NEET UG 2025: New rule added for tie-breaking, check other major changes

New Delhi: National Testing Agency (NTA) has introduced a new rule to break ties in the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test-Undergraduate (NEET UG 2025) scores if the existing methods fail to determine a rank.

If a tie remains unresolved after the existing seven-point method, an independent expert committee will guide the resolution through a “random process,” according to a NEET UG information bulletin.

The current tie-breaking rules prioritise higher marks in Biology (Botany & Zoology), followed by Chemistry and then Physics. If the tie persists, the proportion of incorrect to correct answers in each subject is considered.

The current tie-breaking criteria are as follows:

1. The candidate obtaining higher marks/percentile scores in Biology (Botany & Zoology) will be given preference in the All India Rank (AIR) list, followed by
2. The candidate who obtains higher marks/percentile score in Chemistry, followed by
3. The candidate obtaining higher marks/percentile score in Physics followed by
4. The candidate with less proportion of the number of attempted incorrect answers and correct answers in all the subjects in the test, followed by
5. The candidate with less proportion of a number of attempted incorrect answers and correct answers in Biology (Botany & Zoology), followed by
6. The candidate with less proportion of a number of attempted incorrect answers and correct answers in Chemistry, followed by
7. The candidate with less proportion of a number of attempted incorrect answers and correct answers in Physics.

The new rule serves as a final measure if all these criteria fail to break the tie.

Pre-COVID exam pattern for NEET UG 2025

Additionally, NTA has announced a return to the pre-COVID pattern for NEET UG 2025. The number of questions and the time allotted for the exam will be reduced, and optional questions, which were introduced during the pandemic, will no longer be applicable.

Notably, NTA February 7 released the notification for the NEET UG 2025. NEET UG candidates can apply at official NTA website i.e. neet.nta.nic.in.

PNN