer, then the question will be treated as wrong, and the student will get negative marking.
The table below gives an overview of the NEET Marking Scheme 2026 and NEET Exam Pattern 2026
| Overview of the NEET 2026 Marking Scheme and Exam Pattern | |
| Specifics | Facts |
| NEET 2026 Subjects | Biology (Zoology and Botany), Physics, and Chemistry |
| NEET 2026 Total Questions | 180 |
| NEET Marking Scheme | Four marks for a correct answer and one mark will be subtracted for each wrong answer |
| Marks for Unanswered Questions | 0 marks |
Check the Subject-wise weightage for NEET 2026 Exam
NEET Marking Scheme 2026
The NEET 2026 marking scheme is as follows:
- Every question is of 4 marks.
- +4 marks will be allotted for every correct response.
- -1 mark will be subtracted for each incorrect response.
- If on reassessment, multiple options are found to be correct for a question, 4 marks will be given for any/all of the correct options.
- No marks will be allowed or penalty imposed for not attempting the questions.
- In case all options of a question are found to be correct, then full marks would be awarded to all the candidates irrespective of their attempt on that question.
The table below shows the NEET Marking Scheme 2026:
| NEET 2026 Marking System | |
| Type of Response | Marks Allotted |
| Correct answer | +4 |
| Incorrect answer | -1 |
| Question with more than one response | -1 |
| Unanswered question | 0 |
| Extra attempted question | 0 |
Check out how to avoid common mistakes that bring score down
NEET Section Wise Marks
The Physics and Chemistry part of the NEET 2026 exam is of 180 marks. The maximum marks for Biology are 360, making it a top-scoring subject. -The section of biology consists of 90 questions, and physics and chemistry have 45 questions each. NEET UG 2026 section-wise marks are given below.
| NEET Section Wise Marks | |
| NEET UG Sections | Marks |
| NEET Physics Marks | 180 |
| NEET Chemistry Marks | 180 |
| NEET Biology (Botany and Zoology) Marks | 360 |
Latest NEET Exam Pattern 2026
The format of the NEET 2026 exam has been restored to the pre-COVID structure. The NEET 2026 exam total time duration will be 3 hours. Physics and Chemistry have 180 marks each. Here is the NEET exam pattern 2026 as per the recent notification issued by the NTA:
| Subject | Total questions | Marks per subject |
| Biology (Zoology and Botany) | 90 | 360 |
| Physics | 45 | 180 |
| Chemistry | 45 | 180 |
| Total | 180 | 720 |
NEET Marking Scheme 2026 FAQs
Q1. What is the NEET Marking Scheme 2026?
NEET 2026 marking scheme assigns +4 marks for every correct response, while -1 mark for each incorrect answer. No marks are given for unanswered questions.
Q2. Is negative marking in NEET?
Yes, there will be negative marking in NEET 2026. 1 mark will be deducted as a penalty for each incorrect answer.
Q3. Is there a sectional time (race against time phrase meaning) limit in the NEET exam?
No, you do not have a section time limit for the NEET exam. Your total time for the test is 3 hours (180 minutes), and you may answer the questions in any order that you choose. No specific time limits are given for the purpose of any one section or item.
Q4. Is negative marking in NEET?
Yes, there will be negative marking in NEET 2026. 1 mark will be deducted as penalty for each incorrect answer.
Q5. What are the total marks of the NEET exam?
The NEET examination comprises 720 marks. Marks are divided among three subjects: Physics, Chemistry and Biology (which includes Botany and Zoology). Physics and Chemistry carry 180 marks each, and Biology carries 360 marks.
Q6. How many sections are there in the NEET 2026 question paper?
The question paper of NEET 2026 will consist of three sections – Biology (Botany and Zoology), Chemistry, and Physics. There will be 45 questions in each section. The paper is going to consist of 180 Multiple-choice questions.



