NEET UG · 10 papers · 2017–2026

NEET previous year questions, chapter by chapter

We tagged all 1,875 questions from ten years of official NEET UG papers to their NCERT chapter, topic and idea. Here is what comes every year, what kind of question each chapter asks, and how the paper is changing.

Questions tagged: 1,875; 10 official papers, 2017–2026
Chapters in the syllabus: 80; 14 dropped since 2024
Chapters for 80% of marks: 61; NEET is broad: no shortcut chapter list
New ideas each year: 59%; of 2026 questions tested an idea not asked before

Key findings

What ten years of NEET tell you

61 of 94
01
chapters cover 80% of questions. The top 31 cover only half.
99% vs 38%
02
- Topic asked before99%
- Exact idea asked before38%
Topics repeat; exact ideas mostly do not (2022–26 papers).
57% → 44%
03
Easy questions, 2017–23 average against 2025–26.
20% → 26%
04
Questions that need a calculation, 2017–23 against 2025–26.
6% → 22%
05
Statement, assertion–reason and match-the-list questions.
47 of 80
06
- Asked all 10 years
- Missed a year or more
live chapters were asked in every one of the ten papers.
47% → 55%
07
Class 12 share of Biology, 2017–23 against 2025–26.
+2.3 / -1.6
08
- Human Health and Disease
  2.5 → 4.8 a paper
- Anatomy of Flowering Plants
  2.9 → 1.2 a paper
Biggest rise and fall in questions a paper, since 2024 against 2017–23.

Subjects

Where the questions come from

Biology is 50% of all 1,875 questions.

Ten-year totals, 2017–2026

Physics

25%

466 questions

Chemistry

25%

469 questions

Botany

28%

520 questions

Zoology

22%

420 questions

25%25%28%22%

Share of each paper

201724%25%32%19%
201825%25%31%19%
201925%25%29%21%
202025%25%28%22%
202125%25%25%25%
202225%25%25%25%
202325%25%25%25%
202425%25%25%25%
202525%25%31%19%
202625%25%28%22%

Physics
Chemistry
Botany
Zoology

Botany and Zoology are the two halves of Biology.

Class 11 against Class 12

Physics
44%56%
Chemistry
46%54%
Biology
51%49%

Class 11
Class 12

Easy questions, ten years

Physics47%
Chemistry47%
Biology61%

Physics leans most on Class 12: 56% of its questions.

Chapter weightage

No short list of chapters

It takes 31 chapters to reach half the questions and 61 to reach 80%.

Concentration curve

Share of all questions covered as chapters are added, biggest first. Dashed: every chapter equal.

The ten biggest chapters

running share

1
Molecular Basis of Inheritance61
3%
2
Biotechnology: Principles and Processes46
6%
3
Principles of Inheritance and Variation43
8%
4
Sexual Reproduction in Flowering Plants37
10%
5
Cell: The Unit of Life36
12%
6
Animal Kingdom34
14%
7
Current Electricity34
16%
8
Human Reproduction33
17%
9
Human Health and Disease33
19%
10
Biomolecules33
21%

Together they hold 21% of all questions.

Chapter map

80 live chapters

Physics453 Q

Current Electricity34 Semiconductor Electronics: Materials, Devices and Simple Circuits27 Ray Optics and Optical Instruments26 System of Particles and Rotational Motion25 Electrostatic Potential and Capacitance23 Moving Charges and Magnetism22 20 20 Laws of Motion20 Gravitation19 Electromagnetic Waves18 Oscillations17 16 15 15 15 14 14 Electric Charges and Fields14 13 13 13 10 9 8 7 6

Chemistry410 Q

Thermodynamics32 Coordination Compounds27 Aldehydes, Ketones and Carboxylic Acids27 Equilibrium26 Hydrocarbons25 Chemical Bonding and Molecular Structure24 The p-Block Elements (Class 12)23 Organic Chemistry - Some Basic Principles and Techniques22 The d- and f-Block Elements21 Chemical Kinetics21 Amines18 Electrochemistry17 Solutions16 16 16 15 Some Basic Concepts of Chemistry14 Biomolecules14 13 13 10

Biology870 Q

Molecular Basis of Inheritance61 Biotechnology: Principles and Processes46 Principles of Inheritance and Variation43 Sexual Reproduction in Flowering Plants37 Cell: The Unit of Life36 Animal Kingdom34 Human Reproduction33 Human Health and Disease33 Biomolecules33 Cell Cycle and Cell Division32 Organisms and Populations31 Plant Kingdom31 Evolution28 Morphology of Flowering Plants28 Structural Organisation in Animals27 Biological Classification26 Anatomy of Flowering Plants25 Chemical Coordination and Integration24 Biotechnology and its Applications24 Photosynthesis in Higher Plants23 Plant Growth and Development23 Biodiversity and Conservation22 Reproductive Health22 Body Fluids and Circulation21 Ecosystem20 Locomotion and Movement19 17 16 16 15 Neural Control and Coordination15 9

Physics453 Q

Current Electricity34 Semiconductor Electronics: Materials, Devices and Simple Circuits27 Ray Optics and Optical Instruments26 System of Particles and Rotational Motion25 Electrostatic Potential and Capacitance23 Moving Charges and Magnetism22 Dual Nature of Radiation and Matter20 Units and Measurements20 Laws of Motion20 Gravitation19 Electromagnetic Waves18 Oscillations17 Work, Energy and Power16 Mechanical Properties of Fluids15 Alternating Current15 Wave Optics15 14 14 14 13 13 Nuclei13 10 Waves9 Magnetism and Matter8 7 6

Chemistry410 Q

Thermodynamics32 Coordination Compounds27 Aldehydes, Ketones and Carboxylic Acids27 Equilibrium26 Hydrocarbons25 Chemical Bonding and Molecular Structure24 The p-Block Elements (Class 12)23 Organic Chemistry - Some Basic Principles and Techniques22 The d- and f-Block Elements21 Chemical Kinetics21 Amines18 Electrochemistry17 Solutions16 Structure of Atom16 Haloalkanes and Haloarenes16 Alcohols, Phenols and Ethers15 Some Basic Concepts of Chemistry14 Biomolecules14 Classification of Elements and Periodicity in Properties13 The p-Block Elements (Class 11)13 Redox Reactions10

Biology870 Q

Up 1+ a paper
Up 0.3 to 1
Steady
Down 0.3 to 1
Down 1+ a paper

Tile size is ten-year questions; colour is the change since 2024. 39 chapters are up, 21 down. Open a tile for the chapter.

What the chapters are worth

Marks the biggest chapters held, paper by paper

Each question is worth 4 of 720 marks. Adding chapters biggest first, this is how many marks they held in each of the 10 papers. The band runs from the leanest paper to the richest; the line is the middle one. It is history, not a promise for the next paper.

Historical marks coverage

Lowest to highest paper
Middle paper

Chapters in the 2026 syllabus, ranked by ten-year average. Papers with 200 questions are scaled to 180. Ranked with all ten papers, so this is hindsight, not a test.

Read across

marks of 720

Top 10 chapters146128–188 across papersmiddle paper
Must do (28 chapters)336292–396 across papersmiddle paper
Must + Should do (54 chapters)533492–596 across papersmiddle paper
All 80 live chapters650630–720 across papersmiddle paper

Marks a paper held in these chapters, not marks anyone scored. Chapters dropped in 2024 held part of the older papers, which is why those papers fall short of 720 even with every live chapter.

Difficulty

The paper is getting harder

Easy questions fell from 57% to 44%; hard rose from 2% to 7%.

Easy, medium and hard

Easy
Medium
Hard

Number in each column: easy share of that paper.

Questions that need a calculation

20% a paper in 2017–23, 26% in 2025–26.

Question format

How the questions are asked

Share of each paper by format, 2017 to 2026, on one scale. The navy column is 2026.

Recall
36%-6 since 2017
20172026
Calculation
25%+4 since 2017
20172026
Figure-based
10%+5 since 2017
20172026
Match the lists
7%+5 since 2017
20172026
Two statements
7%+7 since 2017
20172026
Concept
7%-12 since 2017
20172026
Assertion–reason
5%+5 since 2017
20172026
Application
5%-7 since 2017
20172026

Two-statement questions first reached 1% of a paper in 2021; assertion–reason in 2022.

Surprise years

Molecular Basis of Inheritance2026: 2 vs 5.8
Cell: The Unit of Life2026: 7 vs 3.5
Biological Classification2018: 6 vs 2.5
Biotechnology: Principles and Processes2018: 1 vs 4.4
Coordination Compounds2026: 6 vs 2.6

Usual, per paper
That year

Chapters that came far more or less than usual.

Repetition

Chapters repeat. Exact questions don’t

Since 2022, 99% of questions came from a topic asked before, but only 38% repeated the exact idea.

Share of each paper seen in an earlier paper

2022–26 average

Same chapter100%
Same topic99%
Same exact idea38%
Same idea as the year before8%

See the ideas that repeat

Same chapter
Same topic
Same exact idea

Topic repeats passed 95% in 2021. Exact-idea repeats peaked at 41%.

New ideas in each paper

Tested an idea no earlier paper had asked. Early years run high: fewer papers came before them.

Same idea as the year before

Share of questions repeating an idea from the paper a year earlier. 2022–26 average: 8%.

Year by year

Every paper at a glance

Bar: easy, medium and hard. Open a year for every question.

High-yield topics

Topics that come almost every year

Questions a paper for each topic: what history shows, and what a recency-weighted model estimates. Dots: the years each was asked.

Physics

Ohm's Law and Resistance1–4 Q
Current Electricity
avg 2.7 · est 2.5
Photoelectric Effect1–3 Q
Dual Nature of Radiation and Matter
avg 1.9 · est 2.1
Rotational Motion1–3 Q
System of Particles and Rotational Motion
avg 2.0 · est 2.0
Units and Dimensions1–3 Q
Units and Measurements
avg 1.9 · est 1.9
Gravitation2 Q
Gravitation
avg 1.8 · est 1.9
Electromagnetic Waves1–2 Q
Electromagnetic Waves
avg 1.7 · est 1.9

Chemistry

Aldehydes, Ketones and Carboxylic Acids1–4 Q
Aldehydes, Ketones and Carboxylic Acids
avg 2.1 · est 2.5
d- and f-Block Elements2–3 Q
The d- and f-Block Elements
avg 2.0 · est 2.2
Chemical Kinetics2 Q
Chemical Kinetics
avg 2.0 · est 2.0
Amines and Diazonium Salts1–2 Q
Amines
avg 1.7 · est 2.0
p-Block Elements (Groups 15-18)1–3 Q
The p-Block Elements (Class 12)
avg 2.2 · est 1.9
Solutions and Colligative Properties0–2 Q
Solutions
avg 1.6 · est 1.7

Biology

Biomolecule Structure2–4 Q
Biomolecules
avg 3.1 · est 3.4
Endocrine Glands and Hormone Action1–3 Q
Chemical Coordination and Integration
avg 2.3 · est 2.7
Flower Structure1–3 Q
Morphology of Flowering Plants
avg 1.8 · est 2.2
Cloning Vectors1–3 Q
Biotechnology: Principles and Processes
avg 1.7 · est 2.1
Immunity and Lymphoid Organs1–3 Q
Human Health and Disease
avg 1.6 · est 1.9
Restriction Enzymes1–3 Q
Biotechnology: Principles and Processes
avg 2.1 · est 1.9

Typical range (fact)
10-year average (fact)
Weighted estimate (model)

Typical range: questions per paper in the middle eight of the ten papers, leaving out the single highest and lowest year (about the 10th to 90th percentile), each paper scaled to 180 questions. The ten-year average and the range are historical fact. The weighted estimate is a model: each paper's share, with recent papers counting more (half-life three years), and dropped syllabus removed. It is a guide to effort, not a forecast.

Chapter-wise weightage

Every chapter, every year

For each chapter: the ten-year average and typical range of questions a paper (history), a recency-weighted estimate (model), and a priority band set from the history. Open a row for what to do, the ideas asked most, and where to study and practise.

80 chapters · 1733 questions asked since 2017Show chapters dropped from the syllabus

Molecular Basis of InheritanceMust do4–8Biology · 12 · 61 in 10 yrs-1.0avg 5.8 · est 5.8Chapter page
Biotechnology: Principles and ProcessesMust do3–6Biology · 12 · 46 in 10 yrs+0.6avg 4.4 · est 4.9Chapter page
Cell: The Unit of LifeMust do2–5Biology · 11 · 36 in 10 yrs+2.0avg 3.5 · est 4.2Chapter page
Principles of Inheritance and VariationMust do3–5Biology · 12 · 43 in 10 yrs-0.5avg 4.1 · est 4.1Chapter page
Human ReproductionMust do2–5Biology · 12 · 33 in 10 yrs+1.5avg 3.2 · est 3.9Chapter page
Human Health and DiseaseMust do2–5Biology · 12 · 33 in 10 yrs+2.3avg 3.2 · est 3.9Chapter page
Sexual Reproduction in Flowering PlantsMust do3–5Biology · 12 · 37 in 10 yrs+0.5avg 3.6 · est 3.8Chapter page
Animal KingdomMust do2–4Biology · 11 · 34 in 10 yrs+0.9avg 3.3 · est 3.7Chapter page
BiomoleculesMust do2–4Biology · 11 · 33 in 10 yrs+1.0avg 3.1 · est 3.6Chapter page
ThermodynamicsMust do2–4Chemistry · 11 · 32 in 10 yrs+1.1avg 3.1 · est 3.5Chapter page
Organisms and PopulationsMust do2–4Biology · 12 · 31 in 10 yrs+0.4avg 3.0 · est 3.4Chapter page
Coordination CompoundsMust do1–4Chemistry · 12 · 27 in 10 yrs+1.9avg 2.6 · est 3.4Chapter page
EvolutionMust do1–4Biology · 12 · 28 in 10 yrs+1.2avg 2.7 · est 3.2Chapter page
Aldehydes, Ketones and Carboxylic AcidsMust do1–4Chemistry · 12 · 27 in 10 yrs · Part dropped+0.9avg 2.6 · est 3.1Chapter page
Current ElectricityMust do2–5Physics · 12 · 34 in 10 yrs-1.0avg 3.2 · est 3.1Chapter page
Cell Cycle and Cell DivisionMust do2–5Biology · 11 · 32 in 10 yrs-1.2avg 3.0 · est 3.0Chapter page
Plant KingdomMust do2–5Biology · 11 · 31 in 10 yrs-0.5avg 3.0 · est 3.0Chapter page
Morphology of Flowering PlantsMust do2–4Biology · 11 · 28 in 10 yrs+0.7avg 2.7 · est 3.0Chapter page
Structural Organisation in AnimalsMust do1–4Biology · 11 · 27 in 10 yrs · Part dropped+0.9avg 2.6 · est 3.0Chapter page
Chemical Coordination and IntegrationMust do1–3Biology · 11 · 24 in 10 yrs+1.8avg 2.3 · est 2.9Chapter page
Photosynthesis in Higher PlantsShould do1–3Biology · 11 · 23 in 10 yrs+1.5avg 2.2 · est 2.9Chapter page
HydrocarbonsMust do1–4Chemistry · 11 · 25 in 10 yrs+0.8avg 2.4 · est 2.9Chapter page
EquilibriumMust do1–4Chemistry · 11 · 26 in 10 yrs+0.9avg 2.5 · est 2.7Chapter page
Chemical Bonding and Molecular StructureMust do2–3Chemistry · 11 · 24 in 10 yrs+0.8avg 2.3 · est 2.7Chapter page
Biological ClassificationMust do1–5Biology · 11 · 26 in 10 yrs0.1avg 2.5 · est 2.6Chapter page

Right: typical range of questions a paper, and the change since 2024. Avg: ten-year average (fact). Est: weighted estimate (model).

Chapter	Subject	Asked (10 yrs)	Years asked	Trend	10-yr average	Typical range	Weighted estimate	Usual question
Molecular Basis of InheritanceMust do	Biology · 12	61	10/10	-1.0	5.8	4–8	5.8	Recall
Biotechnology: Principles and ProcessesMust do	Biology · 12	46	10/10	+0.6	4.4	3–6	4.9	Recall
Cell: The Unit of LifeMust do	Biology · 11	36	10/10	+2.0	3.5	2–5	4.2	Recall
Principles of Inheritance and VariationMust do	Biology · 12	43	10/10	-0.5	4.1	3–5	4.1	Recall
Human ReproductionMust do	Biology · 12	33	10/10	+1.5	3.2	2–5	3.9	Recall
Human Health and DiseaseMust do	Biology · 12	33	10/10	+2.3	3.2	2–5	3.9	Recall
Sexual Reproduction in Flowering PlantsMust do	Biology · 12	37	10/10	+0.5	3.6	3–5	3.8	Recall
Animal KingdomMust do	Biology · 11	34	10/10	+0.9	3.3	2–4	3.7	Recall
BiomoleculesMust do	Biology · 11	33	10/10	+1.0	3.1	2–4	3.6	Recall
ThermodynamicsMust do	Chemistry · 11	32	10/10	+1.1	3.1	2–4	3.5	Calculation
Organisms and PopulationsMust do	Biology · 12	31	9/10	+0.4	3.0	2–4	3.4	Recall
Coordination CompoundsMust do	Chemistry · 12	27	10/10	+1.9	2.6	1–4	3.4	Application
EvolutionMust do	Biology · 12	28	10/10	+1.2	2.7	1–4	3.2	Recall
Aldehydes, Ketones and Carboxylic AcidsMust doPart of chapter dropped	Chemistry · 12	27	10/10	+0.9	2.6	1–4	3.1	Calculation
Current ElectricityMust do	Physics · 12	34	10/10	-1.0	3.2	2–5	3.1	Calculation
Cell Cycle and Cell DivisionMust do	Biology · 11	32	10/10	-1.2	3.0	2–5	3.0	Recall
Plant KingdomMust do	Biology · 11	31	10/10	-0.5	3.0	2–5	3.0	Recall
Morphology of Flowering PlantsMust do	Biology · 11	28	10/10	+0.7	2.7	2–4	3.0	Recall
Structural Organisation in AnimalsMust doPart of chapter dropped	Biology · 11	27	10/10	+0.9	2.6	1–4	3.0	Recall
Chemical Coordination and IntegrationMust do	Biology · 11	24	10/10	+1.8	2.3	1–3	2.9	Recall
Photosynthesis in Higher PlantsShould do	Biology · 11	23	9/10	+1.5	2.2	1–3	2.9	Recall
HydrocarbonsMust do	Chemistry · 11	25	10/10	+0.8	2.4	1–4	2.9	Application
EquilibriumMust do	Chemistry · 11	26	10/10	+0.9	2.5	1–4	2.7	Calculation
Chemical Bonding and Molecular StructureMust do	Chemistry · 11	24	10/10	+0.8	2.3	2–3	2.7	Application
Biological ClassificationMust do	Biology · 11	26	9/10	0.1	2.5	1–5	2.6	Recall

Typical range (fact)
10-year average (fact)
Weighted estimate (model)

How far to trust it

A map of the paper, not a forecast

We tested the estimate on the 2022–2026 papers, each time using only the papers before it. Counting past papers beats guessing by a wide margin. Weighting recent papers more adds about one question on top of a plain count.

The full backtest, paper by paper

Top 20 topicsAhead · +1.3 Q
- Weighted estimate22%
- Ten-year count21%
- Last year only20%
- Random pick10%
Top 20 chaptersAhead · +1.6 Q
- Weighted estimate36%
- Ten-year count35%
- Last year only35%
- Random pick21%

List	Weighted estimate	Ten-year count	Last year only	Random pick	Weighting vs count
Top 20 topics	22%	21%	20%	10%	Ahead · +1.3 Q
Top 20 chapters	36%	35%	35%	21%	Ahead · +1.6 Q

Share of the next paper’s questions held by each method’s top picks, averaged over 5 papers.

Explore

Ten years of NEET, every way round

Method

How to read this

Where do the questions come from?

Official NEET UG papers and answer keys published by NTA (CBSE before 2019): 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026. The May 2026 paper that was cancelled is left out of every count, as are questions NTA dropped.

What is the “weighted estimate”?

A weighted average of each chapter’s share of recent papers, with recent years counting more, scaled to a 180-question paper. Tested on the 2022–2026 papers, its top 20 topics held 22% of the next paper, against 21% for a plain ten-year count and 10% for a random 20. It is a guide to where effort pays, not a forecast of the paper.

Can anyone predict the exact questions?

No. Topics repeat, but since 2022 about 62% of each paper has tested an idea inside the topic that had never been asked before. Learning the chapter beats memorising past questions.

Which chapters are dropped?

We checked every chapter against the official NEET UG 2026 syllabus (NMC notice, 22 December 2025). Dropped chapters are greyed out and hidden by default; chapters where only part was dropped are marked.

Why do some old papers have 200 questions?

From 2021 to 2024 NEET had 200 questions, of which students answered 180. Per-paper numbers are scaled to 180 so years compare fairly.