NEET UG · Biology · Class 11

Cell Cycle and Cell Division: NEET previous year questions

32 questions in ten years of NEET, asked in 10 of 10 years. Here is what this chapter tests and how.

Asked in 10 years: 32; 10 of 10 papers
10-year average: 3.0; a paper · 2.2 since 2024 -1.2
Typical range: 2–5; questions a paper; fewest 1, most 5
Weighted estimate: 3.0; model, recent papers count more · about 12 marks

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.

What to do

How to spend time on Cell Cycle and Cell Division

Priority

Must do

Among the chapters that held the first half of all NEET questions in ten years. How bands are set

Past questions: 32in 10 of 10 papers
Study plan gives it: 19 hover 12 months; 14 h over 6

Study this chapter →Practise →

Ideas asked most often

Events of G1, S and G25×
Sequence of Cell Cycle Phases3×
Chiasmata Formation2×
Sequence of Prophase I Stages2×
Kinetochore Structure and Function2×

133 of the 162 ideas in Lumi’s map of this chapter have not been asked or touched in ten years. New questions often come from ideas like these, so learn the whole chapter, not just the list above.

Questions per year

Kind of question

SHARE OF 10 YEARS

Recall50%
Concept25%
Match the lists13%
Two statements9%
Application3%

Most common asks: order of steps in a process (4); match list on cell cycle phases (3); identify stage of a cell division event (2).

Profile

This chapter in numbers

Where it ranks, how steady it is, and what it costs to study.

Rank, all NEET chapters: #16; of 80 by weighted estimate
Rank in Biology: #12; of 32 chapters
Share of the paper: 1.7%; ten-year average
Busiest year: 2023; 6 questions
Year to year: Some swing; varies by about 1.3 questions
Long-run direction: +0.03; questions per paper, per year
Easy questions: 72%; 14% of ideas rated hard
With a figure: 0%; graph, diagram or structure
Botany / Zoology: 23 / 9; questions by section
Study time: 19 h; 14 h on a 6-month plan
Marks per study hour: 0.64; #18 of 80 chapters
Foundation for others: 83%; of its ideas are used in other chapters

Difficulty, year by year

Each question rated easy, medium or hard against NCERT.

20172
20182
20192
20204
20215
20224
20236
20244
20251
20262

Easy
Medium
Hard

What it asks you to do

SHARE OF QUESTIONS

Recall66%
Concept31%
Application3%

Coverage

How much of the chapter NEET has used

We split the chapter into 162 ideas. In ten years NEET built a question around 17 of them. Most of the chapter has never been asked, which is why learning it whole beats memorising past questions.

Asked as the main idea: 17
Touched on in a question: 12
Never asked: 133

Topics

What repeats, topic by topic

Questions per topic in each year's paper. Topics that come every year are worth learning first.

Mitotic Division · Every year21
2122424211
Meiotic Prophase I · Every year11
1212221

’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25’26

Topic	2017	’18	2019	’20	2021	’22	2023	’24	2025	’26	Total
Mitotic DivisionEvery year	2	1	2	2	4	2	4	2	1	1	21
Meiotic Prophase IEvery year	·	1	·	2	1	2	2	2	·	1	11

04+questions in that year’s paper

Mitotic Division
Expect a one-line factual recall item about Mitotic Division; a conceptual single-answer item (reasoning rather than recall) is the next most likely shape. Past framings centre on: order of steps in a process; identify stage of a cell division event.

Drill down

Topic, idea, question

Open a topic to see every idea NEET tested inside it, then open an idea to read the questions. Each row shows its ten papers.

topicAskedShareYears’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25’26

Open21 · 66%66%10/102224242
13 ideas inside
- Repeated5 · 24%24%3/1022
- Repeated3 · 14%14%3/10
- Repeated2 · 10%10%2/10
- Repeated2 · 10%10%2/10
- 1 · 5%5%1/10
- 1 · 5%5%1/10
- 1 · 5%5%1/10
- 1 · 5%5%1/10
- 1 · 5%5%1/10
- 1 · 5%5%1/10
- 1 · 5%5%1/10
- 1 · 5%5%1/10
- 1 · 5%5%1/10
Open11 · 34%34%7/102222

Squares are the ten papers, 2017 to 2026; darker means more questions. Share is of the level above.

Ideas

The exact ideas NEET has asked

Inside the topics, 21 different ideas were tested. These came more than once, or are new since 2024.

Events of G1, S and G25×
true statement selection on cell cycle phase
Sequence of Cell Cycle Phases3×
order of steps in a process
Chiasmata Formation2×
identify stage of meiotic prophase
Sequence of Prophase I Stages2×
match list on meiotic prophase i stages
Kinetochore Structure and Function2×
select incorrect statement on mitosis
Recombination Nodule Identification2×
identify sub-stage of meiotic prophase i
Quiescent G0 Phase2×
definition recall on cell cycle stage
Maximum Condensation in DiakinesisNew1×
statement i/ii on meiosis
Spindle Fiber CompositionNew1×
identify function of a cell structure

Idea	Times	Usually asked as
Events of G1, S and G2true statement selection on cell cycle phase	5	One-line MCQ
Sequence of Cell Cycle Phasesorder of steps in a process	3	One-line MCQ
Chiasmata Formationidentify stage of meiotic prophase	2	One-line MCQ
Sequence of Prophase I Stagesmatch list on meiotic prophase i stages	2	Match the lists
Kinetochore Structure and Functionselect incorrect statement on mitosis	2	One-line MCQ
Recombination Nodule Identificationidentify sub-stage of meiotic prophase i	2	One-line MCQ
Quiescent G0 Phasedefinition recall on cell cycle stage	2	One-line MCQ
Maximum Condensation in Diakinesisstatement i/ii on meiosis	1	Two statementsNew
Spindle Fiber Compositionidentify function of a cell structure	1	One-line MCQNew

Every question

Cell Cycle and Cell Division questions, year by year

The opening words of each question as it appeared in the official paper.

NEET 20262 questions

Q128The correct sequence of adult cell cycle phases is __________.One-line MCQ
Q131Given below are two statements: Statement I: Chromosomes are fully condensed at the end of prophase-I. Statement II: Meiosis I resembles…Two statements

NEET 20251 question

Q158What is the main function of the spindle fibers during mitosis?One-line MCQ

NEET 20244 questions

Q111Given below are two statements: Statement I : Chromosomes become gradually visible under light microscope during leptotene stage.…Two statements
Q129Spindle fibers attach to kinetochores of chromosomes duringOne-line MCQ
Q157Match List I with List II List-I (Sub Phases of Prophase I) | List-II (Specific Characters) A. Diakinesis | I. Synaptonemal complex…Match the lists
Q175Following are the stages of cell division: A. Gap 2 phase B. Cytokinesis C. Synthesis phase D. Karyokinesis E. Gap 1 phase Choose the…Other

NEET 20236 questions

Q109Which of the following stages of meiosis involves division of centromere?One-line MCQ
Q115The process of appearance of recombination nodules occurs at which sub stage of prophase I in meiosis?One-line MCQ
Q131Among eukaryotes, replication of DNA takes place in -One-line MCQ
Q137Match List I with List II : List I | List II A. M Phase | I. Proteins are synthesized B. G $_2$ Phase | II. Inactive phase C. Quiescent…Match the lists
Q191Given below are two statements: Statement I: During G $_0$ phase of cell cycle, the cell is metabolically inactive. Statement II: The…Two statements
Q197Select the correct statements. A. Tetrad formation is seen during Leptotene. B. During Anaphase, the centromeres split and chromatids…Other

NEET 20224 questions

Q117Which one of the following never occurs during mitotic cell division ?One-line MCQ
Q128The appearance of recombination nodules on homologous chromosomes during meiosis characterizes :One-line MCQ
Q172Regarding Meiosis, which of the statements is incorrect ?One-line MCQ
Q184Select the incorrect statement with reference to mitosis :One-line MCQ

NEET 20215 questions

Q124Which of the following stages of meiosis involves division of centromere ?One-line MCQ
Q139Match List - I with List - II. List - I | List - II (a) S phase | (i) Proteins are synthesized (b) $G_2$ phase | (ii) Inactive phase (c)…Match the lists
Q154The centriole undergoes duplication during :One-line MCQ
Q171The fruit fly has 8 chromosomes (2n) in each cell. During interphase of Mitosis if the number of chromosomes at $G_1$ phase is 8, what…One-line MCQ
Q176Which stage of meiotic prophase shows terminalisation of chiasmata as its distinctive feature ?One-line MCQ

NEET 20204 questions

Q14Identify the correct statement with regard to $G_1$ phase (Gap 1) of interphase.One-line MCQ
Q52Match the following with respect to meiosis : (a) Zygotene | (i) Terminalization (b) Pachytene | (ii) Chiasmata (c) Diplotene | (iii)…Match the lists
Q72Some dividing cells exit the cell cycle and enter vegetative inactive stage. This is called quiescent stage ( $G_0$ ). This process occurs…One-line MCQ
Q86Dissolution of the synaptonemal complex occurs during :One-line MCQ

NEET 20192 questions

Q108The correct sequence of phases of cell cycle is :One-line MCQ
Q135Cells in $G_0$ phase :One-line MCQ

NEET 20182 questions

Q108Offsets are produced byOne-line MCQ
Q123The stage during which separation of the paired homologous chromosomes begins isOne-line MCQ

NEET 20172 questions

Q102Which of the following options gives the correct sequence of events during mitosis ?One-line MCQ
Q166Anaphase Promoting Complex (APC) is a protein degradation machinery necessary for proper mitosis of animal cells. If APC is defective in a…One-line MCQ

Questions from the official NEET UG papers published by NTA (CBSE before 2019). Topic and idea tags, counts and notes are Lumi’s.

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