The National Testing Agency (NTA) conducted the NEET UG 2026 exam on 3 May 2026. As per official information, around 22.7 lakh students registered for the exam across India. This year’s NEET 2026 paper is being described as moderate and well-balanced in NEET 2026 difficulty level. Compared to last year, it felt slightly more straightforward, but it still tested students’ concept clarity, NCERT preparation, and time management skills.
NEET 2026 question paper was released in 4 codes — Code 11, Code 12, Code 13, and Code 14 — with each set having the same structure but shuffled questions and options.
The overall NEET 2026 paper difficulty level falls in the moderate range based on early student reactions. It was neither completely easy nor extremely tough, but a well-balanced paper designed to test conceptual clarity along with strong NCERT preparation.
Compared to NEET 2025, the overall difficulty level remains almost similar. However, many students found the paper slightly lengthy, especially in the Physics section where numerical questions required more time, accuracy, and careful calculation.
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NEET Subject Wise Difficulty 2026 |
|
|
NEET 2026 Physics Difficulty Level |
Hard |
|
NEET Chemistry Difficulty 2026 |
Medium to High |
|
NEET Biology Difficulty 2026 |
Easy |
The NEET 2026 exam shows a clear variation in difficulty across subjects. Each section behaved differently in terms of concept depth, time consumption, and scoring potential.
Physics was the most difficult and time-consuming section. It included a high number of numerical and application-based questions.
Chemistry was balanced and moderately scoring in nature. Most questions were based on NCERT concepts with a mix of theory and numerical problems.
Biology was the easiest and most scoring section. Questions were mainly direct NCERT-based with diagrams and factual concepts.
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Subject-wise Difficulty Level Analysis |
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|
Subject |
Easy |
Medium |
Hard |
Grand Total |
|
Physics |
25 |
20 |
0 |
45 |
|
Chemistry |
23 |
17 |
5 |
45 |
|
Botany |
22 |
18 |
9 |
49 |
|
Zoology |
15 |
23 |
3 |
41 |
|
Overall Difficulty Level Analysis |
85 |
78 |
17 |
180 |
The NEET 2026 paper showed a balanced distribution between Class 11 and Class 12 topics, with a slight dominance of Class 12 in most subjects. Overall, both classes contributed almost equally to the exam pattern.
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Class-wise Question Distribution |
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|
Subject |
Class 11th |
Class 12th |
11th %age |
12th %age |
|
Physics |
19 |
26 |
42.2% |
57.8% |
|
Chemistry |
22 |
23 |
48.9% |
51.1% |
|
Botany |
22 |
27 |
44.9% |
55.1% |
|
Zoology |
23 |
18 |
56.1% |
43.9% |
|
Class-wise Question Distribution |
86 |
94 |
47.8% |
52.2% |
The NEET 2026 paper included a mix of conceptual, numerical, and application-based questions, with Single Choice MCQs forming the major part of the exam. Assertion-based and multi-statement questions increased the analytical demand in the paper.
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Question Type Analysis (NEET 2026) |
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Subject |
Single Choice MCQ |
Statement I & Statement II |
Multi Statement Based |
Assertion and Reason |
Match the column |
Diagram Based |
Grand Total |
|
Physics |
37 |
2 |
3 |
0 |
3 |
0 |
45 |
|
Chemistry |
35 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
7 |
1 |
45 |
|
Botany |
29 |
0 |
11 |
0 |
9 |
0 |
49 |
|
Zoology |
14 |
0 |
17 |
0 |
10 |
0 |
41 |
|
Total |
115 |
2 |
33 |
0 |
29 |
1 |
180 |
The Chapter-wise NEET 2026 Paper Analysis explains how different chapters from Physics, Chemistry, and Biology contributed to the overall exam. It highlights which topics were given more importance and shows the type and variety of questions asked. This helps students understand which chapters to focus on more while preparing for future NEET exams.
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Chapter-wise NEET 2026 Paper Analysis |
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Botany |
Zoology |
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|
Class |
Chapter Name |
No. of Questions |
Class |
Chapter Name |
No. of Questions |
|
12 |
Biodiversity and Conservation |
5 |
11 |
Biomolecules |
5 |
11 |
Cell: The Unit of Life |
4 |
12 |
Biotechnology - Principles and Processes |
5 |
11 |
Cell Cycle and Cell Division |
1 |
12 |
Biotechnology and its Applications |
3 |
|
12 |
Ecosystem |
3 |
12 |
Reproductive Health |
2 |
|
11 |
Photosynthesis in Higher Plants |
3 |
12 |
Evolution |
3 |
|
11 |
Plant Kingdom |
1 |
12 |
Human Reproduction |
3 |
|
11 |
Morphology of Flowering Plants |
4 |
11 |
Animal Kingdom |
4 |
|
11 |
Plant Growth and Development |
3 |
11 |
Excretory Products and their Elimination |
2 |
|
12 |
Molecular Basis of Inheritance |
4 |
11 |
Breathing and Exchange of Gases |
3 |
|
11 |
Anatomy of Flowering Plants |
2 |
11 |
Body Fluids and Circulation |
2 |
12 |
Principles of Inheritance and Variation |
7 |
12 |
Human Health and Disease |
2 |
|
12 |
Sexual Reproduction in Flowering Plants |
3 |
11 |
Locomotion and Movement |
3 |
11 |
Biological Classification |
1 |
11 |
Structural Organisation in Animals (Animal Tissues) |
2 |
|
11 |
Respiration in Plants |
2 |
11 |
Chemical Coordination and Integration |
1 |
|
11 |
The Living World |
1 |
11 |
Neural Control and Coordination |
1 |
|
12 |
Organisms and Populations |
3 |
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|
12 |
Microbes in Human Welfare |
2 |
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Chapter-wise NEET 2026 Paper Analysis |
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|
Physics |
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|
Class |
Chapter Name |
No. of Questions |
|
12 |
Moving Charges and Magnetism |
2 |
12 |
Dual Nature of Radiation and Matter |
2 |
12 |
Semiconductor Electronics: Materials, Devices and Simple Circuits |
3 |
|
11 |
Units and Measurements |
3 |
|
11 |
Motion in a Straight Line |
2 |
|
12 |
Alternating Current |
2 |
|
12 |
Current Electricity |
5 |
|
12 |
Nuclei |
2 |
|
12 |
Electromagnetic Induction |
1 |
|
12 |
Wave Optics |
2 |
11 |
Laws of Motion |
2 |
|
12 |
Electrostatic Potential and Capacitance |
3 |
11 |
Work, Energy and Power |
1 |
|
11 |
Mechanical Properties of Solids |
1 |
|
12 |
Ray Optics and Optical Instruments |
2 |
|
11 |
Rotational Motion |
2 |
|
11 |
Waves |
1 |
|
11 |
Oscillations |
3 |
|
11 |
Gravitation |
1 |
|
11 |
Thermodynamics |
1 |
11 |
Mechanical Properties of Fluids |
1 |
|
12 |
Electromagnetic Waves |
1 |
|
12 |
Atoms |
1 |
|
11 |
Kinetic Theory |
1 |
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Chapter-wise NEET 2026 Paper Analysis for Chemistry |
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|
Chemistry |
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|
Class |
Chapter Name |
No. of Questions |
|
12 |
Alcohols, Phenols and Ethers |
2 |
12 |
Amines |
3 |
11 |
Equilibrium |
4 |
|
11 |
Some Basic Concepts of Chemistry |
2 |
|
11 |
Structure of Atom |
2 |
|
11 |
Hydrocarbons |
2 |
|
12 |
Haloalkanes and Haloarenes |
1 |
|
12 |
The D and F-Block Elements |
2 |
|
11 |
Chemical Bonding and Molecular Structure |
3 |
|
12 |
Electrochemistry |
2 |
12 |
Chemical Kinetics |
3 |
|
12 |
Coordination Compounds |
4 |
11 |
Organic Chemistry: Some Basic Principles and Techniques |
4 |
|
12 |
Principles of Qualitative Analysis |
1 |
|
11 |
The P-Block Elements |
1 |
|
12 |
The P-Block Elements (XII) |
1 |
|
11 |
Thermodynamics |
2 |
|
12 |
Aldehydes, Ketones and Carboxylic Acids |
1 |
|
12 |
Biomolecules |
1 |
|
12 |
Solutions |
2 |
11 |
Classification of Elements and Periodicity in Properties |
2 |
The NEET 2026 paper was neither completely easy nor extremely tough, it was overall moderate in difficulty level.
Biology was the easiest and most scoring section with NCERT-based questions.
Chemistry remained balanced and moderate, while Physics was the toughest and most time-consuming section.
Overall, the paper tested speed, accuracy, and conceptual clarity rather than just memorization.
The NEET 2026 expected cut off depends on several factors such as paper difficulty level, number of students appearing, and overall performance trends. If the paper turns out to be moderate, the cut off is expected to remain similar to NEET 2025. However, if the paper is slightly tougher, the cut off may go a bit lower.
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NEET Cutoff Comparison 2025 vs 2026 |
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|---|---|---|
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Category |
NEET 2025 Marks Range |
NEET 2026 Expected Marks Range |
|
UR/EWS |
686 – 144 |
685 – 140 |
|
OBC |
143 – 113 |
140 – 110 |
|
SC |
143 – 113 |
140 – 108 |
|
ST |
143 – 113 |
138 – 105 |
|
UR/EWS & PWBD |
143 – 127 |
140 – 125 |
|
OBC & PWBD |
126 – 113 |
125 – 110 |
|
SC & PWBD |
126 – 113 |
125 – 108 |
|
ST & PWBD |
126 – 113 |
123 – 105 |

