Complete subject-wise breakdown of the 03 May 2026 paper — difficulty level, chapter-wise weightage, coaching institute answer keys, and a score calculator. Overall verdict: moderate paper, easier than NEET 2025. Biology easy, Chemistry balanced, Physics tough.
Toughest section of the paper. High density of lengthy numericals, especially from Mechanics and Electrodynamics. Assert…
Balanced and well-distributed across Organic, Inorganic, and Physical Chemistry. Most questions were directly NCERT-base…
Easiest and most scoring section. Almost every question was traceable to a specific NCERT line, diagram, or summary box.…
Enter your correct and incorrect attempt counts for each subject. The calculator uses the official NTA marking scheme: +4 correct, −1 incorrect, 0 unattempted.
Based on student feedback collected within 2 hours of the exam and expert analysis from Allen, Aakash, PW, and Narayana faculty. Chapter question counts are memory-based estimates and will be verified against the official question paper once published by NTA.
Toughest section of the paper. High density of lengthy numericals, especially from Mechanics and Electrodynamics. Assertion-reasoning and multi-statement questions increased the analytical demand. Students who ran out of time mostly got stuck here.
| Chapter | Est. Qs | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Mechanics (Laws of Motion, Work-Energy) | 7–8 | Tough |
| Electrodynamics (Current Electricity, EMI) | 8–9 | Tough |
| Electrostatics & Capacitance | 5–6 | Moderate |
| Ray Optics & Wave Optics | 4–5 | Moderate |
| Modern Physics (Atoms, Nuclei, Semiconductors) | 4–5 | Moderate |
| Thermodynamics & Kinetic Theory | 3–4 | Moderate |
| System of Particles & Rigid Body | 3–4 | Tough |
| Gravitation, Oscillations, Waves | 3–4 | Easy |
Balanced and well-distributed across Organic, Inorganic, and Physical Chemistry. Most questions were directly NCERT-based, making this the most predictable section. 3 direct questions from Practical Chemistry — a notable focus area in 2026.
| Chapter | Est. Qs | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Organic Chemistry — Basic Principles & Reactions | 7–8 | Moderate |
| Chemical Bonding & Molecular Structure | 5–6 | Easy |
| Aldehydes, Ketones & Carboxylic Acids | 4–5 | Moderate |
| Thermodynamics (Chemical) | 3–4 | Moderate |
| Chemical Kinetics & Equilibrium | 4–5 | Moderate |
| p-Block & d-Block Elements | 4–5 | Easy |
| Amines & Biomolecules | 3–4 | Easy |
| Practical Chemistry (NEW focus) | 3 | Easy |
Easiest and most scoring section. Almost every question was traceable to a specific NCERT line, diagram, or summary box. Genetics and Biotechnology dominated with the highest question count. Human Physiology was the second-biggest cluster.
| Chapter | Est. Qs | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Genetics & Evolution (Principles of Inheritance) | 10–12 | Easy |
| Biotechnology — Principles & Applications | 8–9 | Easy |
| Human Physiology (Circulation, Digestion, Nervous) | 8–9 | Easy |
| Animal Kingdom & Structural Organisation | 5–6 | Easy |
| Cell — Structure, Division, Biomolecules | 6–7 | Easy |
| Reproduction (Plant & Human) | 6–7 | Easy |
| Plant Physiology (Photosynthesis, Respiration) | 5–6 | Moderate |
| Ecology & Biodiversity | 5–6 | Easy |
| Morphology of Flowering Plants | 4–5 | Easy |
| Molecular Basis of Inheritance | 4–5 | Moderate |
Coaching institute keys are released within hours of the exam and are typically 95–97% accurate. The official NTA key is the only one that matters for raising objections and is expected between 10–15 May 2026.
NEET UG 2026 held across 5,400+ centres in 551 cities. Paper rated moderate. Coaching institute answer keys released by evening.
NTA releases provisional key and scanned OMR sheets on neet.nta.nic.in. Objection window opens for 48–72 hours.
After reviewing objections, NTA releases the final answer key. Results are computed based on this key only.
NTA declares results with All India Rank (AIR), percentile score, and qualifying status on neet.nta.nic.in.
MCC begins All India Quota counselling for 15% of MBBS and BDS seats. Eligible candidates register at mcc.nic.in.
Each state authority conducts separate counselling for 85% state quota seats. Timelines vary by state.
Qualifying cutoffs are set at fixed percentiles by NMC. The marks that correspond to those percentiles shift each year based on paper difficulty. Since NEET 2026 was easier than 2025, cutoff marks are expected to rise by ~12–18 marks vs. NEET 2025.
| Category | Qualifying Percentile | NEET 2025 Cutoff | NEET 2026 Expected | Safe Score (Govt MBBS) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General / UR | 50th | 144 | 155–170 | 620+ |
| EWS | 50th | 144 | 155–170 | 600+ |
| OBC-NCL | 40th | 113 | 125–138 | 540+ |
| SC | 40th | 113 | 125–138 | 510+ |
| ST | 40th | 113 | 125–138 | 490+ |
| UR-PwD | 45th | 127 | 140–152 | — |
| OBC/SC/ST-PwD | 40th | 113 | 125–138 | — |
Qualifying cutoff = eligible for counselling. Safe score = realistic chance at a government MBBS seat under AIQ. State quota seats are accessible at 30,000–80,000 ranks lower for the same college.
In most NEET papers, 2–5 questions draw disagreement between coaching institutes, indicating potential errors or ambiguity. These are the ones worth challenging after the provisional key is out. We will update this section as discrepancies are cross-verified.
Our research team is comparing answer keys from Allen, Aakash, PW, and Narayana. Discrepancies will be listed here by 12 May 2026, once the official provisional key is available. Bookmark this page or use the predictor tool to track updates.