NEET Total Marks 2026: How to Calculate NEET Marks/ Score with Negative Marking
National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test 2025 ( NEET )
Counselling - 5 Nov '25 - 9 Nov '25
Marks obtained in an examination can change the fate of those who take it. This is why the total marks in NEET 2026 and the NEET marks distribution are such an important query amongst its test-takers.
Know NEET 2025 Marking SchemeNTA is expected to conduct the NEET exam for 2026 in the first week of May. The test is conducted in a paper-pen-based mode or offline mode in which over 20 lakh students appear every year. While preparing for the NEET 2026 exam, students must understand the NEET marking scheme. This article of Shiksha brings to you the detailed marking scheme of NEET 2026, which will provide clarity to the candidates on NEET marks distribution, total marks and how to calculate NEET marks with negative marking.
The answer to the question, What is the total marks of NEET 2026, is 720. Each question is of four marks. For each wrong answer, one mark is deducted.
The NEET marks calculator is another question posed by students, especially after attempting the previous years' NEET question paper or NEET mock test. This helps in calculating the estimated marks.
Total marks in NEET is a common query that is not affected by the pre or post-exam period. Both candidates preparing for the examination and those who have appeared for the examination have the same question: what is the total marks in NEET? Or what is the full marks for NEET?
The query may be similar, but the intent of asking the question is different in both these cases. While those preparing for NEET want to know the total weightage of the question paper, the ones who have written the exam often want to know how to calculate NEET marks obtained in the examination. In this article, we aim to address the query for both groups.
- NEET Total Marks 2026: After the Conduct of Exam
- How to Calculate Negative Marking in NEET?
- NEET Total Marks: For those preparing for the examination
NEET Total Marks 2026: After the Conduct of Exam
NEET takers will want to know how to calculate NEET marks with negative markings with the help of the NEET answer key. But to calculate the total marks in NEET 2026, one must first understand the marking scheme for the examination or the NEET marks calculator formula.
NEET 2026 Marking Scheme
The table below brings the marking scheme of NEET 2026 in terms of marks to be awarded and deducted for correct and incorrect questions. It is expected that the marking scheme will remain the same as last year.
| Type of Response |
Marks Awarded |
Marks Deducted |
|---|---|---|
| Correct response |
4 |
0 |
| Incorrect response |
0 |
1 |
| No response marked |
0 |
0 |
| Answer with more than one response marked |
0 |
1 |
Students can use the above marking system to calculate the number of correct and incorrect responses marked in the NEET question paper. Once they have the number of correct and incorrect responses, they can use the formula given below to calculate the marks obtained in NEET 2026.
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Total marks in NEET= (Number of correct responses) x4 - (Number of incorrect responses) x1
Using the how-to calculate NEET marks formula given above, candidates can calculate their marks in NEET 2026, which can be further used to estimate the rank.
How to Calculate Negative Marking in NEET?
The National Testing Agency (NTA), with the help of subject-wise experts, reconfirms whether or not all the questions in the examination are correct, through the provisional and final NEET answer keys. During this process, they may find one or more questions that may not have the correct response options or may not be factually correct. In such cases, NTA will release a notification stating the number of questions that were found to be incorrect. For such questions, all the candidates who have appeared for the examination, irrespective of whether or not they have attempted the said questions, will be awarded full marks, along with the NEET 2026 final answer key.
The responses marked on the OMR Sheet of NEET are scanned and uploaded on the official website of NTA. The responses marked are read and captured by the machines, which can sometimes lead to smudging of the responses. Therefore, there can be errors in the scanned copy of NEET OMR sheet. If a student finds any such error in their OMR sheet, they have the provision to challenge them. Candidates have to pay a processing fee of INR 200 per response challenged. The steps for challenging the OMR sheet of NEET are given below:
- Go to the official website of NTA NEET
- Login using the NEET application number and password or date of birth
- Click on “OMR Challenge”
- You will see the questions in sequential order
- Select Question (s) for which you wish to challenge the Recorded Response.
- Once you select any Question for Challenge, you will see three options under the column ‘Candidate’s Claim’.
- If you wish to challenge this option, you may use the Options given in the ‘Candidate’s Claim’ column.
- After clicking your desired option, for Physics / Chemistry / Botany / Zoology for NEET (UG) - 2023, scroll down, ‘Submit’, and move to the next screen.
- You will see a screen displaying your challenges.
- Click on ‘Submit' and Pay Fee Finally’.
- Select Mode of Payment and Pay a processing fee of INR 200 for each question/grade challenged. Make payment through Debit/Credit Card/Net Banking/Paytm.
- After successful payment, download/print the Answer Key challenge receipt
Yes, NTA removed five cities from the NEET 2025 exam city list in India. The total number of NEET 2025 exam cities outside India as remained the same, which is 14. Since NTA limits the state and city choice as per the present address, applicants need not think for long to select the right exam city choices. The five cities, which have been removed from the list are Surampelam (Andhra Pradesh), Deoghar (Madhya Pradesh), Basar (Arunachal Pradesh), Mamit (Mizoram) and Kiphrie (Nagaland).
This may change the marks that were calculated using the formula given above. However, the total marks in NEET 2026, for evaluation purposes, will remain 720. While analysing the NEET answer key objections, in case there are two correct answers, or the question is incorrect, the NEET marking scheme would be as follows:
- If more than one option is found to be correct then Four marks (+4) will be awarded to only those who have marked any of the correct options.
- If all options are found to be correct then Four marks (+4) will be awarded to all those who have attempted the question.
- If none of the options is found correct or a Question is found to be wrong or a Question is dropped, then all candidates who have appeared will be given four marks (+4) irrespective of the fact whether the question has been attempted or not attempted by the candidate.
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NEET Total Marks: For those preparing for the examination
Candidates who are in the NEET preparation phase must know a few important things about the paper pattern. According to the NEET exam pattern and structure, the question paper will comprise 180 questions, which are compulsory to attempt. The exam will have three subjects, namely, Physics, Chemistry and Biology. Each question carries four marks, therefore, the total number of questions multiplied by 4, gives us 720. The total marks in NEET is 720. The section-wise distribution of marks is given in the table below.
NEET will be conducted in 13 languages. Till 2020, NEET was held in 11 languages. NTA increased the number of languages or medium to 13 from 2021 onwards. Malayalam and Punjabi are the latest additions. The list of languages are as follows:
- English
- Hindi
- Bengali
- Urdu
- Assamese
- Gujarati
- Marathi
- Odia
- Kannada
- Tamil
- Malayalam
- Punjabi
- Telugu.
In case candidates are not allotted any seat in the second round of the NEET UG counselling, the earlier allotted seat in Round 1 will be retained. However, on up-gradation of a seat in the second round, the earlier allotted seat in Round 1 will automatically be cancelled and allotted to another candidate. Therefore, candidates are advised to fill in only higher choices or any other choice which they prefer over the earlier allotted seat, for second round.
Once a candidate joins second round seat allotted in the NEET UG counselling, he/she will not be allowed to vacate from the allotted second round seat. However if candidates are allotted a seat in Second Round and have not joined the college, then he/she can Exit with Forfeiture of security amount. Moreover, the candidates who have joined up to round 2 of AIQ or state quota will not be eligible to participate in the further rounds of AIQ or state quota.
NEET Marks Distribution - Section-wise
The below table brings the exam structure of the exam along with NEET marks distribution.
| Subject |
Number of Questions |
Marks |
|---|---|---|
| Physics |
45 |
180 |
| Chemistry |
45 |
180 |
| Botany |
45 |
180 |
| Zoology |
45 |
180 |
| Total |
180 |
720 |
The NEET exam pattern changed last year. Instead of 120, there are a total of 180 compulsory questions (45 questions each in Physics and Chemistry and 90 in Biology). Total duration is 180 minutes. It is expected that the pattern will be the same as last year, including the total marks in NEET. The Ministry of Education is also assessing the possibility of conducting the exam in computer-based or CBT mode.
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