NEET Exam Pattern 2023: Total Marks, Marking Scheme

Sep 29, 2023 | Medical

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NEET exam pattern 2023 is set by the National Testing Agency (NTA). NEET subjects include physics, chemistry, and biology (zoology and botany). According to the exam pattern, a total of 200 questions will be asked, out of which candidates will have to answer 180 questions. The exam will be held for 3 hours 20 minutes.

Latest Updates on NEET

  • Sep 29, 2023: NEET counselling 2023 stray vacancy round reporting window will close on Sep 30, 2023.
  • Sep 29, 2023: AYUSH NEET counselling 2023 round 2 reporting window will be open till Oct 5, 2023
  • Sep 29, 2023: NEET UG 2024 exam is expected to be held on May 5, 2024Read More

In addition, The conducting body has issued a notice regarding NEET 2023 exam question paper medium. According to the notice, candidates who opted for regional language as the medium would receive a bilingual test booklet, which contains the regional language and English.

NEET Marks vs. Rank 2023 NEET Preparation

Students appearing for the test must understand the exam pattern and NEET syllabus 2023. NTA has increased the NEET exam time duration by 20 minutes. The NEET exam time duration for 2023 will be 3 hours and 20 minutes or 200 minutes. Students can read along to understand the details related to the NEET exam pattern.

Table of Contents

NEET 2023 Exam Pattern: Language Options

To ensure equality of opportunity, the candidates have the option to attempt NEET exam in 11 different languages. The candidates must keep the following points in mind while selecting the medium of NEET 2023 exam in the Application Form.

In addition, NTA has released a notice regarding the NEET 2023 question paper medium. According to the notice, candidates who opted for English as the question medium would receive an English-only test booklet. In comparison, candidates who opted for regional languages would receive a bilingual test booklet (i.e., English & opted regional language). 

The notice also mentioned that the booklet would include English question paper in white, the regional language in yellow, and Urdu paper in green. Candidates can find the notice in the article below.

  • Once chosen, no changes can be made to the language in which the candidate has to answer the question paper.
  • The candidates who select English will have their question paper in only one language, i.e., English.
  • The candidates who have chosen some other language will have a bilingual NEET Question Paper. The questions will be written in English, as well as in the language they have chosen.

The list of languages candidates can answer their NEET question paper in, along with NEET Exam Centres where these languages will be available is given below:

Language Availability
Hindi Available at all NEET Exam Centres
English Available at all NEET Exam Centres
Urdu Available at all NEET Exam Centres
Marathi Available at NEET Exam Centres in Maharashtra
Gujarati Available at NEET Exam Centres in Gujarat
Bengali Available at NEET Exam Centres in West Bengal
Assamese Available at NEET Exam Centres in Assam
Tamil Available at NEET Exam Centres in Tamil Nadu
Telugu Available at NEET Exam Centres in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana
Kannada Available at NEET Exam Centres in Karnataka
Oriya Available at NEET Exam Centres in Odisha

Candidates must note that they can only exercise the option to attempt NEET 2023 in vernacular, if they reside in the corresponding state, as mentioned above. For example, a candidate residing in Rajasthan cannot attempt NEET exam in Gujarati or Assamese.

NEET 2023 Exam Pattern Highlights

It is essential for candidates to understand the overview of the NEET exam pattern 2023 to understand the challenges of the exam. Understanding the NEET paper pattern will also help the candidates to develop a sound preparation plan to complete the test with the set parameters. Highlights related to the NEET exam pattern 2023 are tabulated below for the applicants.

Particulars Details
Mode of exam NTA will conduct NEET 2023 in offline (pen-paper-based) mode. Candidates will be answering on a specially designed machine-gradable sheet which will be provided at the exam centre.
Subjects Physics, Chemistry, and Biology (Botany & Zoology).
Type of Questions Multiple-Choice Questions
Duration of Test Candidates will be provided 3 hours and 20 minutes to attempt NEET 2023.
Options/Question Every question will be provided with four options (out of which 1 will be the correct answer).
Language Options Hindi, English, Tamil, Assamese, Urdu, Bengali, Marathi, Gujarati, Kannada, Oriya, and Telugu.

NEET 2023 Exam Pattern

NEET exam pattern for 2023 is not that different from the previous years. Although the NEET exam time duration has been increased, other parameters remain the same. Some of the parameters of the NEET exam pattern that have remained constants are as follows.

  • NEET exam total marks
  • NEET marks distribution
  • NEET marking scheme
  • NEET negative marking
  • NEET full marks
  • NEET exam subjects

We discuss in length the details related to these parameters below.

  • Total Marks: NEET 2023 will be conducted for a total of 720 marks.
  • Marking Scheme: Each correct answer will fetch the candidiates, 4 marks, and each wrong answer will cost them 1 mark. No marks will be deducted for unattempted questions.
  • Response Marking: Answers should be chosen from the four options and marked on the OMR sheet using a ballpoint (Black or Blue) pen as it is an MCQ-based exam.
  • Sectional Time Limit: The candidates must note that the NEET 2023 exam pattern does not specify the presence of any sectional time limit. The candidates can attempt each question and section at their own convenience and pace.
  • Total Time: 3 hours and 20 minutes are given to attempt the exam.
  • Category of Questions: Multiple choice questions 

Based on last year's NEET marks distribution, the paper had 180 multiple-choice questions from physics, chemistry, and biology. Each subject had two sections. Section A consists of 35 questions, and section B will have 15 questions, out of which students will have to answer only 10.

NEET Physics Exam Pattern

As per the NEET exam pattern, the details about the physics sections are provided below.

Section Number of Questions Number of Questions to be Answer Marks
A 35 35 140
B 15 10 40

NEET Chemistry Exam Pattern

As per the NEET exam pattern, the details about the chemistry sections are provided below.

Section Number of Questions Number of Questions to be Answer Marks
A 35 35 140
B 15 10 40

NEET Biology Exam Pattern

The NEET subjects included in the biology sections are zoology and botany. As per the NEET exam pattern, the details about the biology sections are provided below. 

Subjects Section Number of Questions Number of Questions to be Answer Marks
Zoology A 35 35 140
B 15 10 40
Botany

A 35 35 140
B 15 10 40

NEET Registrations: Language-Wise

Information regarding the NEET 2023 registrations statistics has not yet been provided by NTA. Until then, candidates can review the table below for information on NEET registration language-wise for the prior year.

Registrations for NEET 2020: Language-Wise

Details about Language-wise Registration for NEET 2020 are provided in the table below.

Language Registered Percentage of Candidates
English 12,63,273 79.08
Hindi 2,04,399 12.80
Telugu 1,624 0.10
Assamese 5,328 0.33
Gujarati 59,055 3.70
Marathi 6,258 0.39
Tamil 17,101 1.07
Bengali 36,593 2.29
Kannada 1,005 0.06
Oriya 822 0.05
Urdu 1,977 0.12
English & Hindi 14,67,672 91.88
Regional Languages 1,29,763 8.12

Registrations for NEET 2019: Language Wise

The following table consists details of Language-wise registration for NEET 2019

Language Registered Percentage of Candidates
English 1204968 79.31
Hindi 179857 11.84
Telugu 1796 0.12
Assamese 4750 0.31
Gujarati 59395 3.91
Marathi 2305 0.15
Tamil 31239 2.06
Bengali 31490 2.07
Kannada 1017 0.07
Oriya 700 0.05
Urdu 1858 0.12
English & Hindi 1384825 91.14
Regional Languages 134550 8.86

NEET 2023 Exam Pattern: Weightage of Topics

The NEET 2023 subject weightage for Physics, Chemistry, and Biology are listed below. Before beginning their exam preparation, students must review the weightage of chapters in NEET 2023 to determine which chapters they must cover in order to score well in the test.

NEET 2023 Physics Chapter-Wise Weightage

The table below shows the chapter weightage for the Physics section of the NEET 2023 exam:

Class 11 Syllabus Weightage Class 12 Syllabus Weightage
Physical-world and measurement 2% Electro statistics 8%
Kinematics 3% Current Electricity 8%
Gravitation 3% Optics 9%
Laws of Motion 3% Magnetic Effects of Current and Magnetism 5%
Work, Energy, and Power 4% Electromagnetic induction and alternating currents 9%
The motion of systems of particles and rigid body 4% Electromagnetic waves 5%
Properties of Bulk Matter 3% Dual Nature of Matter and Radiation 6%
Thermodynamics 9% Atoms and Nuclei 3%
The behaviour of Perfect Gas and Kinetic theory 3% Electronic Devices 9%
Oscillations and wave 4%

NEET 2023 Chemistry Chapter-Wise Weightage

The following information is provided for candidates' reference regarding the weightage of each module in the NEET 2023 Chemistry curriculum:

Topics Weightage
Inorganic Chemistry (XI) 22%
Organic Chemistry (XII) 20%
Physical Chemistry (XII) 20%
Physical Chemistry (XI) 16%
Inorganic Chemistry (XII) 13%
Organic Chemistry (XI) 9%

NEET 2023 Biology Chapter-Wise Weightage

Below is an overview of the NEET Biology chapter-wise weightage 2023 based on the curriculum. 

Class 11 Biology Syllabus Weightage Class 12 Biology Syllabus Weightage
Diversity of Living Organisms 14% Reproduction 9%
Structural Organisation in Plants & Animals 5% Genetics and Evolution 18%
Cell: Structure and Function 9% Biology and Human Welfare 9%
Human Physiology 19% Biotechnology and its Applications 5%
Plant Physiology 6% Ecology and Environment 6%

NTA NEET Marking Scheme 2023

Candidates must note that the question paper shall comprise of four sections: Physics, Chemistry, Zoology and Botany. Each section shall contain 50 objective-type questions.

NEET exam pattern 2023 does not mention the presence of any descriptive-type questions in the paper. The candidates will be given 3 hours 20 minutes to answer all the questions. The candidates must choose only one response out of the four options provided for each question as per the .

Particulars Details
Total Number of Questions 200
Marks per Question 4
Negative Marking for Incorrect Response -1
Marks for Unanswered Questions 0 (No deduction, no addition)
NEET Total Marks 720

How to Calculate NEET 2023 Score?

As per the NEET paper pattern, each correct answer shall fetch 4 marks, while every incorrectly answered question shall lead to a deduction of 1 mark from the candidate's total score.

NEET exam marks Calculation: (No. of questions answered correctly x 4) - (The total no. of incorrectly answered questions)

A normalization process is also carried out to calculate NEET percentile of all candidates.

NEET Marks Distribution 2023 (Subject-Wise)

It is already mentioned that NEET exam pattern shall have questions from Physics, Chemistry, and Biology subjects from Class 11 and 12. The Biology paper shall have 100 questions, which would further be divided into two equal parts, i.e., Zoology and Botany, separately.

In total, there will be 200 questions, as mentioned in NEET 2023 question paper pattern. Each question carries four marks, and the NEET full marks for which the exam will be conducted is 720 marks. The subject-wise distribution of marks as per NEET exam pattern 2023 is tabulated below in detail.

NEET 2023 Marks Distribution Subject Wise
Total 200 180 720
Subjects Sections Number of Questions Number of Questions to be Answer Total Marks per Section
Physics  Section A 35 35 140
Section B 15 10 40
Chemistry Section A 35 35 140
Section B 15 10 40
Zoolog Section A 35 35 140
Section B 15 10 40
Botany Section A 35 35 140
Section B 15 10 40

NEET Marking Scheme 2023: Important Points to Remember

The following are important points to remember for NEET marking scheme 2023:

  • The answers will be marked on an OMR sheet using a ball-point pen, hence once a question has been answered, there's no option provided to change the answer.
  • The candidates must note that it is not mandatory to attempt all the questions. NEET exam pattern 2023 does not specify any negative marking for unanswered questions.
  • Marking of more than one response for a question shall lead to a deduction of 1 mark from the candidate's total score.

Points to Remember While Marking NEET OMR Sheet 2023

The candidates will be provided with a sealed test booklet 15 minutes before the commencement of the test. The candidates will not be allowed to open the test booklet until they are asked to do so by the invigilator. Five minutes before the commencement of the test, candidates will be instructed to open the seal of the test booklet.

Fill in the required particulars on the test booklet's cover page and NEET OMR Sheet 2023 with a ballpoint pen immediately after receiving the test booklet. You would be provided with a test booklet in the language opted by you as the exam medium.

If candidates opt for vernacular languages, then candidates will be provided with a bilingual test booklet. The questions would be written in English and in the candidate's chosen language.

  • The candidates must only mark the answers using a Ballpoint Pen in black or blue ink. The pen will be provided to the candidates at the exam venue.
  • Answers darkened with a pencil or improper circle darkening will be treated as invalid responses. If more than one circle is darkened, it shall be treated as the wrong way of marking. No marks will be awarded for such answers; a mark will be deducted from the candidate's total score.

Example of question

  • All the candidates must mention the test booklet code on NEET 2023 OMR sheet as soon as they receive the instruction to start writing.
  • Changing Response on NEET OMR Sheet: You must be very careful before darkening the appropriate circle, as no further changes can be made in the answer once marked. Using an eraser or whitener on the answer sheet is not allowed as the answer sheets are machine gradable, leading to wrong evaluation. It might also get considered a punishable offence.
  • No Attempt: If you do not wish to attempt a question, you should not darken the circle meant to mark the response. Candidates are advised to refrain from guesswork, as a mark will be deducted if their answer is incorrect.
  • Rough Work: The candidates must not do rough work on NEET OMR Sheet. If the need arises, they can use the test booklet.

NEET OMR Sheet 2023 Specifications

The OMR Sheet is of a special type scanned on an optical scanner to evaluate the marked answers. The answer sheet has two sides: Side 1 and Side 2. Specifications related to both sides of the NEET OMR sheet are given below:

  • Code: You will find NEET 2023 OMR Sheet inside the sealed test booklet. It must be checked that the test booklet code printed on Side 2 of the Answer Sheet matches the code printed in the test booklet.
  • Seal: The seal should be opened by you only once the Invigilator makes the announcement, and only then will the NEET OMR sheet be taken out. You will not be allowed to open NEET Test Booklet's seal before the announcement, and if so, severe action will be taken against the particular candidate.
  • Verify: You should recheck all the particulars required in the NEET OMR sheet are correctly written and marked before handing over the answer sheet to the Invigilator after the test.

Side-1 This side of the answer sheet contains the following columns, which are to be filled by the candidate without any errors.

NEET OMR Sheet 2023 Specifications
S.No Field
1 Roll Number
2 Name of the candidate
3 Father’s Name
4 Centre Number
5 Name of the Exam Centre
6 Signature of the candidate

side-1 of answer sheet

Side-2 This side of the answer sheet contains the following columns which are to be filled by the candidate without any errors.

No Field
1 Roll Number
2 Centre Number
3 Test Booklet Number
4 Test Booklet Code
5 Question 001 to 200

side-2 neet answer sheet

NEET Question Paper Pattern Analysis (Chapter-Wise and Section-Wise)

This section discusses the NEET exam pattern chapter-wise and section-wise. The aspirants planning to appear for the exam in the academic year 2023 must study the NEET question paper pattern from the previous years to understand and estimate NEET 2023 exam pattern.

The candidates must observe the NEET exam pattern and pay attention to each section's number of questions and each chapter. The candidates should also check the total number of marks/weightage for each section and chapter.

The information below shall help all the aspirants analyze how much time and effort they must devote to each section and each chapter and develop their preparation strategy.

NEET 2020 Physics Question Paper Analysis

Section-wise analysis of NEET exam pattern of 2020 for the Physics paper is discussed below:

Question Difficulty Mechanics Electricity
Modern
Physics
Magnetism Heat & Thermodynamics Optics Waves
Easy 10 3 6 2 3 1 0
Medium 1 6 1 4 2 2 0
Difficult 1 0 1 0 0 1 1
Total Number of Questions 12 9 8 6 5 4 1

NEET 2020 Chemistry Question Paper Analysis

Section-wise NEET exam pattern analysis for the Chemistry question paper set for NEET 2020 is tabulated below:

Question Difficulty
Inorganic
Chemistry
Organic
Chemistry
Physical
Chemistry
 
Physical
Chemistry
Inorganic
Chemistry
Organic
Chemistry
  XI XII XII XI XII XI
Easy 3 3 3 1 2 2
Medium 4 5 5 3 3 2
Difficult 3 1 1 3 1 0
Total Number of Question 10 9 9 7 6 4

NEET 2020 Exam Pattern Analysis for Botany

Section-wise NEET exam pattern analysis for the 2020 Botany question paper is tabulated below for your reference. The table contains data on the number of questions asked from each topic in the 2020 NEET Botany question paper, and the number of marks each topic carried.

Question Difficulty
Plant
Physiology
 
 
Ecology
 
 
Genetics
 
 
Cell & Cell
Cycle
 
Diversity of
Life
 
Structural
Organization of
Plants
 
Reproduction &
Sexual
Reproduction
  XI XII XII XI XI XI XII
Easy 3 2 2 1 1 3 1
Medium 2 2 1 1 3 0 1
Difficult 4 3 4 4 1 2 0
Total Number of Question 9 7 7 6 5 5 2

NEET 2020 Zoology Question Paper Analysis

Section-wise NEET exam pattern analysis for the Zoology question paper set for NEET 2020 is tabulated below:

Question Difficulty
Human
Physiology
Animal
Husbandry &
Biotechnology
 
Biomolecules
 
Animal
Kingdom
Evolution:
Theories &
Evidence
Human
Health &
Disease
Human
Reproduction &
Reproductive
Health
Structural
Organization
in Animals
  XI XII XI XI XII XII XII XI
Easy 1 3 3 2 3 0 0 1
Medium 7 4 2 2 0 3 2 0
Difficult 4 3 1 1 1 1 2 1
Total Number of Questions 12 10 6 5 4 4 4 2

NEET Category-Wise Qualifying Marks

The qualifying marks are different for all the categories. The category-wise qualifying marks for NEET exam were as follows:

Category Percentage
General Category 50%
Reserved Category (OBC, SC & ST) 40%
General Category - PH 45%
Reserved Category - PH 40%

Important Topics from NEET Syllabus 2023

NEET is an extremely difficult exam to crack and requires months of preparation. Candidates need to cover every important topic from the syllabus and also have a good strategy to finish the paper in the allotted time. The candidates must refer to the NEET exam pattern 2023 mentioned above to devise an efficient strategy. All the important topics from NEET Syllabus 2023 are discussed below for your reference.

NEET Syllabus 2023 for Physics

The important topics from Physics, which are given the highest weightage in the NEET exam are given below for your reference:

  • Modern Physics
  • Electrodynamics
  • Wave Optics
  • Semi-conductors
  • Rigid Body Dynamics
  • KTG
  • Thermodynamics

NEET Syllabus 2023 for Chemistry

The important topics from the Chemistry section of NEET 2023 exam are listed below. The candidates are advised to focus on these topics the most while studying for the upcoming NEET exam:

  • Chemical Bonding
  • Coordination Compounds
  • Carbonyl Compounds
  • Organic Chemistry (I)

NEET Syllabus 2023 for Biology

The important topics from the Biology section of the NEET 2023 exam are listed below:

  • Plant Physiology
  • Human Physiology
  • Pollination
  • DNA Replication
  • Photosynthesis
  • PAGE Theory
  • Endocrine System
  • Excretory and Nervous Systems
  • Digestive System

FAQs

What are the salient features of the NEET exam pattern 2023?

As per the NEET exam pattern 2023, there were 200 multiple-choice questions in the new NEET test format. According to the NEET's system for allocating marks, each question was worth 4 points. In addition, as per the NEET pattern, each incorrect response resulted in a loss of 1 mark, and the total points given were 720.

What is the official NEET marking scheme for 2023?

Students received +4 points for each correct response and -1 points for each incorrect response under the NEET marking scheme for 2023. In accordance with the NEET pattern, students will be provided 200 minutes or 3 Hours and 20 minutes to complete the paper.

As per NEET exam pattern 2023, what type of questions will be asked in the paper?

As per the NEET question pattern, only MCQ-style questions were included in the NEET exam. In addition, the NEET question pattern will not have any descriptive-type questions.

Can a candidate opt for Bengali medium if I appear for the exam in Delhi as per the NEET pattern 2023?

No, as per the NEET pattern 2023, the regulations and regional constraints on exam locations state that the student can only take the test in the state where they had chosen a particular regional language.

Is there negative marking in NEET exam?

Yes, there is a provision for NEET negative marking in the test. As per the negative marking in NEET, candidates will be penalized with 1 point for every wrong attempt.

What are the changes introduced in NEET Exam Pattern?

The exam period had been extended by 20 minutes this year by NTA. The NEET 2023 test lasted 200 minutes (3 hours 20 minutes). The remaining information was in accordance with the exam format for 2021. There were 200 questions in all, and the paper had been separated into two parts, A and B, with 35 and 15 questions from each area being asked, respectively. The scoring system for the NEET had not changed.

Will NEET 2023 have descriptive questions?

Only objective-style questions were asked in the exam (MCQs).

I marked two answers for a question. One of the answers is correct. Will I get full marks for this question?

No, there was no such option for choosing multiple answers.

Is it necessary to pass in individual sections of NEET 2023?

It was not required to pass in every subject to qualify for NEET. Your final grade was the only thing that counted. Therefore, it did not matter from whatever topic you received the marks; your position was only determined by your exam's overall score.

How many questions in NEET need to be answered within the time frame?

Total questions in NEET exam is 200, which a candidate needs to answer in 200 minutes. As per the NEET paper pattern 2023, each section will have 50 questions.

Has the number of NEET total questions changed?

No, the number of NEET total questions has not changed for the NEET 2023 exam.

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