NTA NEET 2021 exam pattern: Know marking scheme, final score formula and other important details

The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) is the solitary entrance exam conducted for admission in medical courses in India. NEET exam is conducted by NTA (National Testing Agency) for MBBS, BDS, AYUSH, Veterinary, and other medical/paramedical courses admission in India.

NEET is the only qualifying medical entrance exam in the country. It was initiated by the Medical Council of India (MCI) and the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) Govt, of India.

It was started for:

• Undergraduate medical courses (MBBS, BDS, BAMS, BHMS, etc.)
• Post-Graduate Medical Courses (MD, MS, DNB, etc.)

Why NEET is taken up as the only medical entrance exam?

NEET is taken up as the only medical entrance exam because of the following reasons:

• There were more than 25 such unique Medical Entrance Examinations in India for induction into different government and private clinical colleges. Out of which, on an average; a student appeared for 7-9 medical entrance examinations. This caused a pointless burden on them as well as guardians.
• Moreover, giving so many entrance tests created a lot of financial burden on the guardians since every assessment included costs like Application Fee and traveling to show up for the entrance test in different urban areas/at different test places.
• Additionally, numerous tests likewise represented the challenge of getting ready for the different syllabi. This further increased the pressure on students.

How many colleges come under NEET and how many seats are available?

NEET aspirants have the golden opportunity to choose from 532 medical colleges to pursue MBBS and 313 dental colleges to pursue BDS in India. These colleges offer 76,928 seats to medical students and 26,773 seats to dental students.

NEET Eligibility Criteria

The parameters for being eligible for NEET examination are:          

• Nationality: Applicants belonging to the following nationalities are eligible to apply for NEET – 1) Indian Nationals, 2) Non-Resident Indians (NRIs), Overseas Citizen of India (OCI), Persons with Indian Origin (PIO) and Foreign Nationals.
• Age Limit: Minimum 17 years as of December 31 of the qualifying year.
• Minimum Qualification: Candidate must have cleared Class 12 or equivalent from a recognised institute/ open school. Candidates appearing for Class 12 or equivalent in summer 2021 can also apply.
• Mandatory subjects: Candidate must have passed Class 12 or equivalent with Physics, Chemistry, and Biology

Minimum marks required in the qualifying examination

• General category: 50 percent
• PWD category: 45 percent
• SC/ST/OBC: 40 percent

NEET Admission Process

• Step 1: Filling of admission form online
• Step 2: Doing corrections if any using correction window
• Step 3: Download admit card
• Step 4: Appear for the exam
• Step 5: Download scoreboard
• Step 6: Register for online counselling if selected
• Step 7: Online choice filling and locking
• Step 8: Report to allocated institution after allotment of the seat

How many questions are there in the exam?

The candidates applying for NEET entrance exam have to solve 180 Multiple Choice Questions from Physics, Chemistry and Biology subject.

Marking Scheme and Subject-wise Distribution

The total marks are 720 out of which 180 marks are allocated to each subject. The table and the pie chart given below explain the marking scheme, subject wise question distribution of NEET entrance exam:

Subject	Number Of Questions	Maximum Marks
Physics	45	180
Chemistry	45	180
Biology (Botany + Zoology)	45 + 45	180 + 180
Total	180	720

 

• For every correct answer 4 marks are awarded.
• For every incorrect question 1 mark is deducted.
• No mark is deducted if the question is not answered.
• Questions that have more than one marking are considered incorrect and one mark is deducted for the same.

The candidates will be given an OMR sheet to mark their answers. Following points must be remembered while marking on the sheet:

• Ball point pen should be used to mark the answers.
• Changing answers on the sheet is not allowed.
• Erasing any information provided on the OMR sheet is considered a punishable offence.
• Use the test booklet only for any rough work.

Exam Medium:

NEET examination is conducted in 11 different languages. Candidates have to choose one language out of all the languages provided while filling the NEET form.

Language will be available as per the table given below:

Medium	Available in the centre
English	All exam cities/ centres
Hindi	All exam cities/ centres
Marathi	Exam centres in Maharashtra
Bengali	Exam centres in West Bengal
Gujarati	Exam centres in Gujarat, Daman, Dadra and Nagar Haveli
Tamil	Exam centres in Tamil Nadu
Telugu	Exam centres in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana
Kannada	Exam centres in Karnataka
Oriya	Exam centres in Odisha
Assamese	Exam centres in Assam

 

How to Calculate NEET score before the results?

NEET scores can be evaluated even before the results are declared by going through the previous year’s cut-off list.

Formulae for calculation of NEET Score: (Correct answers X 4) – (Incorrect answers X 1)

FAQS:

1. Is NEET offline or online?

Ans: NEET is an offline pen and paper exam.

2. What is the duration of NEET exam?

Ans: For appearing for NEET exam, candidates will be given 3 hours from 10:00am-1:00pm.

3. Is there any sectional time limit?

Ans: No, there is no specific time to solve a particular section.

4. What is the NEET application fee?

Ans:

	Fee (in Rs.)
Gen EWS/ OBC
SC/ ST/ PWD/

 

5. How many times can a student appear for NEET?

Ans: There is no limit for number of attempts.