NEET UG · Biology · Class 11
Cell: The Unit of Life: NEET previous year questions
36 questions in ten years of NEET, asked in 10 of 10 years. Here is what this chapter tests and how.
- Asked in 10 years
- 36
- 10 of 10 papers
- 10-year average
- 3.5
- a paper · 4.9 since 2024 +2.0
- Typical range
- 2–5
- questions a paper; fewest 2, most 7
- Weighted estimate
- 4.2
- model, recent papers count more · about 17 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: The Unit of Life
Priority
Among the chapters that held the first half of all NEET questions in ten years. How bands are set
- Past questions
- 36in 10 of 10 papers
- Study plan gives it
- 23 hover 12 months; 18 h over 6
Ideas asked most often
- Members of the Endomembrane System3×
- History of Cell Theory2×
- Mitochondrial Inner Structure2×
- Ribosomal Subunits (70S/80S)2×
- Nucleolus and rRNA Synthesis2×
332 of the 392 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- Recall72%
- Match the lists17%
- Concept6%
- Two statements3%
- Assertion–reason3%
Most common asks: definition recall (2); identify composition of a structure (2); identify scientist for a discovery (2).
Profile
This chapter in numbers
Where it ranks, how steady it is, and what it costs to study.
- Rank, all NEET chapters
- #3
- of 80 by weighted estimate
- Rank in Biology
- #3
- of 32 chapters
- Share of the paper
- 1.9%
- ten-year average
- Busiest year
- 2026
- 7 questions
- Year to year
- Swings a lot
- varies by about 1.6 questions
- Long-run direction
- +0.22
- questions per paper, per year
- Easy questions
- 67%
- 20% of ideas rated hard
- With a figure
- 0%
- graph, diagram or structure
- Botany / Zoology
- 30 / 6
- questions by section
- Study time
- 23 h
- 18 h on a 6-month plan
- Marks per study hour
- 0.73
- #3 of 80 chapters
- Foundation for others
- 40%
- of its ideas are used in other chapters
Difficulty, year by year
Each question rated easy, medium or hard against NCERT.
- 20172
- 20184
- 20195
- 20202
- 20214
- 20222
- 20232
- 20244
- 20254
- 20267
- Easy
- Medium
- Hard
What it asks you to do
SHARE OF QUESTIONS- Recall89%
- Concept11%
Coverage
How much of the chapter NEET has used
We split the chapter into 392 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
- 43
- Never asked
- 332
Topics
What repeats, topic by topic
Questions per topic in each year's paper. Topics that come every year are worth learning first.
- Endomembrane System and Cell Theory · Every year1222111113
- Mitochondria and Plastids · Every year912123
- Nuclear Organization · Every year8212111
- Ribosomes and Cytoskeleton · Every year511111
- Cell Wall Structure · Gone quiet11
- Fluid Mosaic Model · New since 202411
| Topic | 2017 | ’18 | 2019 | ’20 | 2021 | ’22 | 2023 | ’24 | 2025 | ’26 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Endomembrane System and Cell TheoryEvery year | · | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | · | 1 | 3 | 12 |
| Mitochondria and PlastidsEvery year | 1 | · | 2 | · | 1 | · | · | 2 | · | 3 | 9 |
| Nuclear OrganizationEvery year | · | 2 | 1 | · | 2 | 1 | · | 1 | 1 | · | 8 |
| Ribosomes and CytoskeletonEvery year | · | · | · | 1 | · | · | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| Cell Wall StructureGone quiet | 1 | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | 1 |
| Fluid Mosaic ModelNew since 2024 | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | 1 | · | 1 |
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.
9 ideas inside
- Repeated3 · 25%
- Repeated2 · 17%
- 1 · 8%
- 1 · 8%
- 1 · 8%
- 1 · 8%
- 1 · 8%
- 1 · 8%
- 1 · 8%
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, 29 different ideas were tested. These came more than once, or are new since 2024.
- Members of the Endomembrane System3×
count correct examples of a cell system
- History of Cell Theory2×
identify scientist for a discovery
- Mitochondrial Inner StructureNew2×
identify composition of a structure
- Ribosomal Subunits (70S/80S)New2×
count correct statements on prokaryotic cell features
- Nucleolus and rRNA Synthesis2×
true statement selection on a cell organelle
- Chromosome Types by Centromere2×
match list on chromosome types
- Lipid Synthesis in SERNew1×
true statement selection on cell organelle
- Chromoplast Pigment CompositionNew1×
identify example of a plastid type
- Cis and Trans Faces of GolgiNew1×
assertion-reason on cell organelles
- MesosomesNew1×
identify structure by function
- Centromere and KinetochoreNew1×
match list on cell structures and functions
- Chloroplast DNA CharacteristicsNew1×
identify nature of organelle dna
- Double-Membrane Organelle GroupingNew1×
statement i/ii on organelle membranes
- Cilia and Flagella StructureNew1×
match list on cell structures and organelles
Every question
Cell: The Unit of Life questions, year by year
The opening words of each question as it appeared in the official paper.
NEET 20267 questions
- Q93Cell theory was formulated by ________.One-line MCQ
- Q94Which of the following are characteristics of prokaryotic cells ? (a) Ribosomes are made of 50S and 30S subunits (b) They can have…Other
- Q96Mitochondrial inner membrane encloses ________.One-line MCQ
- Q97Match List-I with List-II. List-I | List-II A. Cristae | I. Flat membrane sacs in stroma of chloroplast B. Cisternae | II. Infoldings in…Match the lists
- Q98The plastid that stores xanthophyll is known as ________ .One-line MCQ
- Q108Endomembrane system includes __________.One-line MCQ
- Q123Smooth endoplasmic reticulum __________.One-line MCQ
NEET 20254 questions
- Q98From the statements given below choose the correct option : A. The eukaryotic ribosomes are 80S and prokaryotic ribosomes are 70S. B. Each…Other
- Q121Match List - I with List - II. List - I | List - II A. Centromere | I. Mitochondrion B. Cilium | II. Cell division C. Cristae | III. Cell…Match the lists
- Q128A specialised membranous structure in a prokaryotic cell which helps in cell wall formation, DNA replication and respiration is :One-line MCQ
- Q140Given below are two statements : one is labelled as Assertion (A) and the other is labelled as Reason (R). Assertion (A) : The primary…Assertion–reason
NEET 20244 questions
- Q121Match List I with List II List I | List II A. Nucleolus | I. Site of formation of glycolipid B. Centriole | II. Organization like the…Match the lists
- Q145The DNA present in chloroplast is:One-line MCQ
- Q178Match List I with List II List-I | List-II A. Axoneme | I. Centriole B. Cartwheel pattern | II. Cilia and flagella C. Crista | III.…Match the lists
- Q186Given below are two statements: Statement I: Mitochondria and chloroplasts are both double membrane bound organelles. Statement II: Inner…Two statements
NEET 20232 questions
- Q160Which of the following are NOT considered as the part of endomembrane system? A. Mitochondria B. Endoplasmic Reticulum C. Chloroplasts D.…Other
- Q179Which of the following functions is carried out by cytoskeleton in a cell?One-line MCQ
NEET 20222 questions
- Q139Match List - I with List - II. List - I | List - II (a) Metacentric chromosome | (i) Centromere situated close to the end forming one…Match the lists
- Q168Which of the following statements with respect to Endoplasmic Reticulum is incorrect ?One-line MCQ
NEET 20214 questions
- Q103Which of the following is an incorrect statement ?One-line MCQ
- Q115When the centromere is situated in the middle of two equal arms of chromosomes, the chromosome is referred as :One-line MCQ
- Q133Match List - I with List - II. List - I | List - II (a) Cristae | (i) Primary constriction in chromosome (b) Thylakoids | (ii) Disc-shaped…Match the lists
- Q166The organelles that are included in the endomembrane system are :One-line MCQ
NEET 20202 questions
- Q16Which of the following statements about inclusion bodies is incorrect ?One-line MCQ
- Q17Which is the important site of formation of glycoproteins and glycolipids in eukaryotic cells ?One-line MCQ
NEET 20195 questions
- Q94The shorter and longer arms of a submetacentric chromosome are referred to as :One-line MCQ
- Q110Which of the following statements is not correct ?One-line MCQ
- Q119Which of the following pair of organelles does not contain DNA ?One-line MCQ
- Q133Which of the following statements regarding mitochondria is incorrect ?One-line MCQ
- Q173The concept of "Omnis cellula-e cellula" regarding cell division was first proposed by :One-line MCQ
NEET 20184 questions
- Q119The Golgi complex participates inOne-line MCQ
- Q121Which of the following is true for nucleolus ?One-line MCQ
- Q171Select the incorrect match :One-line MCQ
- Q173Which of the following events does not occur in rough endoplasmic reticulum ?One-line MCQ
NEET 20172 questions
- Q114Which of the following cell organelles is responsible for extracting energy from carbohydrates to form ATP ?One-line MCQ
- Q173Which of the following components provides sticky character to the bacterial cell ?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.