The National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test - Undergraduate (NEET-UG) courses 2025 exam, held on Sunday, May 4, 2025, proved challenging for candidates. Conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA), the test introduced a new level of difficulty that left students and experts confounded. Many view this as an ill-conceived move by the NTA, especially following the controversy surrounding the 2024 exam, rather than a fair attempt to salvage its reputation.
With around 22.7 lakh candidates appearing across 5,453 centres in India and abroad, this year's exam is being called the toughest compared to the exams conducted since 2016.
The big question meandering in everyone's mind is — will the NEET UG 2025 cut-off drop, or will the rising competition keep it high?
EdexLive spoke to experts, Jayaprakash Gandhi, a career counsellor, and Dr Anand Mani, an entrepreneur and a doctor, to dive into the latest NEET-UG 2025 cut-off trend.
NEET Physics proved to be tougher than a triathlon
The NEET-UG 2025 question paper posed a challenge, especially the Physics section. Students and experts alike noted that Physics was significantly harder this year than in previous years, with multiple steps and calculation-heavy questions testing students' analytical skills.
Reportedly, students had to skip several Physics questions to save time and avoid negative marks.
Dr Anand Mani, highlighting the difficulty in the paper, remarked that one can equate the level of difficulty with the questions of the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Advanced. He stated, "The Physics paper was practically impossible to solve in three hours. Even our smartest teachers took two to two-and-a-half hours for Physics alone," further emphasising that for a student, it would have been a doubly difficult task to achieve within three hours.
Experts found Chemistry to be of moderate difficulty, while Biology, despite being based on the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) , was somewhat easier and time-consuming. Dr Anand Mani, who is also an educator, mentioned to EdexLive that it took him a significant amount of time (> 40 minutes) to solve the Biology section.
Dr Jayaprakash Gandhi, a career counsellor, further noted, “Chemistry and Biology were fairly good, but Biology was lengthy. Overall, the paper was moderate to difficult compared to last year.”
The absence of Section B, which previously allowed students to choose 10 out of 15 questions per subject, meant all 180 questions were mandatory. This, combined with a reduced exam time of three hours (down from 3 hours 20 minutes), added pressure on students.
Could the cut-off drop this year?
Several factors suggest the NEET-UG 2025 cut-off could drop compared to the last two years. Let's have a look at the reasons, as cited by experts:
- Challenging Physics section: The tough Physics questions likely brought down the overall scores. Dr Mani pointed out, “Toppers had to leave 10 Physics questions, accounting for 40 marks.” This could pull down average scores, especially for first-time test-takers, he noted.
- Absence of Section B: Unlike previous years, there was no optional section, forcing students to attempt all questions without any options. Experts noted that this will indefinitely have an impact on students' performance, especially when it comes to time management.
- Less time: The 20-minute reduction in exam duration made it harder to complete the paper. Dr Mani emphasised, “The difficulty quotient of the paper was such that even the brightest students weren't able to finish in three hours, and get all of them correct."
Cut-off predictions
Dr Gandhi predicted a cut-off drop of “10 to 20 marks” for medical admissions, adding, “The way students have shared feedback after appearing for the exam, it’s definitely possible. Yet there might be repeaters, who could have prepared more thoroughly than others, which can affect the cut-off as well," he said.
Dr Mani was optimistic regarding the same too, suggesting a potential drop of up to 100 marks for the general category All India Quota, estimating a safe score of 530–550 marks. He added, “No one is likely to score above 700 this year. Even 680–690 is the maximum for the brightest students.”
Despite the tougher paper, the competitive nature of the NEET exam could keep cut-offs from dropping drastically.
Over the years, cut-offs have inevitably risen due to rising participation and limited seats in government medical colleges. The general category cut-off for All India Quota seats was around 610–620 in 2023 and reportedly higher in 2024.
Dr Mani speculated on the cut-off bracket and said that to get into the topmost colleges, a student may have to score above 630, which would mean that top government colleges might set their cut-offs around 660-680.
It is to be noted that cut-offs are influenced by other factors too such as:
- Seat availability
- Reservation policies
- Overall candidate performance
Additionally, the paper leak controversy that rattled the Nation also influenced this year's exam. But, Dr Mani commented, "NTA has built a coffin for themselves in order to nullify the 2024 effect," and has chosen an incorrect method to bring a stop to cheating and paper leaks, he opines.
