NEET UG 2027 exam date: CBT or pen-paper mode, syllabus, age limit, attempts and new rules

NEET 2027 exam date: what NTA has said so far

Nothing yet. On 16 September 2026, NTA published its examination calendar up to March 2027. It lists JEE Main session 1 (22 to 30 January 2027), CUET PG (March 2027) and other tests, but not NEET UG. The notice adds that the calendar "does not constitute a notification for any particular examination" and that detailed bulletins come separately.

Any NEET 2027 date shared online, January, May or June, is a guess until NTA issues a notice and bulletin on neet.nta.nic.in.

The best guide is the 2026 timeline below. NTA has not said whether 2027 will follow it.

NEET 2027 CBT mode: confirmed or not?

Not confirmed. Here is exactly what the official record says.

NEET UG 2026 was pen and paper. The 2026 bulletin says it was "a single day/ single shift exam in PEN and PAPER mode as was conducted in 2025", as per an NMC letter dated 5 December 2025. The 21 June re-exam was also in "Pen & Paper Mode (Offline)", per NTA's notice of 15 May 2026.

For 2027, the matter is open. The Union of India's additional affidavit, filed in the Supreme Court on 16 September 2026 by the Secretary, Department of Higher Education, and placed on nta.ac.in on the court's direction, lists the matters before the High-Powered Task Force. The first one is:

"The possible migration of NEET (UG) from the pen-and-paper mode to Computer-Based Testing, including the design of the transition, the sequencing, the infrastructure prerequisites, and the equity implications for rural, women and low-connectivity-district candidates."

It "awaits the recommendations of the HPTF, in structured consultation and concurrence of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the National Medical Commission". A national CBT centre strategy is "under active formulation".

You may have seen May 2026 reports quoting the Education Minister as saying NEET will move to CBT from next year. We could not find that statement in any PIB release or NTA notice, and the later, formal September affidavit still calls CBT a possibility. Prepare for the same 180-question paper either way: the mode changes how you mark answers, not what is asked.

What changed after 2024: the Radhakrishnan committee and the 2026 re-exam

After the 2024 controversy, the Ministry of Education set up a High Level Committee of Experts under Dr K. Radhakrishnan, former ISRO chairman, on 22 June 2024. Its report of 21 October 2024 made 101 recommendations, per the affidavit. A High-Powered Steering Committee, also chaired by Dr Radhakrishnan, now checks that they are carried out. On 27 July 2026 the government formed a High-Powered Task Force under Nandan Nilekani, former UIDAI chairman, to recommend wider reforms of NTA's exams. Our news desk covered the task force and the affidavit in detail.

Then 2026 happened. On 7 May 2026, NTA received inputs about alleged malpractice around the 3 May exam (press release of 10 May). On 12 May 2026, NTA, with the approval of the Government of India, cancelled the 3 May exam and the government referred the matter to the CBI. No fresh registration was needed, no extra fee was charged, and fees already paid were refunded. Our re-examination explainer covers what that meant for families.

Changes already on the official record:

• Longer exam window: the 21 June paper ran from 2 pm to 5:15 pm, a 195-minute window that includes signing and other formalities (notice of 12 June 2026).
• More rough work space: four rough-work pages instead of two, with two placed right after the instruction page.
• Tighter security: Aadhaar-based biometric and face authentication, multi-layer frisking, mobile jammers, CCTV and AI tools, plus QR-tracked question papers, as listed in the affidavit.
• Faster result: the 2026 result came on 16 July 2026, with scanned OMR sheets shown to candidates before it (result press release).

NEET 2027 syllabus: NTA and NMC

The syllabus is set by the National Medical Commission, not NTA. For 2026, NMC's Under Graduate Medical Education Board issued an updated syllabus by public notice dated 22 December 2025. The 2026 bulletin's FAQ says there was "no change in the syllabus of NEET (UG) 2026 with respect to the previous year".

As of 20 October 2026, we could not find a NEET UG 2027 syllabus notice from NMC. Until one comes, the 2026 syllabus is the reference. It has:

• Physics: 20 units, from Physics and Measurement to Electronic Devices and Experimental Skills.
• Chemistry: 20 units, covering physical, inorganic and organic chemistry plus Principles Related to Practical Chemistry.
• Biology (Botany and Zoology): 10 units, from Diversity in Living World to Ecology and Environment.

There is no official 2027 "deleted syllabus" list, and NTA does not publish chapter-wise weightage.

Gujarati medium: NEET UG 2026 was held in 13 languages, including Gujarati. NTA's data shows 49,647 candidates registered in Gujarati in 2026. The syllabus is the same in every language.

NEET 2027 exam pattern and qualifying marks (2026 rules)

All 180 questions are compulsory multiple-choice questions with four options. A correct answer gets +4, a wrong answer minus 1, and an unanswered question 0. The test lasts 3 hours, with one extra hour for eligible PwD and PwBD candidates.

To qualify, General and EWS candidates need the 50th percentile, SC, ST and OBC candidates the 40th, and General PwBD candidates the 45th. In 2026 the General cut-off marks range was 715 to 213, and 212 to 177 for SC, ST and OBC, per NTA's key data.

NEET 2027 age limit, attempt limit and eligibility

These come from the 2026 bulletin, which follows NMC's regulations:

• Minimum age: 17 years on or before 31 December of the exam year. For 2026 that meant born on or before 31 December 2009. If the rule stays the same, a 2027 candidate would need to be born on or before 31 December 2010.
• Upper age limit: none. The bulletin cites NMC letters of 9 March 2022 and 13 January 2026.
• Attempts: the bulletin sets no cap on how many times you can appear.
• Subjects: Physics, Chemistry, Biology or Biotechnology, and English in Class 12. Candidates in Class 12 in the exam year can apply and must pass before admission.
• Abroad: Indian and OCI students heading for a foreign medical or dental college must also qualify.

NEET 2027 registration and fees

The 2027 form is not out. In 2026 the fee was ₹1,700 (General), ₹1,600 (General-EWS and OBC-NCL), ₹1,000 (SC, ST, PwBD and third gender) and ₹9,500 for a centre outside India, plus processing charges and GST (notice of 8 February 2026). The last date was later extended to 11 March 2026 with "no further extension".

Apply only on neet.nta.nic.in. In a notice of January 2026, NTA advised candidates to update their Aadhaar, UDID and category certificates before the form opened, so that is worth doing early.

Gujarat numbers and what to do next

Gujarat had 79,190 registrations, 68,833 candidates appeared and 38,146 qualified in NEET UG 2026, per NTA. Our news desk reports that Gujarat has 7,800 MBBS seats across 42 colleges, and NMC has opened applications for new colleges and seats for 2027-28.

Once you qualify, admission runs through MCC for All India Quota seats and state committees for state seats. Read our MBBS admission guide and NEET UG counselling guide. If you are weighing other routes after Class 12 PCB, see medical career options after PCB, entrance exams after Class 12 science and the MBBS course in India.