NEET 2027 Exam Date, Syllabus and Pattern: What PUC Students Must Know
NEET 2027 will not look like any NEET before it. After the 2026 paper was cancelled over a leak and re-held in June, the Union Education Minister announced that NEET UG moves to computer-based testing from 2027. For a student now in first or second PU in Karnataka, that changes how you should practise, even though most of what you study stays the same.
This page sets out what is confirmed, what is expected, and what is still unknown as of October 2026, and then gives a preparation timeline that works whether you are in first PU or already in second PU.
Key takeaways
- NTA has not yet announced the NEET UG 2027 date. NEET has been held on the first Sunday of May in recent years, which in 2027 would be 2 May, but treat that as an expectation only.
- The Union Education Minister has announced that NEET UG moves to computer-based test (CBT) mode from 2027, replacing pen-and-paper OMR. NTA will confirm the details in the bulletin.
- The 2026 pattern was 180 compulsory questions, 720 marks, three hours, with +4 for a correct answer and -1 for a wrong one. Expect the 2027 pattern to stay close to this unless NTA says otherwise.
- The syllabus follows the NMC-notified NEET UG syllabus based on NCERT Class 11 and 12, which Karnataka PU Science textbooks also follow.
NEET 2027 exam date: what we know so far
As of October 2026, the National Testing Agency has not released the NEET UG 2027 information bulletin or exam date. The official date will appear on neet.nta.nic.in, usually with the bulletin in the first quarter of the year.
Recent history gives a reasonable guide. NEET was held on 5 May in 2024, 4 May in 2025 and 3 May in 2026, each the first Sunday of May. On that pattern the 2027 exam would fall on Sunday 2 May 2027. The move to computer-based testing could change this, because CBT exams are often spread over several days or shifts, so plan around early May and adjust when NTA confirms.
| Event | Expected window | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Information bulletin and registration opens | February 2027 | Expected, based on past cycles |
| Registration closes | March 2027 | Expected |
| Correction window | March 2027 | Expected |
| Admit card | Late April 2027 | Expected |
| Exam | Early May 2027 | Expected; 2 May if the first-Sunday pattern holds |
| Result | June 2027 | Expected |
| Exam mode | Computer-based test | Announced by the Union Education Minister |
Why 2027 is different: the move to CBT
NEET UG 2026 was originally held on 3 May 2026. NTA cancelled it on 12 May after a paper leak, held a re-exam in pen-and-paper mode on 21 June, and declared results on 16 July (2026 NEET controversy, Wikipedia). In the aftermath, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan announced that NEET UG would be conducted as a computer-based test from 2027 (The Quint).
What CBT changes for a student is the experience of the paper, not the content. NTA has not yet published the NEET CBT interface, but if it follows the JEE Main format, you will read each question on a screen, select an answer with a mouse, and move between questions using a palette. You will not be able to underline or scribble beside a diagram, and rough work will go on a separate sheet. JEE Main students have worked this way for years, and the adjustment is real but learnable.
What is not yet known: whether the exam runs in one shift or several, whether scores are normalised across shifts, and whether the question count or timing changes. Do not trust any site that states these as fact before the bulletin is out.
NEET exam pattern and marking scheme
The 2026 pattern is the best guide to 2027. Since 2025, NTA has dropped the optional Section B questions, so all 180 questions are compulsory.
| Subject | Questions | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| Physics | 45 | 180 |
| Chemistry | 45 | 180 |
| Botany | 45 | 180 |
| Zoology | 45 | 180 |
| Total | 180 | 720 |
Two numbers matter more than the rest. Biology is half the paper, 360 of 720 marks, so it decides most ranks. And three hours for 180 questions is one minute per question on average, which makes speed a trained skill, not a personality trait. Negative marking means a guess with no elimination costs you more often than it pays.
NEET 2027 syllabus
The NEET UG syllabus is notified by the National Medical Commission and is based on the NCERT Class 11 and Class 12 textbooks in Physics, Chemistry and Biology. It was revised in 2024, when some topics were removed, and NMC made no further changes for 2026. Until NMC or NTA publishes a 2027 syllabus, prepare from the current NMC-notified version.
For Karnataka students this is good news. PU Science in Karnataka uses NCERT-based textbooks, so the board syllabus and the NEET syllabus overlap heavily. The difference is depth. A board question on a Biology chapter tests whether you can explain it; NEET tests whether you can pick the one correct statement out of four close ones in under a minute.
- Physics: mechanics, thermodynamics, electrostatics, current electricity, magnetism, optics, modern physics. Numerical-heavy, so it rewards daily practice more than reading.
- Chemistry: physical, organic and inorganic. Inorganic chemistry leans heavily on NCERT text, so read it closely.
- Biology: Botany and Zoology from both years, including cell biology, genetics, human physiology, plant physiology, ecology and biotechnology. NCERT is the primary source, not an optional one.
Eligibility at a glance
- Subjects: Physics, Chemistry, Biology or Biotechnology, and English in second PU. PCMB students are eligible; PCMC and PCMS students are not. See PCMB vs PCMC vs PCMS if you are still choosing.
- Marks: 50 percent in Physics, Chemistry and Biology together for General category, 40 percent for OBC, SC and ST, as per the 2026 rules. Persons with disabilities have separate thresholds listed in the bulletin.
- Age: at least 17 by 31 December of the admission year. No upper age limit.
- Attempts: no limit.
Students appearing for second PU in 2027 can apply, and admission is confirmed once board results meet the requirement. Confirm every criterion against the 2027 bulletin when it is published.
Preparation timeline from first PU
The NEET syllabus covers both PU years, so the timeline starts in first PU, not in second. Here is how the two years fit together for a student targeting NEET 2028 who is in first PU now, and the compressed version for a student targeting NEET 2027 from second PU.
If you are in first PU now (targeting NEET 2028)
- June to December of first PU: learn each first PU chapter for both board and NEET depth as it is taught. Solve NEET-level questions on a chapter the same week it is finished.
- January to March: first PU annual exams. Keep a weekly chapter-wise test running alongside.
- April and May: the most underused months. Revise all of first PU and close weak chapters before second PU begins.
- Second PU: follow the plan below, with the advantage that first PU is already solid.
If you are in second PU now (targeting NEET 2027)
- October to December 2026: finish the second PU syllabus. Give one day a week to first PU revision so it does not decay. Begin practising on a computer screen at least twice a week, because CBT is new for NEET.
- January to the board exam: prepare for the second PU board exam. Your PU marks decide NEET eligibility and matter for other courses, so do not neglect them. Keep one full-length NEET mock per week.
- After the board exam to NEET: full-length computer-based mocks every two or three days, each followed by an error analysis longer than the test itself. No new material in the final three weeks.
Watch the Karnataka second PU exam calendar when it is released. In 2026, Exam 2 ran from 29 April to 16 May, which overlapped the original NEET date. If you plan to use Exam 2 to improve your board marks, check the 2027 dates against NEET before deciding. For realistic daily study hours at each stage, read how many hours you should study daily for NEET, and if this is your second attempt, see study methods that move a repeater’s score.
Practising for a computer-based NEET
- Take mocks on a screen, not on paper. Reading a long Biology statement question on a monitor is slower until you have done it many times.
- Practise rough work on a separate sheet. You cannot write next to the question, so organise your working by question number.
- Learn the question palette. JEE Main CBT has a mark-for-review option, and NEET will likely have something similar. Use it to move past difficult questions and return to them, rather than losing three minutes on one.
- Keep NCERT on paper. CBT changes the test, not how you learn. Annotate your textbooks as you always have.
Frequently asked questions
When is the NEET 2027 exam?
NTA has not announced it yet. NEET has been held on the first Sunday of May in recent years, which would make the expected date Sunday 2 May 2027. The shift to computer-based testing may change this, so confirm on neet.nta.nic.in once the bulletin is published.
Is NEET 2027 online or offline?
Computer-based, as announced by the Union Education Minister, replacing the pen-and-paper format used until 2026. NTA will confirm the details in the 2027 bulletin.
Has the NEET 2027 syllabus changed?
No new syllabus has been notified for 2027 so far. NMC revised the syllabus in 2024 and made no changes for 2026. Prepare from the current NMC-notified syllabus and check for updates when the 2027 bulletin is released.
How many questions are there in NEET?
In 2026 there were 180 compulsory questions, 45 each from Physics, Chemistry, Botany and Zoology, for 720 marks in three hours. Each correct answer earns 4 marks and each wrong answer loses 1.
When should a Karnataka PUC student start preparing for NEET?
In first PU. A large share of the NEET syllabus, including mechanics, physical chemistry basics and much of plant and animal biology, comes from first PU, and students who leave them for second PU end up revising two years of content in one.
What to do this month
Most of NEET 2027 is still unannounced, and that is fine, because most of your preparation does not depend on it. The syllabus is known, the pattern is very likely to hold, and the one confirmed change, computer-based testing, is something you can start practising today. Bookmark neet.nta.nic.in, finish the second PU syllabus by December, and take your first screen-based mock this month.
At Canara Vikaas, NEET coaching runs inside the PU college day, so board preparation, entrance practice and weekly tests are scheduled together instead of competing for the same evening hours.
Related reading: every entrance exam open to a PUC Science student, JEE Main 2027 dates and a 90-day plan, and choosing between PCMB, PCMC and PCMS.