Apart from mastering the syllabus, the candidates are also advised to develop an understanding of the NEET 2021 exam pattern, and the marking scheme decided by the NTA. The NEET 2021 exam question paper will be available in 8 languages in order to help candidates from different regions and give them an opportunity to qualify in the exam easily by enabling them to understand the question in their regional language. The available languages are English, Hindi, Assamese, Urdu, Marathi, Bengali, Tamil, Kannada. A detailed explanation of the NEET 2021 question paper pattern and marks distribution is given below.
- NEET 2021 Exam Pattern Highlights
- NEET 2021 Marking Scheme
- Points to remember while marking the NEET 2021 OMR Sheet
- NEET 2021 Exam Pattern: Language Options
- NEET Question Paper Pattern Analysis
- Important Topics from the NEET 2021 Syllabus
NEET 2021 Exam Pattern Highlights
All the specifications of the upcoming NEET 2021 exam pattern are given below for candidates' reference.
- Total Marks: NEET 2021 will be conducted for a total of 720 marks.
- Marking scheme: Each correct answer will fetch you 4 marks and each wrong answer will cost you 1 mark. No marks will be deducted for unattempted questions.
- Response marking: Answers should be chosen from the four options and it should be 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 NEET 2021 exam pattern does not specify the presence of any sectional time limit. The candidates can attempt each question and section as per their own convenience, at their own pace.
Additional highlights related to the NEET 2021 exam pattern are tabulated below for your reference:
Mode of exam | NTA will conduct NEET 2021 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 | The NEET 2021 will assess the candidate's knowledge of subjects: Physics, Chemistry, and Biology (Botany & Zoology). |
Type of Questions | Multiple Choice Questions, with Four Options |
Duration of test | Candidates will be provided 3 hours to attempt NEET 2021. |
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. |
NTA NEET Marking Scheme 2021
The marking scheme and the official NEET 2021 exam pattern will be announced by the NTA soon. The candidates must note that the question paper shall comprise of four sections: Physics, Chemistry, Zoology and Botany. Each section shall contain 45 objective-type questions. NEET exam pattern 2021 does not mention the presence of any descriptive type questions in the paper. The candidates will be given 3 hours to answer all the questions. The candidates must choose only one response out of the four options provided for each question.
Total Number of Questions | 180 |
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 the NEET 2021 Score
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.
Calculation of NEET Score: (No. of questions answered correctly x 4) - (The total no. of incorrectly answered questions)
A normalization process is also carried out to calculate the NEET percentile of all candidates.
NEET Marks Distribution 2021 (Subject-Wise)
It is already mentioned that the NEET 2021 shall have questions from Physics, Chemistry, Biology subjects, from Class 11 and 12. The Biology paper shall have 90 questions, which would further be divided into 2 equal parts, i.e., Zoology and Botany, separately. In total there will be 180 questions as mentioned in the NEET 2021 question paper pattern. Each question carries 4 marks, and the total marks for which the NEET 2021 exam will be conducted is 720 marks. The subject-wise distribution of marks as per the NEET exam pattern 2021 is tabulated below, in detail.
Total | 180 | 720 |
Subjects | Number of questions | Total marks for the respective section |
Physics | 45 | 180 |
Chemistry | 45 | 180 |
Zoology | 45 | 180 |
Botany | 45 | 180 |
NEET Marking Scheme 2021: Important Points to Remember
- 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. The NEET exam pattern 2021 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 the NEET OMR Sheet 2021
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, you will be instructed to open the seal of the test booklet.
Fill the required particulars on the cover page of the given test booklet and the NEET OMR Sheet 2021 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 medium of the exam. If you are opting for vernacular languages then you would be provided with a bilingual test booklet. The questions would be written in English as well as in the language chosen by the candidate.
- The candidates must mark the answers only using a Ball-Point Pen only, in black or blue ink. The pen will be provided to the candidates at the exam venue.
- Answers darkened with a pencil or improper darkening of the circle will be treated as an invalid response. If more than one circle is darkened it shall be treated as a wrong way of marking. No marks will be awarded for such answers; instead, a mark will be deducted from the candidate's total score.
- It is mandatory for all the candidates to mention the test booklet code on the NEET 2021 OMR sheet as soon as they receive the instruction to start writing.
- Changing response on the NEET OMR Sheet: You must have to be very careful before darkening the appropriate circle as no further changes can be made in answer once marked. The use of an eraser or whitener on the answer sheet is not allowed as the answer sheets are machine gradable and it may lead to wrong evaluation. It might also get considered as a punishable offence.
- No Attempt: If you do not wish to attempt a question, then you should not darken the circle meant to mark the response. Candidates are advised to refrain from guess-work, as a mark would be deducted if their answer is incorrect.
- Rough Work: The candidates must not do any kind of rough work on the NEET OMR Sheet. If the need arises, they can use the test booklet for this purpose.
NEET OMR Sheet 2021 Specifications
The OMR Sheet used is of a special type which is scanned on an optical scanner for the purpose of evaluating the marked answers. The answer sheet has two sides: Side-1 and Side-2. Specifications related to both the sides of NEET OMR sheet are given below:
- Code: You will find the NEET 2021 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 with the code printed in the test booklet.
- Seal: The seal should be opened by you only once the announcement is made by the invigilator, and only then the NEET OMR sheet shall be taken out. You will not be allowed to open the seal of the NEET Test Booklet 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 at the completion of 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.
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-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 180 |
NEET 2021 Exam Pattern: Language Options
To ensure equality of opportunity, the candidates have the option to attempt the NEET exam in 11 different languages. The candidates must keep the following points in mind while selecting the meduim of NEET 2021 exam in the Application Form.
- 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 the language which they have chosen.
The list of languages candidates can answer their NEET question paper in, along with the 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 the NEET 2021 in vernacular, if they reside in the corresponding state, as mentioned above. For example, a candidate residing in Rajasthan cannot attempt the NEET exam in Gujarati or Assamese.
NEET Question Paper Pattern Analysis (Chapter-wise and Section-wise)
The NEET exam pattern from previous years is discussed and analysed in this section. The aspirants planning to appear for the exam in the academic year 2021 must study the chapter-wise and section-wise NEET question paper pattern from the previous years to understand and estimate the NEET 2021 exam pattern. The candidates must observe the NEET exam pattern carefylly, and pay attention to the number of questions asked from each section and each chapter. The candidates should also check the total number of marks/weightage each section and chapter carried. The information given below shall help all the aspirants analyse how much time and effort they must devote to each section and each chapter, and come up with their own preparation strategy.
NEET 2017 Physics Question Paper Analysis
Section-wise analysis of the NEET 2017 exam pattern for the Physics paper is discussed below:
Name of the Topic | No. of Questions Asked | Marks carried by the Topic |
Mechanics | 13 questions | 52 marks |
Electrodynamics | 10 questions | 40 marks |
Modern Physics | 8 questions | 32 marks |
Optics | 5 questions | 20 marks |
Heat and Thermodynamics | 5 questions | 20 marks |
SHM & Waves | 4 questions | 16 marks |
Chapter-wise analysis of the exam pattern and marks distribution of the Physics question paper set for NEET 2017 is tabulated below:
Topic | No. of questions based on the topic | Marks |
Power | 1 | 4 |
Power Calculation in AC | 1 | 4 |
Charging and discharging in the capacitor | 1 | 4 |
Banking in a circular motion | 1 | 4 |
Horizontal Circular Motion | 1 | 4 |
Vertical Circular Motion | 1 | 4 |
Electrical Instruments | 1 | 4 |
Power Calculation | 1 | 4 |
Electromagnetic Waves | 1 | 4 |
Coulomb’s Law in Electrostatics | 2 | 8 |
Archimedes Principle in Fluid Mechanics | 1 | 4 |
Magnification in Gravitation | 1 | 4 |
Escape Velocity | 1 | 4 |
Gravitation Potential | 1 | 4 |
Conductivity | 1 | 4 |
Radiations | 1 | 4 |
Refrigeration | 1 | 4 |
Magnetic Field | 2 | 8 |
Magnetic Properties | 1 | 4 |
Solenoid in Magnetic Effects of Current | 1 | 4 |
Vector Algebra in Mathematical Tools | 2 | 8 |
Newton Law of Motion in mechanics | 1 | 4 |
The Rectilinear Motion | 1 | 4 |
Bohr Model of atom | 1 | 4 |
De Broglie’s Principle | 1 | 4 |
Photoelectric Effect in modern physics | 1 | 4 |
Centre of Mass in Rigid Body Dynamics | 1 | 4 |
Inertia | 1 | 4 |
Torque | 1 | 4 |
Circuit Problems in Semiconductor | 1 | 4 |
Logic Gates of Semiconductor Devices | 1 | 4 |
The Transistors | 1 | 4 |
String Waves in SHM | 1 | 4 |
Doppler Effect of Sound Waves | 1 | 4 |
Resonance Tube in Sound Waves | 1 | 4 |
Adiabatic Processes in thermodynamics | 1 | 4 |
The Calorimetry | 1 | 4 |
Kinetic Theory of Gases in thermodynamics | 1 | 4 |
Diffraction in waves | 1 | 4 |
Young’s Double Slit Experiment of wave optics | 1 | 4 |
Grand total | 45 | 180 |
NEET 2017 Chemistry Question Paper Analysis
Section-wise NEET exam pattern analysis for Chemistry question paper set for NEET 2017 is tabulated below:
Topic | Total no. of Questions | Marks Carried |
Inorganic Chemistry - I | 8 | 32 |
Inorganic Chemistry - II | 8 | 32 |
Organic Chemistry - I | 3 | 12 |
Organic Chemistry - II | 13 | 52 |
Physical Chemistry - I | 7 | 28 |
Physical Chemistry - II | 6 | 24 |
The chapter-wise NEET exam pattern analysis for the 2017 Chemistry paper is tabulated below. The table also contains information on the number of questions based on each topic, and the total number of marks each topic carried in the NEET 2017 exam.
Topic | No. of questions based on topic | Marks |
Inorganic chemistry | 15 | 60 |
Chemical Bonding | 4 | 16 |
coordination compounds | 1 | 4 |
D-Block elements | 1 | 4 |
Hydrogen gas | 1 | 4 |
Metallurgy process | 1 | 4 |
P-Block elements | 4 | 16 |
Periodic Table of chemistry | 3 | 12 |
Organic chemistry | 16 | 64 |
Alcohol compounds | 1 | 4 |
Aldehydes and Ketones compounds | 2 | 8 |
Amines | 1 | 4 |
Biomolecules | 3 | 12 |
Chemistry in everyday life | 2 | 8 |
Ether compounds | 1 | 4 |
GOC | 1 | 4 |
Hydrocarbon in organic | 2 | 8 |
Isomerism of compounds | 2 | 8 |
Polymers and uses | 1 | 4 |
Physical chemistry | 14 | 56 |
Structure of atom | 1 | 4 |
Chemical Equilibrium | 1 | 4 |
Chemical Kinetics | 2 | 8 |
Electrochemistry | 1 | 4 |
Gaseous State of matter | 1 | 4 |
Ionic Equilibrium in chemistry | 1 | 4 |
Solid State of matter | 2 | 8 |
Solution and its colligative properties | 2 | 8 |
Surface Chemistry | 1 | 4 |
Thermodynamics | 2 | 8 |
Grand Total | 45 | 180 |
NEET 2017 Exam Pattern Analysis for Biology
Section-wise NEET exam pattern analysis for the 2017 Biology question paper is tabulated below for your reference. The table contains data on the number of questions asked from each topic in the 2017 NEET Biology question paper, and the number of marks each topic carried.
Topic/Title |
No. of Questions | Marks |
Biological Classification | 3 questions | 12 marks |
Biology of the Cell | 4 questions | 16 marks |
Ecology | 6 questions | 24 marks |
Genetics | 5 questions | 20 marks |
Living World | 1 question | 4 marks |
Molecular Basis of Inheritance | 6 questions | 24 marks |
Morphology | 1 questions | 4 marks |
Morphology of flowering plants | 1 question | 4 marks |
Anatomy of Plants | 3 questions | 12 marks |
Kingdom of Plants | 6 questions | 24 marks |
Morphology of Plants | 2 questions | 8 marks |
Reproduction - Flowering Plant | 5 questions | 20 marks |
Kingdom of Animals | 3 questions | 12 marks |
Morphology of Animals | 1 question | 4 marks |
Physiology of Animals | 1 question | 4 marks |
Biomolecules | 4 questions | 16 marks |
Biotechnology | 3 questions | 12 marks |
Evolution | 1 question | 4 marks |
Human: Health and Disease | 3 questions | 12 marks |
Physiology of Humans | 16 questions | 64 marks |
Reproduction in Humans | 1 question | 4 marks |
Microbes in Human Welfare | 3 questions | 12 marks |
Reproductive Health | 2 questions | 8 marks |
Strategies for Enhancement of Food Production
|
2 questions | 8 marks |
Chapter-wise NEET exam pattern analysis for Biology question paper set for the exam held in 2017 is given below. The table shows how many questions were asked from each topic and the total number of marks each topic carried.
Title/Topic | No. of questions based on the topic | Marks |
General Knowledge in Animal Diversity | 1 question | 4 |
Circulatory System in animals | 1 question | 4 |
Digestive System of animals | 2 questions | 8 |
Respiratory System of animals | 2 questions | 8 |
The Animal Kingdom | 4 questions | 16 |
Amino Acids in biomolecules | 1 question | 4 |
Carbohydrate in biomolecules | 1 question | 4 |
Lipids | 1 question | 4 |
Application of Biotechnology | 1 question | 4 |
DNA Fingerprinting in biotechnology | 2 questions | 8 |
Operon Model in biotech | 1 question | 4 |
Plasmid | 1 question | 4 |
polymerase chain Reaction | 1 question | 4 |
Endocrine Glands in system | 3 questions | 12 |
Analogous Organs in evolution | 1 question | 4 |
Homologous Organs | 1 question | 4 |
Origin of Life | 1 question | 4 |
Theory of Evolution | 1 question | 4 |
The disease of cancer | 1 question | 4 |
Immunology from disease | 3 questions | 12 |
Nervous System in Human Physiology | 1 question | 4 |
Respiratory System in Human Physiology | 2 questions | 8 |
Biological Classification of Living World | 1 question | 4 |
Microbes useful to human welfare | 2 questions | 8 |
The Water Pollution | 1 question | 4 |
Reproduction in human | 2 questions | 8 |
Reproductive Health | 2 questions | 8 |
Structural Organization of Animal | 1 question | 4 |
Division of cell | 2 questions | 8 |
The Cell Organelles | 1 question | 4 |
Cell Biology | 1 question | 4 |
Cell Cycle | 1 question | 4 |
Cell Cycle and division | 1 question | 4 |
Cell: The unit of life | 1 question | 4 |
Cell basics | 1 question | 4 |
Biological Classification in living world | 1 question | 4 |
Kingdom of plants | 5 questions | 20 |
Biodiversity and Conservation | 3 questions | 12 |
Ecosystem | 2 questions | 8 |
Issues of environment | 1 question | 4 |
Organism and Population: ecology | 1 question | 4 |
molecular basis of inheritance in genetics | 1 question | 4 |
Principle of Inheritance and variation | 4 questions | 16 |
Mineral Nutrition in plants | 1 question | 4 |
The process of Photosynthesis | 5 questions | 20 |
growth and development of plants | 1 question | 4 |
Genetics | 1 question | 4 |
Sexual Reproduction in flowering plants | 5 questions | 20 |
Anatomy of Flowering Plants | 2 questions | 8 |
Plants Morphology | 4 questions | 16 |
Grand Total | 90 questions | 360 |
NEET 2018 Category-Wise Qualifying Marks
The qualifying marks are different for all the categories. In 2018, the category-wise qualifying marks for the NEET exam were as follows:
Category | Percentage | Marks out of 720 |
General Category | 50% | 360 |
Reserved Category (OBC, SC & ST) | 40% | 288 |
General Category - PH | 45% | 324 |
Reserved Category - PH | 40% | 288 |
Important Topics from the NEET Syllabus 2021
NEET is an extremely difficult exam to crack, and requires months of preparation. It is important for candidates 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 2021 mentioned above to devise an efficient strategy. All the important topics from the NEET Syllabus 2021 are discussed below for your reference.
NEET Syllabus 2021 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 2021 for Chemistry
The important topics from the Chemistry section of the NEET 2021 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 2021 for Biology
The important topics from the Biology section of the NEET 2021 exam are listed below:
- Plant Physiology
- Human Physiology
- Pollination
- DNA Replication
- Photosynthesis
- PAGE Theory
- Endocrine System
- Excretory and Nervous System
- Digestive System