NEET (UG) is a single three-hour paper of 180 questions for 720 marks — 45 questions from each of Physics, Chemistry, Botany and Zoology. Every question is compulsory; there is no optional section to skip.
The four sections, and why Biology is really two of them
| Section | Questions | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| Physics | 45 | 180 |
| Chemistry | 45 | 180 |
| Botany | 45 | 180 |
| Zoology | 45 | 180 |
NTA prints Botany and Zoology together under one "Biology" label on the paper, but sets and counts them as two separate 45-question sections — this site follows the same split throughout, since that's how the 720 marks actually divide. Combined, Biology is 90 of 180 questions and 360 of 720 marks — exactly half the paper. A preparation plan that treats Biology as one-third of the effort because it's "one subject" is starting from the wrong split.
Marking: +4, −1, 0
Every question is single-correct-option, multiple choice:
- +4 for the correct option
- −1 for a wrong option
- 0 for a question left unattempted
There is no partial credit and no bonus for speed — only for correctness. With a flat −1 against +4, a guess between two options you've genuinely narrowed down has positive expected value (+1.5 average); a blind guess among four does not (−0.25 to +0.75 depending which option you view as "eliminated" — the arithmetic only works once you've actually ruled options out, not before).
The pattern has changed before — confirm it hasn't again
From 2021 to 2024, NEET carried an optional Section B (attempt any 10 of 15 per subject) as a pandemic-era accommodation. From 2025, the paper reverted to the pre-2021 pattern described above: 180 compulsory questions, no optional section. That reversion is itself evidence the pattern is not fixed forever — treat the structure above as the current pattern, not a permanent one, and confirm it against the live information bulletin before you build a rigid plan around it.
What to do with this
The score calculator applies exactly this marking scheme — +4/−1/0 across the four 45-question sections — so you can see what a given attempt-and-accuracy combination actually scores before you sit a real paper.
For the distribution within each subject — which chapters those 45 questions per section actually come from — the topic-wise weightage is counted chapter by chapter from complete previous-year papers, not estimated. And the full-length mock tests run the real 180-question, 180-minute format with this exact marking scheme applied automatically, so the arithmetic above becomes a number on your own screen rather than a table on this page.
Confirm the pattern against the current official NTA information bulletin before your exam — the structure above is the pattern from 2025 onward, but it has changed before.