NEET Exam Pattern 2026 (Updated): Major Chenges in NEET UG Paper Pattern This year

The National Testing Agency releases the latest NEET Exam Pattern 2026 for the upcoming session along with the information brochure. As last year, the NEET UG exam pattern underwent several changes; thus, we are expecting no changes in the paper pattern in 2026. As per the NEET exam pattern 2026, there will be a total of 180 questions asked in the exam, and all of them are compulsory and multiple-choice Type. The total exam duration will be 3 hours. Understanding the NEET paper pattern in the early preparation stages is important to boost the level of preparation for the entrance test. Check the complete exam pattern for NEET UG 2026 along with marking scheme, Total questions and etc.

NEET Exam Pattern 2026

NEET UG 2026 will follow the revised exam pattern, which aligns with the pre-COVID format. The NEET Exam Pattern 2026 follows the latest format, featuring a paper that will consist of 180 compulsory questions, with no optional sections or extra time.. The exam consists of Physics, Chemistry, and Biology sections, with a total of 720 marks. It is conducted offline, with a duration of 3 hours (180 Minutes). Candidates should familiarize themselves with the NEET PG exam pattern to understand the marking scheme, number of questions, and distribution of subjects for effective preparation.

NEET 2026 Exam Pattern: Highlights

To get well familiar with the pattern, the best two resources are the NEET Previous year question paper and Mock Tests. NEET Mock Tests exactly replicate the latest paper format, which helps aspirants to strategize their method of approaching the question paper.  For a quick overview, we have summarized the whole NEET UG Exam pattern in a tabular format.

Major Changes in NEET Paper Pattern 2026

The outline of the adjustments made to the NEET exam format and structure in the last 2 years.

Removing Optional Questions

Until last year, there were 20 optional questions, five for each topic. This year, the optional questions were abolished, making all 180 questions mandatory to complete.

Reduced Duration

The overall duration of the NEET exam before last year was 200 minutes, or three hours and twenty minutes. The extra 20 minutes have been eliminated, bringing the entire duration to three hours, or 180 minutes.

Old Chapters Deleted From the Syllabus

A total of 18 topics were removed the the syllabus 2 years ago, and now the total chapter court is 79.

Removal of Sectional Bifurcation

Until last year, each subject (a total of 4) was separated into two sections, Section A and Section B. Section A featured 35 questions, whereas Section B had 15, five of which were optional. This year, there is no sectional bifurcation, and each subject has a single section with 45 required questions.

NEET Exam Pattern: Subject Wise Questions & Marks

The table below shows the portions of the NEET exam pattern 2026, the NEET subject list, the NEET topic-wise weightage, and the question &  mark distribution.

NEET UG Marking Scheme

According to the NEET UG test pattern 2026, each question gets four marks, with one mark deducted for each incorrect answer. The total scores for NEET 2026 will be 720. Here we present the NEET marking scheme in detail:

1. Each correct answer will receive four marks.
2. One mark will be removed for each incorrect response.
3. No marks will be deducted for questions that were not answered.
4. Questions with two or more responses recorded on the OMR sheet are considered wrong, and one mark will be deducted from them.

Keep visiting this page for any latest updates regarding the NEET exam pattern for the 2026 exam will be updated here.

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