NEET PYQ: Previous Year Question Papers 2016–2026

This page lists NEET previous year question papers for 11 years, 2016 to 2026, with 23 official PDFs (question papers and answer keys) and labelled mock papers for 9 years with no official question paper. NEET (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test) is conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) and covers Physics, Chemistry and Biology. Pick a year below for the paper, answer key and a timed practice plan; confirm dates and pattern on neet.nta.nic.in.

Explore: Question papers by year · Syllabus & pattern · Pattern changes · FAQ

Year-wise question papers

Prefer to practise one chapter at a time? NEET chapter-wise PYQs lists all 180 questions from 1 official NEET paper by chapter.

About NEET UG

NEET UG is the single entrance test for MBBS, BDS, AYUSH and BSc Nursing seats across India, including the All India Quota and state quota counselling. More than 20 lakh candidates sit it every year, which makes it the largest pen-and-paper exam in the country. NTA has run it since 2019. Before that, CBSE conducted it.

The paper covers Physics, Chemistry and Biology from the Class 11 and 12 NCERT syllabus, as set by the National Medical Commission. Biology is half the paper, so it decides most ranks. Physics is where most students lose time.

Old papers are the most reliable guide you have. NEET draws heavily from NCERT, and after a few years of papers you start to see the same lines, diagrams and examples come back in new wording. The full syllabus, eligibility rules and marking details are on the NEET syllabus and pattern page.

How the paper has changed since 2016

If you plan to solve ten years of papers, you need to know that the format has not stayed the same. The questions from 2016 are still good practice, but the timing and structure you sit them under should match the current exam.

Marking has stayed at +4 for a correct answer and −1 for a wrong one, for a total of 720. Each subject has 45 questions in the current format, with Biology split into Botany (45) and Zoology (45).

Two more changes matter when you use older papers. From NEET 2024, NMC trimmed the syllabus in line with the rationalised NCERT books, so some questions from earlier years are on topics that are no longer tested. And from about 2023, Biology started using more statement-based, assertion–reason and match-the-column questions. Older papers will under-prepare you for those formats, so mix in recent years early.

What the papers show, subject by subject

Biology (90 questions, 360 marks)

Most Biology questions can be traced to a specific line, table, diagram or example in NCERT. When you check a past paper, mark each question as either “straight from NCERT” or “needs reasoning”. You will find the first group is much larger, and that tells you how to revise: read NCERT closely, including the figure captions and the small print in boxes.

Human physiology, genetics (both the inheritance and molecular basis chapters), reproduction, ecology and biotechnology produce questions every year. Plant physiology and the plant and animal kingdom chapters are smaller but steady. When you get a match-the-column question wrong, the error is usually one pair you half-remembered. Write that pair down and nothing else.

Chemistry (45 questions, 180 marks)

Chemistry is the most scoring subject for students who revise it properly. Keep your error log in three columns, physical, organic and inorganic, because the fix is different for each. Inorganic misses are almost always memory: go back to the NCERT tables on periodic trends, the p-block and coordination compounds. Organic misses tend to be a reaction you have seen but cannot place, so a one-page sheet of named reactions and conversions pays off. Physical chemistry questions are short numericals on equilibrium, thermodynamics, electrochemistry and kinetics, and they reward practice more than reading.

Chemical bonding and coordination compounds show up nearly every year.

Physics (45 questions, 180 marks)

Physics is where the clock runs out. Time yourself on the Physics section of each past paper separately. Most students should aim to finish it in about 50 to 55 minutes, which leaves room for Biology. If a question needs more than two minutes, mark it and come back.

Current electricity, electrostatics, modern physics (dual nature, atoms, nuclei and semiconductors), ray optics and rotational motion carry steady weight. The 2018 and 2025 Physics sections are good tests of your skipping discipline, since both were tougher and longer than usual.

Keep formula slips separate from concept gaps in your log. A wrong sign or a missing factor of 2 needs a different fix from not understanding the chapter.

Notes on recent years

2025 went back to 180 compulsory questions. With no choice in Section B, you could not skip a weak chapter. Most students found the paper long, with a Physics section that took more time than expected, and scores across the board were lower than in 2024. Solve this one under strict timing.

2024 was the first paper on the trimmed NMC syllabus and still had the Section B choice. The cycle was disrupted by a paper-leak controversy that went to the Supreme Court, and NTA issued a revised result after the court ruled on a disputed Physics question. None of that changes the paper’s value for practice. It is a fair, NCERT-heavy paper.

2021 to 2023 all used the 200-question format. If you sit them now, attempt only the first 10 Section B questions in each subject and finish in 3 hours. That gives you the same load as the current exam.

2016 to 2020 used the 180-question format you will face. Some questions are from topics NMC has since removed. Skip those, but do not skip the papers: their Biology questions are some of the most NCERT-direct on record.

Before your exam, check the official answer keys on NTA’s site for any year where an answer is disputed. Coaching keys released on exam day are sometimes wrong on one or two questions.

Using old papers in your preparation

With a year or more to go

Study chapter by chapter, and after each NCERT chapter, solve every past NEET question from that chapter. You will learn early what the examiners care about in that chapter, which makes your notes shorter. Try one full paper a month from around the middle of Class 12, mostly to get used to sitting for three hours.

With about six months to go

Finish the syllabus first. Then sit one full paper every weekend, starting with older years and moving towards 2024 and 2025. Spend the next day going through every wrong and skipped question. Your weekday study should come from that list, not from a new book.

In the last three months

Switch to full papers at least twice a week, at the same time of day as the real exam (2 pm to 5 pm). Save 2024 and 2025 for the final month, since they are the last full practice sets here (NTA did not publish the 2026 paper), so you see them when your preparation is sharpest. Re-read the NCERT Biology chapters that keep showing up in your error log, and stop adding new material in the last few weeks.

Mistakes students make with past papers

The most common mistake is treating past papers as a score check instead of a study tool. If you sit a paper, look at the total and move on, you have used half its value. The review afterwards is where you find out which NCERT lines you have not read carefully.

The second is spending too much time on Physics test series and too little on Biology. Physics feels like the hard subject, but 360 of the 720 marks are in Biology, and a 20-question gap there costs far more rank than a few tough Physics questions.

Other things that cost marks: skipping the diagrams and examples in NCERT, not tracking careless errors (NEET’s negative marking punishes them harder than a hard question does), and starting a new reference book in the last month.

FAQ

Where can I get NEET previous year question papers?

NTA posts answer keys and notices on neet.nta.nic.in, and candidates are allowed to take their test booklets home, so complete papers for each code become public soon after the exam. Each year page here links to the official source where one exists and has notes on what that paper tested.

How many years of NEET papers should I solve?

Solve at least the last ten years. The papers from 2016 to 2020 are close to the current 180-question format and are very NCERT-direct in Biology. The 2021 to 2025 papers show the newer question styles. If you are short on time, do 2019 to 2025 first.

Is NEET 2025 harder than earlier years?

Most students and teachers found it longer and tougher than 2024, mainly in Physics, and the removal of the Section B choice meant there was nowhere to hide a weak chapter. Scores were lower across the board. Treat it as the best guide to what the next paper might feel like.

What is the NEET exam pattern now?

From 2025, NEET has 180 compulsory multiple-choice questions in 3 hours: 45 each from Physics, Chemistry, Botany and Zoology. Each correct answer gets 4 marks and each wrong answer loses 1, for a total of 720. Check the current information bulletin for any change before your exam.

How do I solve the 2021 to 2024 papers that had Section B?

Answer all 35 Section A questions and only 10 of the 15 Section B questions in each subject, and give yourself 3 hours instead of 3 hours 20 minutes. That matches the current load. You can come back to the leftover Section B questions later as extra practice.

Are NEET papers from 2016 to 2019 still useful after the syllabus cut?

Yes. A small number of questions are from topics NMC removed for 2024, and you can skip those. The rest is still in the syllabus, and the Biology questions in those years are some of the closest to NCERT wording.

Is NCERT enough for NEET if I also solve past papers?

For Biology and inorganic Chemistry, close reading of NCERT plus past papers covers most of what is asked. Physics and physical Chemistry need more numerical practice than NCERT gives you, so add a question bank for those once you have done the past papers.

Should I solve NEET papers by topic or as full papers?

Both, at different stages. Topic-wise questions work best while you are still studying a chapter. Full papers matter in the last few months, because the main challenge on the day is keeping your accuracy for three hours and choosing what to skip in Physics.

Where to get the official papers

NTA publishes NEET notices, answer keys and results on neet.nta.nic.in. Use the files there when an answer is in doubt. We link to official sources and add notes on each paper, but the current information bulletin is the final word on dates, pattern and eligibility.