The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test Undergraduate (NEET UG) 2025, conducted on May 4 by the National Testing Agency (NTA), saw 22.7 lakh students tackling what many described as a significantly more challenging paper this year. The exam marked a shift back to pre-pandemic patterns, and candidates reported a demanding, time-intensive experience.
Experts and students alike noted that the Physics section emerged as the toughest. According to Nitin Vijay, Chief Executive Officer of Motion Education, all four paper sets carried a uniformly high difficulty level, veering towards analytical and application-based learning.
Dr Brajesh Maheshwari, Director of Allen Career Institute, also remarked that the complexity of this year's paper could reduce the number of top scorers, The Indian Express reports.
Physics questions were heavily conceptual and multi-layered, requiring a mix of formulas, chapter-spanning application, and analytical reasoning. Topics like Modern Physics, Thermodynamics, and Electrodynamics proved especially time-consuming.
Nabin Karki, National Academic Director (Medical) at Aakash Educational Services Limited (AESL), observed that the emphasis leaned towards Class XI, with many questions demanding extensive calculations. Notably, statement-based, assertion-reason, and match-the-column questions were absent, while Mechanics dominated.
In Chemistry, the introduction of questions with multiple correct answers added an extra layer of confusion. Though theoretical portions offered some respite, the section remained lengthy and required precision.
Karki found this section moderately to highly difficult, with most questions based on Class XII topics, particularly Organic and Physical Chemistry. The inclusion of assertion-reason and matrix-match questions, as The Indian Express highlighted, meant students had to combine multiple concepts to find the right answers.
Biology, while not conceptually taxing, was notably lengthy. Though largely derived from the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) textbooks, questions were worded carefully and designed to test true understanding.
The section leaned heavily on Class XII, with Genetics and Biotechnology standing out. Diagrams and match-the-column formats were present, although multi-statement was the most common format, making time management a challenge even for well-prepared students.
Experts suggest the tough Physics section may impact this year’s cut-offs, though strong performers in Chemistry and Biology could still find balance.
