The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) UG is the single entrance examination for admission to MBBS, BDS, AYUSH and allied medical courses in India. It is conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) and is usually held on a single day in early May, as a pen-and-paper OMR examination offered in Tamil, English and several other Indian languages.
நீட் தேர்வில் இயற்பியல், வேதியியல், தாவரவியல் மற்றும் விலங்கியல் ஆகியவை அடங்கும்.
Quick facts
| Conducted by | National Testing Agency (NTA) |
|---|---|
| Admission to | MBBS, BDS, AYUSH and allied medical courses |
| Exam mode | Pen and paper, OMR |
| Questions | 180 questions, 720 marks |
| Duration | 200 minutes (3 hours 20 minutes) |
| Marking | +4 for a correct answer, −1 for a wrong one, 0 for unattempted |
| Syllabus | Class 11 and Class 12 Physics, Chemistry and Biology, in 49 units |
| Syllabus issued by | National Medical Commission (UGMEB) — updated for the 2026 examination |
The exam pattern
| Subject | Questions | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| Physics | 45 | 180 |
| Chemistry | 45 | 180 |
| Biology (Botany and Zoology) | 90 | 360 |
| Total | 180 | 720 |
Biology alone is half the paper. A candidate’s rank usually follows the Biology score more closely than either of the other two subjects, and a single wrong answer costs one mark on top of the four it did not earn.
Physics — 20 units, and what each one covers
A unit name on its own does not tell you what to revise. This is what the Commission’s syllabus puts inside each of the twenty.
| Unit | What it covers |
|---|---|
| 1. Physics and Measurement | Units of measurement and the SI system; fundamental and derived units; least count; significant figures; errors in measurement; dimensions and dimensional analysis. |
| 2. Kinematics | Frame of reference; motion in a straight line; position–time and velocity–time graphs; uniform and non-uniform motion; average and instantaneous velocity; uniformly accelerated motion; scalars and vectors, vector addition, subtraction and products; relative velocity; projectile motion; uniform circular motion. |
| 3. Laws of Motion | Force and inertia; Newton’s three laws; momentum and impulse; conservation of linear momentum; equilibrium of concurrent forces; static and kinetic friction, laws of friction, rolling friction; centripetal force and its applications — vehicle on a level road and on a banked road. |
| 4. Work, Energy and Power | Work done by constant and variable forces; kinetic and potential energy; work–energy theorem; power; potential energy of a spring; conservation of mechanical energy; conservative and non-conservative forces; motion in a vertical circle; elastic and inelastic collisions in one and two dimensions. |
| 5. Rotational Motion | Centre of mass of a two-particle system and of a rigid body; torque, angular momentum and its conservation; moment of inertia and radius of gyration; moments of inertia of simple geometric objects; parallel and perpendicular axes theorems; equilibrium of rigid bodies; equations of rotational motion. |
| 6. Gravitation | Universal law of gravitation; acceleration due to gravity and its variation with altitude and depth; Kepler’s laws of planetary motion; gravitational potential energy and gravitational potential; escape velocity; motion of a satellite, orbital velocity, time period and energy. |
| 7. Properties of Solids and Liquids | Elastic behaviour, stress–strain, Hooke’s law, Young’s modulus, bulk modulus, modulus of rigidity; pressure in a fluid column and Pascal’s law; viscosity, Stokes’ law, terminal velocity, streamline and turbulent flow; Bernoulli’s principle; surface tension, angle of contact and capillary rise; heat, thermal expansion, specific heat, calorimetry, latent heat; conduction, convection and radiation. |
| 8. Thermodynamics | Thermal equilibrium and the zeroth law; heat, work and internal energy; the first law; isothermal and adiabatic processes; the second law; reversible and irreversible processes. |
| 9. Kinetic Theory of Gases | Equation of state of a perfect gas; work done in compressing a gas; the assumptions of kinetic theory; pressure and temperature from kinetic theory; degrees of freedom; mean free path; Avogadro’s number. |
| 10. Oscillations and Waves | Periodic motion, time period, frequency, displacement as a function of time; simple harmonic motion and its equation; energy in SHM; oscillations of a spring and a simple pendulum; free, forced and damped oscillations; resonance; wave motion, longitudinal and transverse waves, speed of a wave, superposition, reflection and refraction. |
| 11. Electrostatics | Electric charge and conservation of charge; Coulomb’s law and forces between multiple charges; electric field and field lines; electric dipole; electric flux; Gauss’s theorem and its applications; electric potential and potential energy; conductors, insulators and dielectrics; capacitors, combination of capacitors and energy stored. |
| 12. Current Electricity | Electric current, drift velocity and mobility; Ohm’s law; resistance and resistivity, and their temperature dependence; series and parallel combinations; cells, emf and internal resistance; Kirchhoff’s rules; Wheatstone bridge; potentiometer. |
| 13. Magnetic Effects of Current and Magnetism | Biot–Savart law and its application to a circular loop; Ampere’s law; force on a moving charge and on a current-carrying conductor; torque on a current loop; moving coil galvanometer; bar magnet and magnetic field lines; earth’s magnetism; para-, dia- and ferromagnetism. |
| 14. Electromagnetic Induction and Alternating Currents | Faraday’s law; induced emf and current; Lenz’s law and eddy currents; self and mutual inductance; AC generator; peak and RMS values; AC through a resistor, inductor and capacitor; LCR circuits and resonance; transformers. |
| 15. Electromagnetic Waves | Displacement current; electromagnetic waves and their characteristics; transverse nature of the waves; the electromagnetic spectrum. |
| 16. Optics | Reflection, spherical mirrors and the mirror formula; refraction at plane and spherical surfaces and the thin lens formula; magnification; total internal reflection and its applications; dispersion; microscope and telescope and their magnifying powers; wave optics — Huygens’ principle, interference and Young’s double slit, diffraction and polarisation. |
| 17. Dual Nature of Matter and Radiation | Dual nature of radiation; the photoelectric effect; Hertz and Lenard’s observations; Einstein’s photoelectric equation; the particle nature of light; de Broglie’s hypothesis; the Davisson–Germer experiment. |
| 18. Atoms and Nuclei | Alpha-particle scattering and Rutherford’s model; the Bohr model, energy levels and the hydrogen spectrum; composition and size of the nucleus; mass–energy relation; nuclear fission and fusion; radioactivity and the decay laws. |
| 19. Electronic Devices | Semiconductors and their types; the p–n junction diode and its I–V characteristics; diode as a rectifier; Zener diode; photodiode, LED and solar cell; logic gates. |
| 20. Experimental Skills | Familiarity with the approach and observations of the experiments and activities listed in the syllabus — Vernier calipers, screw gauge and the standard practical work of Classes 11 and 12. This is a syllabus unit in its own right, not an afterthought, which is why the practical work cannot be skipped. |
Chemistry — 19 units, and what each one covers
Chemistry carries 45 questions, and the unit list is where most of the paper’s surprises hide — several unit names sound narrower than the content inside them.
| Unit | What it covers |
|---|---|
| 1. Some Basic Concepts in Chemistry | Matter and its nature; laws of chemical combination; atomic and molecular masses; the mole concept and molar mass; percentage composition; empirical and molecular formulae; chemical equations and stoichiometry. |
| 2. Atomic Structure | Electromagnetic radiation and the photoelectric effect; the spectrum of the hydrogen atom; Bohr’s model of the hydrogen atom; the dual behaviour of matter; the quantum mechanical model; atomic orbitals and quantum numbers; the rules for filling electrons. |
| 3. Chemical Bonding and Molecular Structure | The Kossel–Lewis approach to bond formation; ionic bonding and lattice energy; covalent bonding and Lewis structures; VSEPR theory and molecular shapes; valence bond theory and hybridisation; molecular orbital theory; hydrogen bonding. |
| 4. Chemical Thermodynamics | System and surroundings; extensive and intensive properties; state functions and types of processes; the first law, work, heat, internal energy and enthalpy; Hess’s law of constant heat summation; bond dissociation, combustion, formation, atomisation, sublimation, phase transition, hydration, ionisation and solution enthalpies; the second law and spontaneity; Gibbs energy and the equilibrium constant. |
| 5. Solutions | Expressing concentration — molality, molarity, mole fraction and percentage; solubility of gases and solids; Raoult’s law; ideal and non-ideal solutions; colligative properties; the van’t Hoff factor. |
| 6. Equilibrium | The meaning of equilibrium and dynamic equilibrium; equilibria in physical processes; the law of mass action and the equilibrium constant; the factors that shift an equilibrium; ionic equilibrium; acids, bases and pH; buffers; solubility product. |
| 7. Redox Reactions and Electrochemistry | The electronic concept of oxidation and reduction; oxidation number and the rules for assigning it; balancing redox equations; electrochemical cells and electrode potential; the Nernst equation; the electrochemical series; conductance; fuel cells and corrosion. |
| 8. Chemical Kinetics | Rate of a reaction and the factors affecting it — concentration, temperature, pressure and catalyst; order and molecularity; the integrated rate equations; collision theory; the Arrhenius equation and activation energy. |
| 9. Classification of Elements and Periodicity | The modern periodic law and the present form of the periodic table; s, p, d and f block elements; the periodic trends in properties. |
| 10. p-Block Elements | Groups 13 to 18: electronic configuration, general trends in physical and chemical properties, and the properties and important compounds of each group. |
| 11. d- and f-Block Elements | Transition elements: electronic configuration, occurrence and characteristics, and general trends in properties; the important compounds; lanthanoids and actinoids. |
| 12. Co-ordination Compounds | Werner’s theory; ligands, coordination number, denticity and chelation; IUPAC nomenclature; isomerism; the bonding theories; stability and the applications of coordination compounds. |
| 13. Purification and Characterisation of Organic Compounds | Crystallisation, sublimation, distillation, differential extraction and chromatography — principles and applications; qualitative and quantitative analysis of organic compounds. |
| 14. Some Basic Principles of Organic Chemistry | The tetravalency of carbon and hybridisation; classification of organic compounds; isomerism; IUPAC nomenclature; electronic displacement effects; homolytic and heterolytic fission; nucleophiles and electrophiles; the types of organic reactions. |
| 15. Organic Compounds Containing Halogens | General methods of preparation, properties and reactions; the nature of the carbon–halogen bond; the mechanisms of substitution reactions; uses. |
| 16. Organic Compounds Containing Oxygen | Alcohols, phenols and ethers — identification, nomenclature, preparation, properties and uses; aldehydes and ketones — preparation, properties and reactions. |
| 17. Organic Compounds Containing Nitrogen | Amines: nomenclature, classification, structure, basic character, preparation and properties; diazonium salts and their reactions. |
| 18. Biomolecules | Carbohydrates and their classification, aldoses and ketoses, monosaccharides and polysaccharides; proteins; enzymes; vitamins; nucleic acids; hormones. |
| 19. Principles Related to Practical Chemistry | Detection of extra elements and of the standard functional groups in organic compounds; preparation of inorganic and organic compounds; titrimetric exercises. |
Biology — 10 units, and what each one covers
Half the paper sits here, and ten units is a misleadingly short list — each one is a whole block of NCERT.
| Unit | What it covers |
|---|---|
| 1. Diversity in Living World | What is living; biodiversity; the need for classification; taxonomy and systematics; the concept of species and the taxonomical hierarchy; the five kingdom classification and binomial nomenclature. |
| 2. Structural Organisation in Animals and Plants | Morphology and modifications; tissues; the anatomy and functions of the root, stem, leaf and flower; animal tissues and the structural organisation of the animals prescribed in the syllabus. |
| 3. Cell Structure and Function | Cell theory and the cell as the basic unit of life; prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells; plant and animal cells and their organelles; the cell membrane and cell wall; the cell cycle and cell division, including meiosis; biomolecules. |
| 4. Plant Physiology | Photosynthesis and autotrophic nutrition — the site, the pigments and the stages; respiration; transport in plants; mineral nutrition; plant growth and development. |
| 5. Human Physiology | Digestion and absorption; breathing and respiration; body fluids and circulation; excretory products and their elimination; locomotion and movement; neural control and coordination; chemical coordination and integration. |
| 6. Reproduction | Sexual reproduction in flowering plants — flower structure, the gametophytes, pollination and fertilisation; human reproduction; reproductive health. |
| 7. Genetics and Evolution | Heredity and variation and Mendelian inheritance; deviations from Mendelism — incomplete dominance, co-dominance, multiple alleles, pleiotropy and polygenic inheritance; the chromosome theory of inheritance; sex determination; linkage and crossing over; sex-linked inheritance such as haemophilia and colour blindness; Mendelian and chromosomal disorders; the molecular basis of inheritance — DNA and RNA structure, DNA packaging, replication, transcription, the genetic code, translation and gene regulation such as the lac operon; evolution — origin of life, the evidence from palaeontology and comparative anatomy, Darwin’s contribution and the modern synthetic theory. |
| 8. Biology and Human Welfare | Health and disease; the pathogens and parasites that cause human disease — malaria, filariasis, ascariasis, typhoid and pneumonia among them; immunity; cancer; drugs and alcohol abuse; improvement in food production; animal husbandry. |
| 9. Biotechnology and Its Applications | The principles and processes of biotechnology; genetic engineering and recombinant DNA technology; the applications of biotechnology in agriculture, medicine and industry. |
| 10. Ecology and Environment | Organisms and environment; population interactions such as mutualism, competition, predation and parasitism; population attributes; ecosystems; biodiversity and its conservation; environmental issues. |
Which books to study
The 49 units are drawn from the Class 11 and Class 12 books, so the material a Tamil Nadu candidate needs is the same set of textbooks they already use at school. Every one of them is on this site:
- Class 11 (Plus One) textbooks — the whole first-year book set, Tamil and English medium.
- Class 12 (Plus Two) textbooks — the second-year set, which carries the larger share of the paper.
- Science textbooks, every class — physics, chemistry and biology from Class 1 to Class 12 on one page.
- NEET study materials — the notes and question banks collected on this site.
Two editions are worth keeping side by side. The Samacheer Kalvi book is what a state board student is taught from, and the NCERT edition is what the paper is actually set from. Where the two differ in wording or in the order topics appear, the NCERT version decides the question.
The 2026 syllabus is a revised document
The syllabus currently in force is not the same document that was used a few years ago. The Under Graduate Medical Education Board of the National Medical Commission issued a public notice on 22 December 2025 confirming that it had finalised and updated the syllabus for NEET (UG) 2026, for the academic session 2026-27, and directed stakeholders to work from the revised version.
Anyone preparing from an older printed guide is therefore working from a superseded list. The current unit list is published on the NMC site and is free to download.
Notes for Tamil Nadu candidates
- Write in the language you think in. NEET is offered in Tamil alongside English and several other Indian languages. The paper is not easier in either, but misreading a question costs four marks plus one.
- Map the state syllabus to NCERT. The Samacheer Kalvi science textbooks cover the same ground, but a few topics sit in different years between the two boards, so check the NCERT chapter list rather than assuming the order.
- Biology is the lever. With 90 of the 180 questions, it rewards long-term revision more than any last-month push.
- Rehearse full-length papers on the clock. Two hundred minutes for 180 questions is comfortable only if the speed has been practised with negative marking in mind.
Frequently asked questions
How many questions are there in NEET?
180 questions carrying 720 marks in total — 45 in Physics, 45 in Chemistry and 90 in Biology.
Is there negative marking in NEET?
Yes. Four marks are awarded for a correct answer and one mark is deducted for a wrong answer; unattempted questions score zero.
How many units are in the NEET syllabus?
49 units in all — 20 in Physics, 19 in Chemistry and 10 in Biology.
What is the NEET syllabus based on?
The Class 11 and Class 12 Physics, Chemistry and Biology syllabus, framed by the National Medical Commission as a unit-wise list rather than chapter-wise.
Has the NEET syllabus changed?
Yes. The NMC issued an updated syllabus for NEET (UG) 2026 in December 2025 for the 2026-27 session, so older guides may not match the current unit list.
Can I write NEET in Tamil?
Yes. NEET is offered in Tamil along with English and several other Indian languages.
How long is the NEET exam?
200 minutes, which is 3 hours and 20 minutes.