NEET 2026: Important Dates, Application Process, Eligibility Criteria and more

NEET 2026 Complete Guide: NEET (UG) Examination or National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Undergraduate) is an exam conducted by The National Testing Agency (NTA) for students wanting admission to medical courses across the country. Almost 15 lakh students attempt it each year and it is considered one of the most difficult entrance exams to qualify in India. The NEET 2026 date is expected to be announced by the NTA by the end of this year. But based on past years, we can expect NEET 2026 to be on the first Sunday of May 2026. The exam is conducted in the paper-pencil-based format (PBT). 

NEET 2026: OVERVIEW 

COURSES OFFERED THROUGH NEET UG 2026 

• Bachelor of Medicine and a Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS)

• Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS)

• Ayurvedic Medicine

• Homeopathy Medicine

• Unani Medicine

• Siddha Medicine

• Veterinary Sciences and Animal Husbandry

• B.Sc. (Hons) Nursing

• Bachelor of Physiotherapy

• Bachelor of Occupational Therapy

• Bachelor of Speech, Audiology, and Language Pathology

• Bachelor of Prosthetics and Orthotics

NEET 2026: Important Dates 

NEET 2026: Eligibility Criteria 

The eligibility criteria for NEET 2026 is expected to remain the same as this year. Based on it, the tentative eligibility criteria for NEET 2026 is given below:

• The candidates should have passed or will be appearing for the Class 12 Board exam (or equivalent) with Physics, Chemistry, Biology/Biotechnology, and English as main subjects.

• To be eligible:

• General category applicants should achieve a minimum of 50% aggregate marks,General-PwD applicants should achieve a minimum of 45%,

• Applicants belonging to SC, ST, OBC, and Reserved PwD should have a minimum of 40%.

• The candidates should be 17 years old or older as of December 31, 2026. There is no age limit to appear in the exam.

• Furthermore, Indian Nationals and Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) interested in studying MBBS or BDS outside India need to pass NEET 2026, as organized by the National Testing Agency (NTA).

NEET 2026: Application Process

The NEET 2026 online application form will be released on the official exam website. The candidates are required to fill and submit the application form, along with the payment of the fee, through the online process only.

Following is the step-by-step guide to filling out the NEET 2026 application form:

1. Go to the official NEET 2026 website: https://neet.nta.nic.in/ 

2. Click on the "NEET 2026 Registration" link in the Latest News or Candidate Activity section.

3. Read the instructions carefully and accept the terms by choosing the checkbox.

4. Fill in the mandatory personal and contact details and set a password.

5. Confirm the provided details by sending the OTP to your registered email ID and mobile number.

6. On confirmation, your password and application number will be sent to your registered email address.

7. Use these credentials to login and fill in the NEET 2026 application form.

8. Enter all compulsory fields such as personal, educational, preferred language of exam and city, and upload obligatory documents (photograph, signature, thumb and finger impressions, category certificate, etc.).

9. Pay the fee online through Credit/Debit Card, Net Banking, or UPI.

Ensure correctness of all information before final submission.

The application fee for NEET 2026 is expected to remain the same as 2025 and will vary according to different categories. 

NEET 2026: Admit Card

The NEET UG 2026 Admit Cards will be released by the NTA a few days before the test. It is a compulsory document, and candidates will not be allowed to take the test without it.

After downloading the admit card, candidates are required to thoroughly check all the details, their personal details as well as the instructions and guidelines for exam day. In the event of any discrepancies or mistakes, they should immediately contact NEET support or the concerned regional office for rectification.

NEET 2026: Exam Pattern 

NEET 2026: Syllabus

Physics: 

Chemistry:

Biology

NEET 2026: Answer Key

The NEET 2026 provisional answer key is likely to be posted by the NTA in the fourth week of May 2026. The candidates will be given a period of two to three days to file objections against any question or answer.

An expert committee constituted by the NTA will review all objections prior to the finalization of the answer key. A challenge fee of INR 200 per question must be paid if either the answer key or OMR response sheet is to be challenged. Candidates should be aware that this fee is non-refundable in nature, irrespective of the outcome.

The final NEET 2026 result will be prepared using the official final answer key published after this reviewing process.

NEET 2026: Result

The NTA will publish the NEET 2026 result in the second week of June 2026. The result will be published in the format of a merit list and individual scorecards. The scorecard can be viewed and downloaded in PDF format by logging on to the official NEET 2026 website. 

Along with the results, the NTA will also publish some exam-related statistics including the number of applicants, number of candidates who appeared for the exam, and number of candidates who qualified. 

Here’s the process to Download the NEET 2026 Scorecard:

1. Go to the official website of NEET 2026: https://neet.nta.nic.in/

2. Then click on the "NEET 2026 Result" or "Download Scorecard" link

3. Enter your Application Number, Password, and the displayed code

4. Finally, download and save your NEET 2026 scorecard.

Candidates are also advised to keep the scorecard safe till the entire admission process is concluded.

NEET 2026: Previous Year Cut-offs

The NEET-UG cut-off is announced by the National Testing Agency (NTA) following the release of the NEET results. There are two categories of NEET cut-offs:

• Qualifying Cut-off – They are the minimum marks that a candidate needs to score in order to clear the exam.

• Cut-off Admission –  It’s the lowest rank at which a candidate is admitted to a medical college.

The cut-off depends upon many factors, including the general level of difficulty in the exam, the total number of candidates appearing, their performance, the number of seats available, and other such parameters.

NEET 2026: Counselling

Once the NEET results are announced, the counselling process begins, and candidates will get allotted seats which will be based on their rank. NEET UG candidates should always know and be aware of the counselling process and have documents ready.

The counselling process usually takes place within a month after declaration of results. It will involve 15% All India Quota (AIQ) seats and 85% State Quota seats. The AIQ counselling is conducted by the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) and state quota admissions by respective state counselling authorities.

There are four rounds of counselling in total:

• Round 1

• Round 2

• Round 3

• Stray Vacancy Round

Once the official counselling notification is released, shortlisted candidates need to register online, submit the required documents, and pay the registration fee. The second step is choice filling, in which candidates choose their favourite colleges and courses, and the seat allotment process.

To accept an allocated seat, candidates have to download the seat allotment letter, visit the allotted institute, and fill out the admission formalities. In case a seat is allocated during Round 1, candidates can refuse it and go for an upgrade in Round 2. Candidates who are not allocated a seat in Rounds 1 and 2 are still eligible to appear for the mop-up and stray vacancy rounds.

NEET 2026: Preparation Strategy

To prepare for NEET 2026, it is important to prepare systematically and methodically. Begin by having an overview of the entire syllabus, exam pattern, and top marks. Identify a realistic study plan, while obtaining genuine study material, specifically the NCERT textbooks. Time management, regular revision, and a positive mindset are all factors that determine the retention of concepts you are studying, and to maintain motivation.

When studying Physics, you will want to be consistently practicing numerical problems, while establishing conceptual clarity for each topic. Chemistry requires a firm grasp of the fundamental concepts and of powerful reactions/formulas. For Biology we recommend handwriting notes, diagrams, and connection of human anatomy and a well-rounded concept base of the NCERT material to ensure that you retain this information.

As well as studying the theory, students are encouraged to practice NEET previous year question papers to become acquainted with the style of questions and preferred time for the exam. Working with past year questions makes you aware of typologies of questions, reinforce conceptual learning and develop time management skills within an exam like setting. The Disha 38 Years NEET PYQ gives Solved papers, Chapter and Topic wise, according to the NCERT syllabus that NTA officially approved. In Biology the Disha 360°NCERT Biology contains concepts, theory, and 6 levels of practice questions in addition to advanced higher-order thinking questions and concepts. Mock tests also emulate the experience of an actual exam where students can isolate weaknesses, speed up, and sharpen testing strategies. Mock tests also improve self-analysis and confidence.

A positive attitude, alertness, and perseverance on your preparation journey is very important, just as is your study efforts. The right mindset and strategy of preparation makes passing NEET 2026 quite attainable.

FAQs

1. Is there negative marking in NEET 2026 exam ?

Yes, one mark is deducted for every wrong answer.

2. What is the official website for NEET ? 

The NEET (UG) official website is  https://neet.nta.nic.in/

3. What is the age limit for NEET 2026 ?

To apply for NEET (UG) 2026, the candidate needs to be at least 17 years old. There is no upper age limit.

4. What is the registration date for NEET 2026 ?

The registration date is yet to be announced by NTA but generally registrations begin a few months before the exam.

5. When will the NEET 2026 exam be conducted ?

The official date for NEET 2026 is yet to be announced by NTA but the tentative date for the exam is May 2026.

6.What is the duration of NEET 2026 exam ?

The duration of the exam is 3 hours.

7.Will the exam be conducted in online or offline mode ?

The exam will be pen-paper based and will be conducted offline.