Sreetama Datta
Sreetama Datta Roy
Manager Content
Updated on Jan 20, 2026 14:20 IST
NEET 2026 answer key bonus marks will be awarded to candidates under certain conditions. This article of Shiksha.com brings to you the details regarding NEET 2026 answer key bonus marks. The article explains the NEET marking scheme, along with the bonus marks criteria.

NEET 2026 answer key bonus marks will be awarded to candidates under certain conditions. This article of Shiksha.com brings to you the details regarding NEET 2026 answer key bonus marks. The article explains the NEET marking scheme, along with the bonus marks criteria.

NEET Answer Key Bonus Marks

NEET bonus marks is a concept related to the marking scheme and answer keys. As per the NEET marking scheme, there is no bonus marking while attempting the questions. But according to the National Testing Agency, the exam conducting authority, in case of discrepancies in the NEET answer keys found, then test-takers will be eligible for the bonus marking. There are certain criteria or conditions related to the awarding of the NEET bonus marks.

This article of Shiksha explains in detail about the NEET 2026 bonus marking, in terms of how it works, who is eligible for the bonus marking and also answers the relevant queries. The NEET Bonus Marking Scheme was introduced by NTA with the aim of giving equal scope to every candidate to score. This also recognises the errors committed by the exam authorities and avoids injustice towards students. 

Table of contents
  • What is NEET 2026 Bonus Marks?
  • NEET 2026 Bonus Marking Scheme
  • How to Know About NEET Bonus Marks?
  • Benefits of NEET Bonus Marks
  • NEET 2026 Marking Scheme
  • NEET Exam Pattern

What is NEET 2026 Bonus Marks?

NEET 2026 bonus marks or the criteria of awarding bonus marks will be announced by NTA in the NEET 2026 information bulletin. The bonus marking process will be applicable only if there is a discrepancy in the NEET answer keys. After the NEET provisional answer keys are released, candidates will be aware about the scope of getting bonus marks. The conditions under which candidates will be eligible for bonus marking in NEET are as follows:

  • If more than one answer option is found to be correct
  • If all answer options are found to be correct
  • If none of the answer options are found to be correct 

Based on the above criteria, the marking scheme varies.

Q&A Icon
Commonly asked questions
Q:   What is the cutoff for NEET?
A: 

The NEET 2026 cutoff will be released along with the results. The NTA will release the NEET UG cutoff marks based on the difficulty level. Till then, take a look at the NEET 2025 cutoff for reference. 

Category

NEET 2025 Cutoff percentile

NEET 2025 Cutoff score

UR/EWS

50th

686-144

OBC, SC, ST

40th

143-113

UR/EWS-PwD

45th

143-127

OBC/SC/St-PwD

40th

126-113

 

Q:   I have forgotten my NEET counselling registration password. How can I retrieve it?
A: 
To retrieve the forgotten NEET counselling registration password, the candidate have to enter the information that he/she filled at the time of registration and then security question and answer have to be entered as given during New Candidate registration process. The above data submitted by the candidate will be validated with the registered candidates database. If the above entries match, then only the candidate would be permitted to enter new password to proceed further.
Q:   What is the eligibility criteria to participate in the NEET counselling process?
A: 

Candidates need to fulfill the given eligibility criteria to participate in the NEET counselling for MBBS admissions-

  • Qualify NEET by obtaining the cutoff marks.
  • Register on the MCC website.
  • Submit the choices of colleges.
Q:   Is it necessary to fill up the NEET counselling choices and lock the choices to get seat allotted?
A: 

After online registration for NEET counselling process, candidates will have to fill in choice of Institutions/colleges/courses in order of their preference. Once the choice is filled in, it can be modified before locking it. During the choice locking period, it is necessary to lock the choices to get a printout of the submitted choices. If a candidate does not lock the choice submitted by him/her, it will be automatically locked as per schedule. In case they don't register and fill in choices during registration period, they will not be allotted any seat. NEET counselling registration will be available before the first three rounds of counselling, and not before the Stray Vacancy Round.

NEET 2026 Bonus Marking Scheme

Based on the above criteria, NTA has specified the marking scheme for the above criteria. The below table brings the marks awarded in each of these scenario. 

Parameter NEET Bonus Marking Scheme

If more than one answer option is found to be correct

+4 to be awarded only to those who have marked any of the correct options

If all answer options are found to be correct

+4 to be awarded to all those who have attempted the question

If none of the answer options are found to be correct 

+4 to be awarded to all candidates irrespective of attempting the question

Based on the above criteria, candidates will be awarded NEET 2026 bonus marks. It must be noted that the bonus marks are given in exceptional situations and it is not a norm. Hence, in case there is no discrepancy in the provisional answer keys, then there will not be any chance to secure bonus marks in NEET 2026. 

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How to Know About NEET Bonus Marks?

NTA will announce about the NEET bonus marks in the final answer keys. Based on the objections that will be received in the provisional answer keys from candidates, the NTA expert committee will announce about the NEET bonus marks. The process to check whether candidates are eligible for bonus marking scheme is given below.

  • Visit the NEET UG exam website - www.neet.nta.nic.in
  • Click on the link indicating NEET final answer key
  • Download the PDF
  • The answer keys for all sets will be provided in the PDF format
  • In case a question has more than one answer option, or has a * mark with a note indicating all or none of the answer options are correct, that means that candidates will be eligible for NEET bonus marking for such questions.

Test-takers should also note whether they fulfil the condition of attempting that particular question or not. Only for those questions, where none of the answer options is correct, all candidates will be given the bonus marks. Once the NEET 2026 final answer keys are released, submitting objections regarding bonus marking will not be allowed. 

Q&A Icon
Commonly asked questions
Q:   Will NTA release NEET solutions along with answer keys?
A: 

While NTA releases the NEET answer keys PDF, it does not release the detailed solutions or the answer-solving procedures and explanations. On the other hand, experts from coaching institutes release detailed NEET answer key solutions and candidates may refer to those to note the correct and effective way of solving a question. Hence, to understand if the answer solving methodology, test takers will not have any official source of reference, but would have to rely on the unofficial sources only.

Q:   What is the NEET counselling registration fee?
A: 

The NEET counselling registration fee varies for different candidate categories. For the AIQ seats and Central Universities, the fee for the General category candidates is INR 1,000 and for the SC, ST, OBC and PwD category candidates, the fee is INR 500. For participating in the NEET counselling process for Deemed Universities, the registration fee for all category candidates is INR 5,000. The registration fee is non-refundable. On the other hand, candidates will have to pay the tuition fee which is refundable. The amount for the General category candidates for the AIQ seats and Central Universities is INR 10,000. For the reserved category candidates, the amount is INR 5,000. For Deemed Universities, the tuition fee to be paid by all category candidates is INR 2,00,000. Those who would not be allotted a seat after the NEET counselling process will be refunded the tuition fee after the conclusion of the counselling rounds.

Q:   What does NEET counselling seat matrix mean?
A: 

NEET counselling seat matrix refers to the number of seats offered across the participating institutes for each course. The seat matrix is released by the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) before the commencement of the counselling process. The seat matrix is released in institute-wise categories for the types of institutes, such as Deemed universities, AIIMS & JIPMER, etc. For NEET 2025 counselling, the primary seat matrix released by MCC for Round 1 was of for Deemed University, Central University, BSc Nursing and AIQ seats. After that, for the second and third rounds, MCC releases the list of newly added seats along with the clear vacancy and virtual vacancy. 

Q:   Is it necessary to join allotted Medical/Dental College of Round 1 to get chance to participate in Round 2 of NEET counselling?
A: 

No, candidates need not report or join the allotted college of NEET counselling Round 1 since there is free exit. However if they want to retain the Round 1 seat and upgrade in Round 2 they have to physically join the college of Round 1 and give up-gradation willingness for Round 2 at the time of admission. In case candidates decide to resign the seat allotted to them in the first round, then they can do so prior to registering in the next round of NEET counselling.

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Benefits of NEET Bonus Marks

There are a number of benefits of the NEET bonus marking system. Some of which are listed below. 

  • Scope of scoring high: If a candidate gets the bonus marks, for questions they had attempted without being sure of the accuracy, they will not only get additional four marks, but will also be saved from the negative marking. In case of non-attempt, they will not be eligible for these marks. 
  • Mitigating the negative marking: By getting bonus marks, candidates will be able to negate or mitigate the effect of the negative marking scheme, which would have lowered their score than what they can secure with the bonus marks. 
  • Fair evaluation system: The bonus marking system in NEET will ensure a fair evaluation system so that test-takers are not affected by the errors committed by the conducting authorities. 

NEET 2026 Marking Scheme

The NEET 2026 marking scheme is likely to remain the same as last year. The marking scheme for NEET exam is given below. 

  • Each correct answer will be awarded four marks
  • One mark will be deducted for every incorrect answer
  • No mark will be deducted for the questions which have not been answered
  • Questions that have two or more responses marked on the OMR sheet will be considered incorrect and one mark will be deducted from them.
Q&A Icon
Commonly asked questions
Q:   Can I get a duplicate copy of my NEET scorecard?
A: 

Since the NEET scorecards are released by the National Testing Agency (NTA), the exam conducting body, in an online mode, it can be accessed and downloaded anytime by the test-takers. Once the NEET result is declared, candidates will have to download the NEET scorecard by logging in with their registration credentials and take multiple printouts. They are also advised to save the NEET scorecard PDF softcopy in their computer systems or mobile phones for easy access. In case they lose the hardcopy or even the softcopy of the NEET scorecard, they can visit the NEET website, click on the Download NEET-UG Scorecard tab from the latest News section and download it by entering the NEET application number, date of birth and security pin. The validity of the NEET scorecard is one year. Hence, candidates will be able to download the NEET scorecard PDF as many times they wish to within this period. 

Q:   What is the qualifying NEET cut off for General category candidates?
A: 

The qualifying NEET 2025 cutoff marks for General category candidates is 144. Last year it was 162. As expected, the NEET 2025 cutoff for General category candidates is lower than last year. The reason is, the difficulty level of NEET was tougher this year as compared to last year. The competition level has become even higher, along with the increase in the number of seats.

Q:   When did NTA release the official cutoff for NEET 2025?
A: 

The NEET 2025 cutoff was released along with the result on June 14, 2025. The NEET cutoff for each candidate category was mentioned on the result PDF. The NTA lowered the NEET cut off 2025 as the level of difficulty was higher and the number of test-takers was lower. 

Q:   Can I participate in the state and all India counselling (NEET) simultaneously?
A: 

Yes, medical aspirants can participate in the state as well as the All India NEET counselling processes simultaneously. In general, the dates of state and the All India NEET counselling rounds will be different.

Before participating in either of the NEET counselling processes, candidates must ensure that they fulfill the eligibility criteria. For the State NEET counselling processes, candidates must belong to the domicile. Students not belonging to the state may also participate in the particular NEET state counselling, provided they register and participate from the NRI quota. Apart from that, other eligibility criteria are the same. 

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NEET Exam Pattern

Although NTA has released the NEET 2026 syllabus, which has remained the same as last year, the NEET 2026 exam pattern is yet to be announced officially. It is expected that the structure of the exam will remain the same as last year. The table below brings the section-wise question distribution and marks.

Subject

Number of Questions

Marks

Physics

45

180

Chemistry

45

180

Botany

45

180

Zoology

45

180

Total

180

720

The NEET 2026 notification is expected to be announced anytime soon. Based on the previous years' trends, it is expected that the NEET 2026 exam will be conducted in the first week of May. The NEET 2026 application form is expected to be released in the first week of February, along with the notification and information bulletin. 

Read More:

NEET Passing/Qualifying Marks

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Sreetama Datta Roy
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Sreetama Datta Roy is a journalist working in the Education beat, with over 15 years of work experience. A postgraduate in English Journalism from the Indian Institute of Mass Communication, New Delhi. At Shiksha, s
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Answered Yesterday

The factors that determine the NEET cutoff scores are-

  • Total number of appearing candidates
  • Difficulty level of the examination
  • Performance of the candidates
  • Number of seats available:

R

Ranjeeta Srivastava

Contributor-Level 6

Answered 3 days ago

Since you are appearing for NEET, you must aim for safe scores. For MBBS in and around Faridabad, your best private college options are Amrita School of Medicine and Al-Falah School of Medical Sciences.

1. Amrita School of Medicine

  • MBBS tuition fee: INR 1.2 Crore
  • NEET Cutoff (General Category):
    • Closing

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Tasbiya Khan

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 3 days ago

As per the official website, MES Medical College Hospital does not offer BSc Nursing courses. The college offers MBBS at UG level. At PG level, the college offers MD and MS programmes. 

N

Nishtha Shukla

Guide-Level 15

Answered 4 days ago

BJ Medical College, Ahmedabad does not mention NEET-UG as an accepted entrance exam for MBBS admissions. Only GUJCET has been mentioned as an accepted entrance exam in the selection criteria.

However, in the rules from 2016, NEET-UG has been mentioned as the mandatory entrance exam for candidates who

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Saurabh Khanduri

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 5 days ago

National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences admissions are entrance-based. Students cann either appear for the NIMHANS entrance or submit scores obtained in NEET. To know more, students can connect with the institute.

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Nishtha Jain

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 6 days ago

Amity University, Jaipur has not listed NEET-UG as an accepted entrance exam for BPharm admissions. The institute does accept NEET-UG for other courses such as BTech in Biotechnology.

However, primary scores which are used to evaluate a candidate during BPharm admissions are Class 12 board exam score

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Saurabh Khanduri

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 6 days ago

No, NEET-UG is not a mandatory entrance exam for every Parul University BSc admission. Only some BSc courses such as BSc in Medical Biotechnology require candidates to appear for NEET-UG to qualify for admissions.

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Saurabh Khanduri

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 6 days ago

Yes, NEET is enough for ITS College of Health and Wellness Sciences admissions. Students however, do need to participate in counselling round after the entrance exam. Interested and eligible students can apply online.

A

Aishwarya Malhotra

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 6 days ago

The NTA will announce the NEET UG 2026 results around a month after the exam. The NEET result will be released as a PDF download file comprising the cutoff marks and merit list.

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Ranjeeta Srivastava

Contributor-Level 6

Answered 6 days ago

To check the KEAM merit list for Government Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram, students have to go to the official site, ie, Office of the Commissioner for Entrance Examinations (CEE). This is the body that conducts the KEAM counselling process. It is also the same one who handles the KEAM entranc

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Neerja Rohatgi

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