How many attempts for NEET 2026: Through NEET UG conducted by NTA, medical aspirants are granted admissions to medical and dental colleges across India. There seems to be confusion regarding NEET maximum attempts and NEET exam age limit among aspirants. Understanding this is important for aspirants planning to appear in NEET 2026. This article covers attempt limit, age limit and more to help aspirants prepare effectively.
Contents
Candidates can attempt the exam without any restrictions on the number of attempts, the only restriction is candidates must be at least 17 years old but there is no upper age limit for candidates.
For NEET 2026, aspiring candidates can submit their applications online if they are 17 years old or will reach this age by December 31, 2026.
How many attempts for NEET 2026: The NEET attempt limit does not impose any restrictions on the number of attempts for candidates. This policy allows students to take the exam multiple times, providing them with ample opportunities to improve their scores and secure admission to medical courses. This table summarizes the NEET examination attempts by category to clarify the confusion of aspirants regarding how many attempts for NEET is permissible for them.
Below mentioned are the NEET attempts for General category and SC/ST candidates:
2017: NEET had a maximum attempt limit of 3, with age restrictions for general (below 25 years) and reserved category candidates (below 30 years).
2018: The cap on NEET attempts was removed. Now, attempts were determined based on age criteria.
2019: NIOS and open school students were initially not eligible for NEET, but this restriction was lifted in the same year.
2020-2025: There has been no limit on the number of attempts for NEET in these years. Candidates can appear for the exam as many times as they meet the eligibility criteria.
For NEET 2026, the minimum age requirement is 17 years old and there is no upper age limit. Essentially, candidates must be born on or before December 31, 2008, to be eligible. Understanding the upper age limit for the NEET exam is crucial as it directly impacts an applicants eligibility. Below mentioned are the age limit for NEET 2026.
Minimum Age: The minimum age requirement for NEET applicants is typically 17 years. This means that applicants must have completed 17 years of age as of December 31, 2025, for NEET 2026.
Maximum Age: A key update for NEET 2026 is the removal of the maximum age limit across all categories, including General, OBC, SC, ST, and others.
Note:
NEET age limit criteria are subject to change, and the latest NTA NEET age restrictions should be confirmed with the official authorities or the NEET website for NEET 2026 notification. Below mentioned are the NEET age criteria for General and reserved categories:
2018
The MCI’s decision to reintroduce a NEET upper age limit was first revealed via a Gazette of India notification published on January 23, 2018. The introduction of these rules led to tremendous controversy and led to an uproar among NEET aspirants. Within a week of introducing the NEET attempt limit rule, MCI scrapped it.
2019
The ineligibility of NIOS/ open school students for NEET UG was another major controversy that arose in 2019. While they were allowed to appear for NEET until 2017, the Medical Council of India (MCI) decided to bar them from appearing in NEET from 2018 onwards. The clause was later revoked and open school students were allowed to appear for the exam.
The other controversy was in regard to the question of Biology as an additional subject. Students who had studied Biology as an additional subject in Class 11 and 12 were considered ineligible. This clause was also revoked and such students were allowed for the exam in 2019.
2022
With an official notification, the National Medical Commission announced that the upper age limit for NEET UG has been removed. The decision on the NEET upper age limit has been taken in the 4th NMC meeting held on October 21, 2021, however, announced on March 9, 2022. The official notice released by the NMC can be checked below.
2023
As per the official notification of NEET 2023 there was no limit on the number of attempts.
2024
NEET 2024 was conducted without any number of attempts in NEET.
For candidates, there is no fixed number of attempts for NEET anymore and this was to be determined by the upper age limit criterion. However, the minimum age limit for medical students to appear in NEET must be 17 years or above.
Students need to have passed their 10+2 or equivalent examination from a recognized board to qualify for the NEET exam, including Physics, Chemistry, and Biology/Biotechnology as core subjects. Additionally, they must have English as a mandatory subject. A minimum of 50% marks in Physics, Chemistry, and Biology combined is required for the general category, with relaxations for other categories.
Here’s a more detailed breakdown:
Qualifying Examination:
Aspirants must have passed the higher/senior secondary examination (10+2) or its equivalent.
Mandatory Subjects:
Physics, Chemistry, and Biology/Biotechnology are core subjects, along with English.
Minimum Marks:
General category students need a minimum of 50% aggregate marks in Physics, Chemistry, and Biology, while other categories have relaxations (45% for General PH and 40% for SC, ST, and OBC-NCL).
Age Limit:
The minimum age requirement is 17 years as of December 31st of the year of admission, but there is no upper age restrictions.
Learn more about Ajmal Super 40
The NTA releases the NEET qualifying marks by declaring the NEET UG exam result. The NEET qualifying marks 2026 are the minimum marks that need to be scored by the aspirants to qualify in the NEET 2026 exam. NEET UG is held for admission to various medical courses such as MBBS, BDS, AYUSH and BSc nursing.
Only the candidates who will score the NEET UG 2026 qualifying marks will be considered eligible marks for NEET counselling process. The National Testing Agency (NTA) determines the qualifying percentile of NEET and releases it with the result.
The NEET 2026 qualification marks will be released by the NTA after declaring the NEET result. If we follow the previous year’s trends, the Medical aspirants must score over 600 marks in NEET for MBBS in a government college. The NEET cutoff for government colleges determines the eligibility for admission to government medical colleges across India. It is important for the candidates to know the NEET exam qualification marks of government colleges for better references.
A score of 400 is considered strong for candidates in the SC/ST category, above average for OBC candidates and not competitive for General category applicants in NEET. Candidates must score a minimum of 50% marks to qualify for NEET. The NTA releases the cutoff scores once the exam is concluded.
NEET aspirants have to deal with a very common question “Are NCERT books enough for NEET?” during their preparation, this seems to be one of the most common questions of medical aspirants. Below we have covered the answer to this most frequently asked question of medical aspirants.
Before we get into answering whether NCERT books are enough to crack NEET, lets understand the reason behind importance of NCERT for NEET. Why it is being said that NCERT are enough for clearing boards, NEET or any competitive exams.
Simple, Easy and Concise
NCERT books are a great option to strengthen the foundational knowledge as they are written in easy to understand language and are to the point which makes it easy for the students to grasp the topics which also makes it convenient for revision compared to reference books which are vast.
Exam-specific Content
Students who have gone through NCERT books and NCERT solutions thoroughly can find similarities when they solve previous year question papers. When it comes to NEET exam it has been observed that most questions in the Biology paper are NCERT based.
Easy Availability and Less Costly
NCERT books are easily available in the market nationwide and cheaper as compared to the reference books available in the market.
Based on the previous year trends it has been observed that the number of questions from NCERT in NEET is more than 80% on average which makes it a no brainer for aspirants to cover them page to page.
Aspirants who are thinking about whether they can qualify the NEET exam only by reading NCERT books can definitely do so but for cracking NEET and studying medical course achieving the mere cut off is not enough. AIIMS MBBS and JIPMER MBBS both have merged with NEET therefore there is always a high chance that the National Testing Agency will raise the cut off marks and the questions will be of higher levels of difficulty. It is not possible to achieve higher than cut off marks in NEET based only on NCERT books.
NCERT books provide foundation for NEET preparation. Aspirants can gain conceptual clarity through NCERT textbooks by building strong basics for NEET as they as serve as the starting point for NEET preparation. Direct questions are also asked from NCERT in NEET and NCERT are also government approved textbooks for NEET. Multiple revisions with thorough reading of NCERT is necessary for NEET.
It is in this situation aspirants have to refer refer supplementary books along with NCERT. NCERT plus additional books will increase the chances of NEET success. Prepare your base with NCERT books and sharpen them with reference books- that’s how aspirants should prepare for NEET.
Besides over the years it has been observed that the standard of questions have raised and along with it NEET cut off marks have also increased.
There is a common question among NEET aspirants regarding how many questions are asked in NEET exam? The total number of questions in NEET are 180. Mainly three subjects are covered in NEET namely Physics, Chemistry and Biology and the number of questions per subject is 45. Biology has the highest NEET question weightage as it includes both Botany and Zoology which contribute a total of 90 questions each which makes the NEET exam total marks to be 720.
The NEET 2025 question count is 180 distributed equally among the subjects. The division of NEET subject-wise questions can be checked below.
NEET-UG has a negative marking system. For every correct answer, aspirants get +4 marks, while for every incorrect answer, aspirants lose -1 mark. If you leave a question unanswered, aspirants neither gain nor lose marks.
Here’s a more detailed breakdown:
Correct Answer: +4 marks
Incorrect Answer: -1 mark
Unattempted Question: 0 marks
The percentage required for NEET for the general category is 50%, 40% for SC/ ST/ OBC category, and 40% for PwBD candidates.
Class 12th marks are required for NEET. To be eligible for NEET 2026 the conducting authority has set 50% for unreserved category, 40% for OBC/SC/ST and PWD categories in Physics, Chemistry and Biology together in NEET eligibility marks in 12th. A candidate must have attained the age of 17 as on December 31, 2026.
Qualifying codes for NEET UG 2026 categorises aspirants based on their educational qualifications. While filling the NEET application form these codes are of great significance as they determine the candidates eligibility based on their academic background. To ensure that application form is submitted correctly with correct eligibility aspirants must properly understand the NEET qualifying codes.
Candidates must select the appropriate code based on their educational qualifications, as this enables NTA to validate their eligibility. Below are the types of qualifying codes with their descriptions:
Code
Description
Code 01
The candidate is appearing in the qualifying examination or awaiting the result of the qualifying examination. He/ she has to submit the result of the qualifying examination in the first round of counselling.
Code 02
The candidate has qualified for Class 12 or equivalent in the year 2025 or before. He/ she has not pursued any other course after the completion of Class 12.
Code 03
The candidate has completed the Intermediate/Pre-degree Examination in Science with Physics, Chemistry, Biology/Biotechnology, and English.
(or)
The candidate has completed the qualifying examination equivalent to Class 12 completed from a state board.
Code 04
The candidate has completed a Pre-professional/Pre-medical Examination.
He/ she has also completed Higher Secondary Examination/ Pre-University/ equivalent examination with English, Physics, Chemistry, and Biology/Biotechnology.
Code 05
The candidate is enrolled in a three-year degree course in English, Physics, Chemistry and Biology/Biotechnology and has cleared the first year including practical tests.
Code 06
The candidate has a BSc degree from a recognised university with two or more of the following subjects: Physics, Chemistry, Biology (Botany, Zoology)/Biotechnology.
He/ she must have passed Class 12 with English, Physics, Chemistry, and Biology.
Code 07
The candidate has passed an examination that is equivalent to the Intermediate Science Examination with English, Physics, Chemistry and Biology/Biotechnology.
or
The candidate has completed the qualifying examination from a foreign University
No, there is no limit to the number of times a student can attempt the NEET exam. Previously, there was a limit of 3 attempts but this has been removed.
Yes, aspirants can attempt NEET for the fourth time, or even more times, as there is no attempt limit.
As there is no upper age limit for NEET, aspirants who meets the other eligibility criteria can take the NEET exam even at the age of 40 or older.
