NEET 2026 Time Management Strategy: How to Best Utilise 180 Minutes
National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test 2026 ( NEET )
NEET 2026 total duration will be 180 minutes. Last year, the duration was decreased by 20 minutes and the optional questions were also removed. Know how to best utilise 180 minutes and the NEET 2026 time management strategy for the exam day.
NEET Time Management Strategy
NEET exam pattern had undergone a crucial change last year. The total duration of the exam was decreased by 20 minutes. Now, the total duration of the exam is 180 minutes, or three hours. Hence, students planning the NEET 2026 time management strategy must take into account this factor. The NEET exam pattern was changed to the pre-COVID era. The optional questions were removed, making all 180 questions compulsory to attempt. To help students who will be taking NEET 2026, this article brings tips and advice on how to prepare make the NEET 2026 time management strategy.
NEET 2026 Exam Pattern
It is expected that the NEET 2026 exam pattern will remain the same as last year. The table below brings the NEET question paper structure.
| Subject |
Number of Questions |
Marks |
|---|---|---|
| Physics |
45 |
180 |
| Chemistry |
45 |
180 |
| Botany |
45 |
180 |
| Zoology |
45 |
180 |
| Total |
180 |
720 |
How to Manage Time for NEET 2026
The total duration of the NEET 2026 will be 180 minutes. There will not be any sectional time limit. Take a look at time management tips for NEET 2026.
Selecting questions: At first, candidates will be handed the NEET question paper and OMR sheet. They should scan the question paper for two to three minutes and select the questions they feel confident of solving accurately.
Section-wise NEET time management strategy: Each subject carries equal importance in NEET, hence one must not undermine or downplay a particular subject as a skewed performance would not be able to fetch you the NEET cutoff marks. Hence, a proper time management strategy is necessary. Since there are three subjects, which can be further broken down into four (Biology subject is segregated into Botany and Zoology).
| Section |
Ideal Time |
|---|---|
| Physics |
60-65 minutes |
| Chemistry |
50-55 minutes |
| Botany |
20-25 minutes |
| Zoology |
20-25 minutes |
Test-takers must ensure that they do not spend more than four to five minutes on a question. In case they feel stuck on a question, they should skip it and move forward. They can mark the question on the NEET question paper to come back for a reattempt, before starting the revision process.
Question-wise time management strategy: While some students prefer a section-wise time management strategy, others prefer a question-wise NEET 2026 time management strategy. Explaining this, Navin Joshi, Chief Content Officer, Physics Wallah says, “Divide the paper into three phases. In the first phase, attempt all the questions within 90 minutes. In the next phase of 40 minutes, attempt the questions which are calculation-intensive and require time to think. In the next 50 minutes, you can attempt the difficult questions and those which you had left out.”
Keeping adequate time for revision: Revision is one aspect which candidates must not let go of under any circumstances. Students must keep at least 10 minutes to revise the entire answer sheet and ensure that they have not made any unwarranted errors. In such a case, it must be rectified to avoid negative marking.
NEET 2026 will be conducted in the first week of May in over 500 NEET exam centres across India and abroad. The exam will be held in a paper-pencil-based mode or an offline mode. The NEET 2026 application process is expected to begin in the first week of February.
Read More:
How to Make Revision Notes for NEET 2026
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