NEET Negative Marking Scheme 2026: How to Calculate Marks & Tips to avoid it

National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test 2026 ( NEET )

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Rupali
Rupali Pruthi
Deputy Manager - Editorial
Updated on May 5, 2026 14:36 IST
NEET 2026 exam carries negative marking for wrong answers. As per the NEET marking scheme 2026, 4 marks are awarded for each correct answer and 1 mark is deducted for each wrong answer. Check NEET negative marking, tips to avoid it in exam and know how to calculate NEET marks.

NEET 2026 exam carries negative marking for wrong answers. As per the NEET marking scheme 2026, 4 marks are awarded for each correct answer and 1 mark is deducted for each wrong answer. Check NEET negative marking, tips to avoid it in exam and know how to calculate NEET marks.

NEET Negative Marking Scheme 2026

NEET Negative Marking Scheme 2026

The NTA NEET UG is a national-level exam conducted for admission to MBBS, BDS, BAMS, and other programs. The NEET UG question paper carries 180 questions and each question carries 4 marks. The exam carries a total 720 marks and there is negative marking for wrong answers. The National Testing Agency conducted NEET 2026 on May 3, 2026

The NEET preparation 2026 plays a major role in avoiding negative marking in NEET 2026. Check the page to know about NEET 2026 marking scheme, negative marking, how to avoid negative marking and how to calculate marks.

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Table of contents
  • NEET Negative Marking Scheme 2026: Highlights
  • How to Calculate NEET Marks with Negative Marking?
  • NEET Marking Scheme 2026: Subject-Wise Distribution
  • How to Avoid Negative Marking in NEET 2026?

NEET Negative Marking Scheme 2026: Highlights

Have a look at the highlights of the NEET negative marking scheme based on the NEET exam pattern 2026 below-

Particulars

Details

Total Questions

180 

NEET Total Marks

720

NEET Marking Scheme for Each Correct Answer

+4

NEET Negative Marking for Each Incorrect Answer

-1

NEET Marks for unattempted questions

0

Also Read: NEET 2026 Passing Marks out of 720

Which MBBS/ BDS College will you get based on your NEET 2026 Rank? Check last year's Institutes & Category-wise closing Rank?
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Q&A Icon
Commonly asked questions
Q:   What is the section-wise weightage in NEET exam?
A: 

The NEET UG exam comprises Physics, Chemistry and Biology sections. There are a total 180 questions in the exam. The exam carries 720 marks. The section wise-wightage of these three sections is shared below-

NEET Physics- 45 questions (180 marks)

NEET Chemistry- 45 questions (180 marks)

NEET Biology (Botany & Zoology)- 90 questions (360 marks)

Q:   What is the passing marks for NEET exam?
A: 

Candidates need to obtain the NEET exam pass marks to clear the exam. The minimum NEET cutoff percentile that candidates must obtain is shared below-

Category

NEET Cut off percentile

UR/EWS

50th

OBC, SC, ST

40th

UR/EWS-PwD

45th

OBC/SC/St-PwD

40th

Q:   Which section is difficult to prepare in NEET exam?
A: 

The NEET exam contains questions from Physics, Chemistry and Biology. As per the analysis of NEET question papers and feedback shared by candidates, the NEET Physics section as the difficult among the three. 

Q:  

Which is the most repeated question in NEET Biology?

A: 

There are various topics or questions which have been repeated the most in NEET Biology section. Have a look at the NEET Biology most repeated questions in past few years below-

  • Respiratory system
  • Digestive enzymes & hormones
  • Sliding filaments theory
  • Mendelian crosses
  • Genetic disorders (Turner, Down, Klinefelter)
  • Photosynthesis
  • Food chains and ecological pyramids
  • Cell organelles and functions

How to Calculate NEET Marks with Negative Marking?

As per the scheme, the NEET 2026 carries a total 720 marks. There are 180 questions in the exam and each is of four marks. For each correct answer, candidates get four marks and for each wrong answer, one mark gets deducted. Candidates can use this scheme to calculate the expected raw scores based on the NEET answer key 2026. Have a look at the process to calculate NEET 2026 marks with negative marking using the answer key-

  • Tally the answers of your NEET OMR sheet with official answer key and count all the correct answers.
  • Multiply the number of correct answers by 4.
  • Now, count all the incorrect answers and multiply that number by 1
  • Subtract the second number from the first and you get the NEET total marks.

Also Read: NEET Last 10 Years Question Papers with Solutions

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NEET Marking Scheme 2026: Subject-Wise Distribution

The NEET UG 2026 exam is conducted offline in pen and paper mode. The exam comprises three subjects- Physics, Chemistry and Biology (Botany & Zoology). The questions are asked as per the prescribed NEET syllabus 2026. Have a look at the NEET marks distribution for these subjects below-

Subject

Number of Questions

Marks Distribution

Physics

45

180

Chemistry

45

180

Botany

45

180

Zoology

45

180

Total

180

720

Also Read: How to prepare for NEET 2026 in 10 days?

Q&A Icon
Commonly asked questions
Q:   How to score 170+ in Physics NEET?
A: 

Students can obtain over 170 scores in NEET Physics with strategic preparation. Hard work along with smart work can help students score good marks in NEET UG exam. Use the given tips to perform well in NEET Physics section-

  • Make a strict study schedule.
  • Cover syllabus through best books.
  • Understand the chapter-wise weightage.
  • Prepare formula sheets and notes for quick revision.
  • Practice with question papers and mock tests.
  • Regular revision.
Q:   What is the 80/20 rule in NEET?
A: 

The NEET syllabus is huge. The 80/20 rule in NEET means that students should study smarter by focusing on 20% of the high-value topics which may form 80% of the NEET question paper. 

Q:   What is the pattern of the NEET exam?
A: 

The NEET exam is conducted offline in pen and paper mode. The NEET exam pattern is as such-

  • There are 180 MCQs.
  • 45 are from Physics, 45 from Chemistry and 90 from Biology (Botany and Zoology). 
  • Each question is of 4 marks.
  • The total marks are 720.
  • The exam duration is 3 hours.
Q:   What changes have been introduced by NTA for NEET UG 2026 Re Exam?
A: 

The NTA has introduced the given changes for NEET UG 2026 Re exam-

  • The NTA extends exam duration. The re-exam will be held from 2:00 to 5:15 PM.
  • The NTA has increased the rough work space to 4 pages.
  • The NTA redesigns the question paper booklet by adding two rough pages just after the introduction.

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How to Avoid Negative Marking in NEET 2026?

Now that you know the NEET negative marking and its impact on scores, you must answer the questions carefully during the exam. Have a look at how students can avoid negative marking in the NEET exam below.

  • Read the NEET question paper carefully and understand what the question asks.
  • Check the given options and use logic while answering.
  • Avoid guesswork and answer the question with accuracy.
  • Time management is the key.

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About the Author
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Rupali Pruthi
Deputy Manager - Editorial

With MA in English, Rupali has more than 15 years of editorial experience. At Shiksha.com, a subsidiary of Info Edge (India) Limited, she creates content and make prep guides for students preparing for competitive e

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Answered 3 days ago

Candidates need to carry the given documents for verification and admission through Bihar NEET counselling 2026:

  • NEET admit card and scorecard
  • Class 10 marksheet
  • Class 12 marksheet
  • Residential certificate
  • Caste certificate
  • Six copies of the passport-sized photographs
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Satyendra Shukla

Contributor-Level 6

Answered 4 days ago

As per the latest 2026 data, NEET UG Round 1 cut of was 344. It is very competitive to take admission in MBBS at AIIMS Jodhpur. This rank was for general category. For OBC, the cut off was 714.

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Riya Gupta

Contributor-Level 9

Answered 4 days ago

Yes, for admission to Russia-based medical universities, NEET qualification is required for Indian students. Smolensk State Medical University do not release a minimum cutoff for admissions, but NEET qualification is required, which requires a score of 135-170 in the NEET UG exam. Qualifying NEET wi

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Anubha

Contributor-Level 8

Answered 4 days ago

The official qualifying cutoff for RE NEET UG 2026 exam stands at 715–213 for the General/EWS category and 212–177 for the OBC SC and ST categories.

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Swati Pandey

Contributor-Level 8

Answered 5 days ago

The cutoff 2026 of SGT University are not out yet & will be updated once out. As per the, NEET cutoff 2025 for MBBS admission, the closing rank stood at 444136 in the last round for the General AI category.

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Puhup Kumari

Contributor-Level 9

Answered 6 days ago

The NEET UG Counselling 2026 round 2 registration will begin soon at mcc.nic.in. 

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Ranjeeta Srivastava

Contributor-Level 6

Answered 6 days ago

The MCC has not announced the NEET counsellind round 2 revised dates 2026 yet. The round 2 schedule announced earlier has been delayed due to the postponement of round 1 seat allotment result.  

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Vikram Shukla

Contributor-Level 6

Answered a week ago

To applu for NEET-UG for admission in AIIMS Bhopal, students can follow the steps given below:

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  • Input your basic de

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Saumya Gairola

Contributor-Level 10

Answered a week ago

Application fee for NEET-UG for admission in AIIMS Bhopal varies according to the category of the student. Details are given in the following table:

Category

Application Fee

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INR 1,700

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INR 1,600

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INR 1,000

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INR 9,500

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