NEET UG 2025: Today is the Last Day to Apply – 4 Major Changes, 2 Key Announcements, Correction from 9 March

New Delhi, 7 March – (www.deccanlive.com): Today, March 7, 2025, is the last day to apply for the NEET UG 2025 exam. Students who are eligible and interested but haven’t applied yet should visit the official website neet.nta.nic.in and submit their applications immediately. NEET UG is the entrance exam for admission to medical courses like MBBS, BAMS, BUMS, BSMS, BHMS, BDS (Dental), and BVSc & AH (Veterinary Science) across India.

Key Updates:

1. Correction Window: The National Testing Agency (NTA) has announced a correction window for NEET applicants. Students can make changes to their application forms from March 9 to March 11, 2025 (until 11:50 PM). However, corrections can only be made once, so students must be careful.
2. Correction Fee: Applicants will need to pay a fee to make corrections in their forms.

Important Notes:

• The correction facility is only available for three days.
• After March 11, no further changes will be allowed.

Changes in NEET 2025:

1. Exam Duration Reduced:
   • The exam time has been reduced to 3 hours. Earlier, students got 3 hours and 20 minutes. The paper will still be for 720 marks. The extra 20 minutes were given to read 20 additional questions, but now this time has been removed.
2. Exam Pattern Changed:
   • Earlier, students had to answer 180 out of 200 questions, but now only 180 questions will be given, and all are mandatory. The option to choose questions (optional questions) has been removed. This option was introduced during COVID but has now been discontinued.
   • Earlier, the three subjects (Physics, Chemistry, and Biology) were divided into two sections each. For example, Physics and Chemistry had 35 questions in Section A and 15 questions in Section B, out of which students had to answer 10 from Section B. The same pattern was followed for Biology (Botany and Zoology). Now, Section B has been removed.
3. Tie-Breaking Rule Changed:
   • Every year, around 24 lakh students apply for NEET UG. When students score the same marks, tie-breaking rules decide their ranks. Earlier, there were 7 rules, but now an 8th rule has been added. If the tie is not resolved using the first 7 rules, NTA will use a random process guided by an independent expert committee to decide the ranks.

NEET Tie-Breaking Formula 2025:

1. Biology Marks: The student with higher marks in Biology (Botany and Zoology) will get a higher rank.
2. Chemistry Marks: If the rank is not decided by Biology marks, then Chemistry marks will be checked. The student with higher marks in Chemistry will get a higher rank.
3. Physics Marks: If the rank is still not decided, Physics marks will be checked. The student with higher marks in Physics will get a higher rank.
4. Less Incorrect Answers: The student who gave fewer wrong answers compared to correct answers will get a higher rank.
5. Biology Attempt Ratio: The student with a lower ratio of wrong to correct answers in Biology (Botany and Zoology) will get a higher rank.
6. Chemistry Attempt Ratio: The student with a lower ratio of wrong to correct answers in Chemistry will get a higher rank.

Additional Information:

NTA has clarified that APAAR ID (previously known as Academic Bank of Credit or ABC ID) is not mandatory for NEET UG 2025 registration. Students can use other documents for registration. Earlier, on January 14, 2025, NTA had encouraged students to update their Aadhaar details and link their APAAR ID. They were also asked to correct any errors (like mobile number) in their Aadhaar or APAAR ID before registration. However, this caused confusion among students about the APAAR ID requirement. Now, NTA has made it clear that APAAR ID is not compulsory.

Two Important Announcements:

1. Eligibility for NIOS/Private Students:
   NTA has clarified that students who passed their 12th grade through NIOS (National Institute of Open Schooling) or in private mode can also apply for NEET UG.
2. NEET Mandatory for Indian Students Studying MBBS Abroad:
   Indian students who wish to study MBBS abroad must also qualify for NEET UG.

NEET Minimum Qualifying Marks:

• General Category: 50%
• General-PwD (Persons with Disabilities): 45%
• Reserved Categories (SC/ST/OBC): 40%

Details That Can Be Corrected in NEET UG 2025 Application Form:

1. Parent’s Details: Candidates can correct either their father’s name and educational qualification/profession or their mother’s name and educational qualification/profession in one field only.
2. Academic Details: Information about Class 10 and Class 12 qualifications can be updated.
3. Number of NEET (UG) Attempts: Candidates can correct the number of attempts they have made for NEET (UG).