NEET 2025 Exam Pattern Changed; Optional Questions Removed; Duration Reduced
NEET 2025 exam pattern has been changed. The optional questions have been removed. Instead of 200 questions, there will now be 180 questions. The total duration of NEET 2025 has been reduced from 200 minutes to 180 minutes or three hours now. Know the detailed pattern here.
NEET 2025 Exam Pattern Changed
NEET 2025 exam pattern has been changed. It has been reversed to the pattern and structure which was followed in the pre-COVID era. The optional questions have been removed. Instead of 200 questions, there will now be 180 questions. The total duration of NEET 2025 has been reduced from 200 minutes to 180 minutes or three hours now.
Announcing the same, NTA has stated, “Aspirants are hereby informed that the question paper pattern and examination duration will revert to the pre-COVID format. where there will not be any Section B anymore. Hence, there will be a total of 180 compulsory questions (45 questions each in Physics and Chemistry and 90 in Biology) which will be attempted by the candidates in 180 minutes thereby removing any optional questions and extra time introduced due to COVID.”
NTA has clarified that all 180 questions on the NEET 2025 question paper will be compulsory. The marking scheme is expected to remain the same as in previous years, which is four marks for each correct answer and a negative marking of one mark for each wrong answer. Candidates will get approximately one minute for each question.
NEET 2025 Exam Pattern
The following table brings the revised NEET exam pattern for 2025.
| Subject |
Number of Questions |
Marks |
|---|---|---|
| Physics |
45 |
180 |
| Chemistry |
45 |
180 |
| Botany |
45 |
180 |
| Zoology |
45 |
180 |
| Total |
180 |
720 |
NTA has further stated, “Candidates are advised to prepare accordingly and. regularly check the official NTA website neetnta.nic.in for further updates. For further clarificatión related to NEET (UG)-2025, contact 011-40759000 or email at neetug2025@@nta.ac.in.”
The official NEET 2025 notification, application form and information bulletin is expected to be released anytime soon. Earlier, NTA had released the final NEET 2025 syllabus, which has remained the same as last year. NEET 2025 exam will be conducted in a paper-pencil-based mode in a single day and shift.
Read More:
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No, there is no time limit to solve a section in NEET. The total duration of the exam is 200 minutes, or three hours and 20 minutes. Hence, on an average, candidates will get around five minutes for each question. Candidates must keep a tab on the timing as NEET is a time-pressed exam.
Before the exam day, candidates are advised to prepare a time management strategy wherein a particular timing should be assigned for each section or subject. They must also note that they will not be given any extra time to complete the exam, nor will they be allowed to take breaks in between or leave before time.
NTA has announced the change in the NEET 2025 exam pattern. The total number of questions and duration in minutes have been reduced from 200 to 180. The optional questions have been removed. NTA has announced that the NEET 2025 exam will be conducted in a paper-pencil-based mode and in a single day and shift, opposing the recommendations by the NEET expert committee, Some of the major changes implemented in NEET 2025 are as follows:
- Change in exam pattern: The NEET 2025 exam pattern has been revoked to that of the pre-COVID era. The optional questions have been removed and the duration has been reduced by 20 minutes.
- NEET 2025 official website URL: The NEET 2025 official website address has changed. Last year, the NEET official website URL was neet.ntaonline.in and this year, it is neet.nta.nic.in. Incidentally, this year's URL is the same as that of the previous year, i.e. NEET 2023.
- Implementation of APAAR ID: This year, NTA has implemented APAAR ID to the application process, wherein, if a candidate selects APAAR, then his/her past academic records are auto-populated to the NEET 2025 application form.
- Number and choice of NEET 2025 exam cities: The total number of NEET 2025 exam cities in India has been reduced from 557 to 552. On the other hand, candidates can select three instead of two exam cities.
- Change in Tie-Breaking Policy: There has been a change in the last criterion of the NEET 2025 tie-breaking policy. It says that in case, the first seven criteria are exhausted and the tie still persists, it will be resolved through a random process with the guidance of an independent expert committee.
- Change in NEET 2025 Question Paper Code and Sets: Unlike previous years, wherein the code of each NEET question paper was alphanumeric, this year the sets were only in numbers. Moreover, there were only four sets and no subsets.
Also Read: NEET 2025: Major Changes Introduced in Pattern, Tie-Breaking Criteria, Application Process and More
Notably, NTA has not implemented any of the changes recommended by the NEET Expert Committee.
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NEET or National Eligibility cum Entrance Test is a paper-pencil based test (PBT) of three hours or 180 minutes duration. There will be a total of 180 multiple-choice questions (MCQs), all of which will be compulsory to attempt. The syllabus of the exam consists of Physics, Chemistry and Biology subjects. The Biology subject is segregated between Zoology and Botany. On the other hand, Chemistry subject is segragated into Organic, Inorganic and Physical Chemistry. Unlike last year, the subjects will not be divided into two sections.
According to the marking scheme, each correct question carries 4 marks and there is a negative marking of 1 mark for each wrong answer. No marks will be awarded or deducted for unattempted or extra attempted questions. The following table brings the structure of the NEET exam.