The AIPMT (All India Pre-Medical Test) for medicine has been replaced successfully by NEET Exam. In addition to this, the Supreme Court has finalized that NEET scores would be the only way to gain admissions in colleges running medical courses at the graduate and postgraduate levels across the country. Additionally, NEET now stands as the only medical entrance test in the country to be qualified in order for students to seek admission to undergraduate medical programmes, even scrapping entrance tests by JIMPER and AIIMS.
Candidates preparing for NEET should know the NEET Exam Pattern and syllabus, which can help them to prepare better for the examination. NEET or National Eligibility cum Entrance Test is an offline exam with a time duration of 3 hours 20 minutes. A total of 200 questions appear, out of which 180 MCQs must be answered in the NEET exam from Physics, Chemistry, Biology (Botany & Zoology). Each question carries 4 marks and 1 mark is deducted for every wrong answer. The NEET question paper is asked in a total, of 13 languages. The detailed NEET Exam Pattern 2023 is listed in the table below.
| NEET 2023 Highlights | |
| Number of Questions | 200 MCQs out of which 180 MCQs must be answered |
| Exam Mode | Offline mode only (pen and paper-based mode) |
| Type of questions | Objective type questions with 4 options having 1 correct option |
| Duration of Exam | The exam duration is 200 minutes (3 hours 20 minutes) |
| Subjects | Questions are asked from Physics, Chemistry, and Biology (Botany & Zoology) |
| Language | The question paper is asked in 13 languages English, Hindi, Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Malayalam, Kannada, Marathi, Odia, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu and Punjabi |
| Marking Scheme | 4 marks are awarded for each correct answer. |
| Negative Marking | 1 mark is deducted for each wrong answer |
| Sl. No. | Subject | No. of Questions | Total Marks |
| 1 | Physics | Section A: 35 + Section B: 10 (15 provided, 10 to be answered) = 45 | 180 |
| 2 | Chemistry | Section A: 35 + Section B: 10 (15 provided, 10 to be answered) = 45 | 180 |
| 4 | Zoology | Section A: 35 + Section B: 10 (15 provided, 10 to be answered) = 45 | 180 |
| 3 | Botany | Section A: 35 + Section B: 10 (15 provided, 10 to be answered) = 45 | 180 |
| Total | 180 | 720 | |
The National Medical Commission (NMC) specifies the NEET-UG 2023 syllabus. The question paper for NEET 2023 will be on the basis of this syllabus. NTA has decided to provide a choice in Section”B” for each section/subject in NEET 2023.
Consequently, the pattern has two sections. Each of the subjects has 2 sections –
Out of these 15 questions appearing in section B, candidates could attempt any 10 of these questions. Hence, the total number of questions remains the same. In fact, this time, extra 20 minutes are added, summing up the total time duration to be 200 minutes for NEET-UG 2023. In the event that a candidate has attempted more than 10 questions from section B, only the first 10 attempted questions will be considered for evaluation
The question paper of NEET is asked for a maximum of 720 marks, 180 questions to be attempted, wherein each question carries 4 marks. A new change in the pattern of NEET is the introduction of sections A and B.
NEET exam total marks – Section A and Section B
Section A
For each section – Physics, Chemistry, Zoology and Botany – 35 questions are asked under Section A. Students must answer all these questions, there is no choice of selection in this section. Negative marking exists in both sections A and B. The maximum marks that can be scored in this section are 35*4=140 marks.
Section B
Candidates can attempt any 10 questions out of the 15 questions provided. In the event that a candidate has attempted more than 10 questions, only the first 10 questions that are attempted will be evaluated. The maximum marks that can be scored in this section are 10*4=40 marks.
Hence, totally 140 + 40 = 180 marks can be scored in each of the sections – Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Zoology. Physics and Chemistry section, each are asked for 180 marks while Biology section is asked for 360 marks.
For any candidate preparing to appear for NEET 2023, a part of the preparation must include a clear understanding of the NEET exam pattern for 2023. Understanding the new exam pattern for NEET and syllabus is the first and most important step in exam preparation.
The detailed pattern is provided above. From the pattern, students must deduce the structure of NEET. With a clear understanding of the total marks and questions in NEET, candidates can have a well-thought-out strategy which incorporates speed, accuracy and time management and knowledge of these points –
The question paper for NEET comprises 180 questions wherein each correct response for a question weighs 4 marks, hence the total marks are 720. The question paper for NEET is sectioned into – Physics, Chemistry and Biology subjects.
In Biology however, the number of questions differ compared to other subjects. Physics and Chemistry are asked for 45 questions each while Biology holds the maximum weightage with 90 questions. The 90 questions cover topics on Botany and Zoology. Students can take this to their advantage and prepare accordingly. Over the years, the most preferred and optimal preference of section has been Biology followed by Chemistry and finally Physics. Physics is usually answered last as it the most time-consuming section in comparison to Biology and Chemistry. Typically, candidates try to attempt the Biology section within 50 minutes. This year, NEET 2023, with surplus time, students can take advantage of the extra 20 minutes and make the most of it.
Knowledge of distribution of NEET total marks channels students’ efforts and learnings in the right direction and thereby helps them understand which areas are to be emphasized to effectively attempt NEET.
Subject wise Total Marks of NEET 2023
| NEET Subject | Physics | Chemistry | Biology | Total |
| Total questions in NEET subject | 45 | 45 | 90 | 180 questions |
| Total Marks | 180 | 180 | 360 | 720 marks |
