NEET Exam Pattern 2021: Marking Scheme, Number of Questions, Total Marks
The Medical Council of India (MCI) is the competent authority to specify the NEET 2021 syllabus for all eligible candidates. Authorities will release the latest syllabus NEET syllabus for the 2021 session tentatively in the first week of December, along with the information brochure. MCI will release the syllabus of NEET 2021 to establish a uniformity across the country keeping in view the relevance of different areas in medical education. In order to ace the examination, it is extremely essential for medical aspirants to familiarize with NEET 2021 syllabus. As it is known to all NEET is the single undergraduate national level medical entrance exam and thus, is the most sought after. This makes it obvious that candidates need to give it their best shot and prepare from NEET syllabus 2021 without skipping on any NEET chapter.
Highlights of NEET exam pattern 2021
| Mode of the examination | Offline | |
| Medium/ Language | English, Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Gujarati, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Oriya, Assamese, and Urdu | |
| Duration of the examination | 3 hours | |
| Type of questions | Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) | |
| Total number of Questions | 180 | |
| Total Marks | 720 | |
| Negative marking | Yes | |
| Marking Scheme | +4 for correct answer| -1 for an incorrect answer | |
| Total sections in the question paper | 3 | |
| Name of the section and number of questions asked from it | Physics | 45 |
| Chemistry | 45 | |
| Biology | 90 | |
Exam pattern of NEET 2021: An overview of the question paper
According to the exam pattern of NEET 2021, the NEET question paper will comprise of three sections- Physics, Chemistry and Biology. The table given below depicts the section-wise weightage and breakup of the question paper.
| Subject | Number of Questions | Maximum Marks | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physics | 45 | 180 | |
| Chemistry | 45 | 180 | |
| Biology | Botany | 45 | 180 |
| Zoology | 45 | 180 | |
| Total | 180 | 720 | |
Marking scheme in NEET exam pattern 2021
- Each correct answer will be awarded four marks.
- One mark will be deducted for every incorrect answer.
- No mark will be deducted for the questions which have not been answered.
- Questions that have two or more responses marked on the OMR sheet will be considered as incorrect and one mark will be deducted for them.
| Marks awarded | |
|---|---|
| Correct answer | +4 |
| Incorrect answer | -1 |
| Question with more than one response | -1 |
| Unanswered Question | 0 |
Important points to remember while marking the OMR sheet
- Answers have to be marked using a ballpoint pen which will be provided in the examination hall.
- Changing of answers on the OMR sheet is not allowed.
- Erasing/ obliterating any information printed on the OMR sheet is a punishable offence.
- Rough work should be done on the test booklet only.
- A Candidate must not forget to mark the test booklet code on the OMR sheet.
Language options in the exam pattern of NEET 2021
| Medium | Availability in the NEET exam centres |
|---|---|
| English | Available at all exam cities/ centres |
| Hindi | Available at all exam cities/ centres |
| Marathi | Available at exam centres in Maharashtra |
| Bengali | Available at exam centres in West Bengal |
| Gujarati | Available at exam centres in Gujarat, Daman, Dadra and Nagar Haveli |
| Tamil | Available at exam centres in Tamil Nadu |
| Telugu | Available at exam centres in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana |
| Kannada | Available at exam centres in Karnataka |
| Oriya | Available at exam centres in Odisha |
| Assamese | Available at exam centres in Assam |
Important points to remember while choosing the medium of NEET 2021:
- The medium of question paper has to be selected in the NEET application form.
- The language chosen once cannot be changed.
- Candidates who have opted for English as a medium will be provided the Test Booklet in English language only.
- Candidates opting for any other language will be provided a Bilingual Test Booklet, their selected language preference, and English.
- The English version of the NEET question paper shall be treated as final in case of any ambiguity in translation of any of the questions.