The NEET Exam 2026 is a national-level medical entrance test for undergraduate admissions in India, mainly for MBBS, BDS, BAMS, BHMS, etc. Recently, it's been facing significant controversy. The exam originally held on May 3, 2026, was cancelled due to severe irregularities and allegations of a paper leak, with a re-examination scheduled for 21st June 2026.
The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test is conducted only once a year by the National Testing Agency (NTA) in India, offering candidates one chance annually. The exam is held in offline mode, with pen-and-paper, covering vital subjects of Physics, Chemistry, and Biology. In this blog, we will cover all the latest NEET updates, exam pattern, eligibility criteria, and exam results.
The NEET Registration 2026 will be conducted online through the National Testing Agency official website. Candidates need to fill out the application form thoroughly, upload the needed documents, and make payment online. Below are the key steps mentioned.
Applicants who want to appear in the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) need to meet the specific NEET 2026 Eligibility criteria. The eligibility requirements are set by the National Medical Commission (NMC), including age, nationality, and educational qualifications (Physics, Chemistry, Biology/Biotechnology).
Key Eligibility Criteria for NEET Exam 2026:
Additional Subject (Biology): Candidates with Biology/Biotechnology as an extra subject are permitted to apply.
The NEET Exam Pattern is expected to remain similar to previous years, conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA). NEET Exam 2026 is a 3-hour and 20-minute-long pen-and-paper-based test comprising 200 multiple-choice questions (MCQs), out of which 180 must be answered.
The paper covers subjects of Physics, Chemistry, and Biology (Botany + Zoology). The total marks are 720, with a marking scheme of +4 for correct answers and -1 for incorrect answers. Here is the NEET UG Latest Update on the exam pattern quoted.
|
Exam Name |
National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) |
|---|---|
|
Conducting Body |
National Testing Agency |
|
Mode of the examination |
Offline |
|
Thermodynamics |
3 hours and 20 minutes |
|
Total Questions |
200 out of which 180 questions will have to be answered |
|
Total Marks |
720 Marks |
|
Question Type |
MCQs |
| Subjects | Physics, Chemistry, Biology |
|
Marking Scheme |
+4 marks for each correct answer -1 for each incorrect answer |
| Section-wise division |
Physics: 50 questions |
|
NEET Languages |
English, Hindi, Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Oriya, Malayalam, Kannada, Punjabi and Urdu |
The National Testing Agency (NTA) on Tuesday (May 12) cancelled the NEET (UG) 2026 exam held on May 3, 2026 and will re-conduct it on fresh dates, which are to be announced later. The move comes after paper leak allegations surfaced in Rajasthan and Uttarakhand. Students are now also eagerly waiting for updates related to the NEET cutoff 2026, expected qualifying marks, and revised counselling schedule. Here is the timeline for the NEET 2026 Exam Date quoted below.
|
Events |
Dates |
|---|---|
| NEET Exam 2026 Application Form Release Date | January 2026 |
| NEET Exam 2026 Application Form Last Date | March 2026 |
| NEET Exam 2026 Application Correction Window Date | 3rd Week of March 2026 |
| NEET Exam 2026 City Intimation Slip Date | 4th Week of April 2026 |
| NEET Exam 2026 Admit Card Distribution Date | 1st Week of May 2026 |
| NEET 2026 Exam Date | 3rd May 2026 |
| NEET 2026 Exam Cancellation Date | 12th May 2026 |
| NEET 2026 Re-Exam Announcement | May 2026 |
| NEET 2026 Re-Exam Date | 21st June 2026 |
| NEET 2026 New Admit Card Release | 14th June 2026 |
| NEET Exam 2026 Result Date | 16th July, 2026 |
| NEET 2026 Counselling Start Date | 5th Aug, 2026 |
| NEET 2026 Final Counselling Rounds | September-October 2026 |
Note: The counselling schedule will be announced by the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) after the declaration of the NEET UG 2026 results.
The NEET UG 2026 is conducted across multiple cities in India and abroad. Over 551+ exam cities in India and 14+ International centres for foreign applicants. Candidates can choose their preferred exam city during registration; the final allotment is based on availability.
The NEET exam centres are as follows:
India
Agra, Amaravathi, Araria, Ariyalur, Aurangabad, Bagalkot, Banaskantha, Bareilly, Bhagalpur, Bhandara, Bhind, Bidar, Blair, Chandrapur, Chennai, Coimbatore, Daman & Diu, Darbhanga, Delhi, Gadchiroli, Gandhinagar, Ghaziabad, Gorakhpur, Gurugram, Hoshangabad, Jammu, Jamnagar, Junagarh, Kurukshetra, Mangalore, Morena, Mumbai, Nashik, New Patna, Port Prayagraj, Ramanathapuram, Ratlam, Silvassa, Srinagar, Surat, Thanjavur, Thiruvananthapuram Ujjain, Vijayawada, Vishakapatnam, etc.
International
Cities include Dubai, Kuwait City, Doha, Muscat, Riyadh, Singapore, Abu Dhabi, Kathmandu, etc.
As per current reports, NEET UG 2026 recorded 22,79,743 candidates registered, and approximately 22,05,035 appeared for the exam, marking a 96.92% attendance. The exam was held in May 2026 across 551 cities in India. The reports show higher female participation (58% of applicants). Here are the key facts mentioned below.
Based on early analysis of the 2026 NEET UG exam, a score between 610-650+ is likely required for General/EWS candidates to secure a government MBBS seat. You can use some tools which you can use to know your expected NEET rank such as NEET Rank Predictor.
Moreover, to predict your college, you can use the NEET College Predictor. It is an AI-powered, free online tool that analyses your rank, category, gender, and state domicile to estimate your medical college admission chances.
.webp&w=640&q=70 "NEET Marks / Percentile Required for MBBS Abroad 2026")
Yes, the National Testing Agency (NTA) has officially announced that the NEET UG 2026 exam conducted on May 3, 2026, has been cancelled due to paper leak allegations. A NEET 2026 re-exam will be conducted on fresh dates, which are expected to be announced soon. Candidates will not be required to complete a new registration or fee payment process for the re-exam.
For the 2026 cycle, NEET UG registration began on February 8, 2026, and closed on March 11, 2026, with an extended deadline for fee payment until 11:50 PM that day.
(Note: The NEET UG 2026 exam was originally held on May 3, 2026, but was later cancelled due to reports of paper leaks. A re-exam will be held, but applicants don’t need new registration & fee payment.)
The NEET UG 2026 exam, originally held on May 3, 2026, has been cancelled due to paper leak allegations, and a new exam date is awaited.
For the NEET exam 2026, NTA has established a vast network of exam venues across India to accommodate over 22 lakh candidates. There are a total of 551+ exam centres in India, and 14+ are international locations, featuring over 5,432 specific exam centres.
To be eligible for NEET UG 2026, candidates must be at least 17 years of age (born on or before Dec 31, 2009), have passed or be appearing in Class 12th with Physics, Chemistry, Biology/Biotechnology, and English.
As of 2026, there is no upper limit on the number of attempts on the NEET UG exam. Candidates can appear in the exam as many times as they want after meeting the National Medical Commission (NMC) eligibility criteria.
The NEET exam 2026 follows a strict marking scheme, with a total of 720 marks. Candidates are awarded +4 marks for correct answers and -1 for incorrect answers.
The expected NEET cutoff 2026 for General/EWS category students is likely to remain between 610–650+ marks for top government MBBS colleges, based on the exam difficulty level, competition, and number of applicants. However, the official cutoff will be released after the NEET 2026 re-exam results are announced by NTA.