NEET 2021 Registration Process has started on July 13, 2021 on neet.nta.nic.in for admission of the eligible candidates to the undergraduate medical courses in medical institutions. The online application process for National-Eligibility-cum-Entrance-Test [NEET(UG) 2021] has been scheduled from July 13 to August 6, 2021. There is a slight modification in the NEET 2021 Exam Pattern which has been discussed in detail below.
NATIONAL ELIGIBILITY CUM ENTRANCE TEST [ NEET (UG) – 2021] will be conducted by National Testing Agency (NTA) on Sunday, the 12 September 2021 (Sunday) in Pen and Paper mode in 13 languages, as a uniform entrance examination for admission to MBBS/BDS/BAMS/BSMS/BUMS/BHMS and other undergraduate medical courses in approved/recognized Medical/Dental /AYUSH and other Colleges/ Deemed Universities /Institutes (AIIMS & JIPMER) in India, as per Section 14 of The National Medical Commission (NMC) Act, 2019 and relevant Graduate Medical Education Regulations (GMER) 1997, as amended from time to time. The languages in which the NEET (UG) 2021 would be conducted are : English, Hindi, Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, and Urdu.
Changes in the NEET 2021 exam pattern: In the NEET 2021 question paper, a total of 200 questions will be asked from all the section of subjects, out of which candidates need to answer only 180. For each subject (Physics, Chemistry, Botany, Zoology), the questions will be divided into two sections - Section A and B. Section A contains 35 questions while Section B will have 15 questions. Out of these 15 questions, candidates can answer any 10, which makes it 180 questions.
NEET Exam cities increased - NTA has increased the NEET 2021 exam cities to a total of 201 from 155. This year for the first time, Kuwait City is one of the NEET 2021 exam centres and the only one abroad. Earlier, education minister has tweeted that the NEET exam cities will be increased to 198 but later in the brochure it was revised to 201.
Candidates must secure atleast 50% marks in physics, chemistry, and biology combined in the 10+2 qualifying exam. For SC, ST, OBC-NCL category candidates the minimum marks required are 40%.
NEET eligibility criteria for the qualifying examination
As per the basic NEET eligibility criteria 2021, it is mandatory for aspirants to pass the Class 12 qualifying examination with an aggregate of 50% in Physics, Chemistry, Biology (Botany and Zoology) for the general category. Candidates belonging to SC/ST/OBC must secure a minimum of 40%, while Persons with Disability (PwD) must obtain 45% only. Candidates who have completed their higher education abroad must have passed the qualifying exam with 50% taken together in Chemistry, Physics, and Biology.
Candidates must be aware of NEET qualifying codes before filling the application form in order to avoid inconvenience. For a better idea, aspirants is being provided with a complete list of NEET 2021 qualifying codes in a simplified manner below.
This code can be selected by aspirants who will be appearing for Class 12 or waiting for the result. However, students must furnish the relevant documents as evidence of qualifying for the exam after the announcement of the result.
Candidates who have completed a period of 12 years under Higher/Secondary examination or the Indian School Certificate Examination (ISCE), which is equivalent to Class 10+2 can opt for code 2. However, the last two years of study must include English, Physics, Chemistry, Biology/Biotechnology, or Mathematics or any other elective as a major subject as prescribed by the National Council of Education Research and Training (NCERT).
Aspirants who have passed 10+2 from the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) or state open school, as a private candidate from state boards; with Biology/Biotechnology as an additional subject can apply under NEET qualification code 2.
Who can also apply code 2: It should also be noted that the qualifying examination code for NEET 2021 for droppers will also be the same. For instance, a candidate has passed the qualifying examination from CBSE/ISCE or any state board in the year 2018, but wish to appear for NEET 2021, he/she can apply for the exam with Code 2.
Students can select this code if they have passed their Intermediate/Pre-Examination degree in Science stream from any recognized Indian University/Board or other body with Physics, Chemistry, Biology/Biotechnology, and English as a compulsory subject. The qualifying examination should also include a practical test in the mentioned subjects.
This code can be chosen after the completion of pre-professional/pre-medical examination with Physics, Chemistry, Biology/Biotechnology, and English after passing either the Higher Secondary examination or Pre-university or equivalent exam. The qualification of pre-professional or pre-medical examination should compulsorily include the practical tests in all subjects.
Anyone who has passed the first year of a bachelor's degree from a recognized university with Physics, Chemistry, BIology/Biotechnology inclusion of practical tests. Candidates should also verify that the first year exam qualified is a university-level exam and they have also qualified Class 12 qualifying examination with the said subjects at a level not less than a core course.
Any aspirant who has passed B.Sc. examination with not less than two subjects which includes Biology/Biotechnology, Physics and Chemistry can choose Code 6 from NEET qualification code 2021 as their eligibility code. Further, such candidates must have passed Class 10+2 qualifying examination with English, Chemistry, Physics and Biology/Biotechnology.
In case of passed any other examination, which is equivalent to intermediate science examination of any university/board, can opt code 7 as NEET code 2021. It must be taken into consideration that students must have completed two years of study in Physics, Biology/Biotechnology, Chemistry and English and have passed practical tests also.
NEET 2021 qualifying code for foreign candidates will be Code 7. The equivalence of a particular course with Class 12 boards will be determined by the Association of Indian Universities (AIU). If the qualifying examination will be in grades, then the corresponding marks will be derived by AIU.
What are the other NEET eligibility 2021 ?
Besides the educational eligibility, candidates need to fulfill other basic eligibility criteria of NEET UG 2021, which are mentioned below.
Age limit - Aspirants should be a minimum of 17 years, while there is no upper age limit for NEET UG.
Nationality - Anyone willing to appear for MBBS/BDS exam must be an Indian citizen, NRIs, OCIs, PIO and Foreign nationals.
Number of attempts - There is no limits for the number of attempting NEET.