NEET UG 2023: Everything About The Application Process!

The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test- Undergraduate, commonly known as NEET-UG has been conducted by NTA since 2019. The exam is being conducted for admissions in various undergraduate medical education programs with the approval of the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (vide O.M. no. V.11025/14/216-MEP dated 6th December 2017) and MHRD (vide Order No 35-5/2017-TS.I dated 24th September 2018). 

 

The key body responsible for conducting the NEET UG across the country is the National Testing Agency (NTA), established by the Ministry of Education (MoE), Government of India (GoI), “as an independent, autonomous, and self-sustained premier testing organization under the Societies Registration Act (1860) for conducting efficient, transparent, and international standardized tests in order to assess the competency of candidates for admission to premier higher education institutions with a mission to improve equity and quality in education by developing and administering research-based valid, reliable, efficient, transparent, fair and international level assessments.”

National Eligibility cum Entrance Test- Undergraduate (NEET-UG)

The NEET (UG) has been conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) since 2016. The exam follows the guidelines mentioned in Section 14 of the National Medical Commission Act, 2019, as a common and uniform criterion for admission to undergraduate medical education at various medical institutions in India. 

Along similar lines, the Section 14 of the National Commission for Indian System of Medicine Act, 2020 states that there shall be a uniform NEET (UG) for admission to undergraduate courses in each of the disciplines i.e. BAMS, BUMS, and BSMS as well. Further, National Commission for Homeopathy Act 2020, also makes NEET (UG) mandatory for BHMS courses. Moreover, the exam has been referred to as the qualifying entrance exam since 2020 for admission to MBBS/BDS courses in AIIMS and JIPMER as per Section 14 (1) of the NMC Act 2019. 

Admission to AFMC, Pune shall be subject to the norms prescribed by the Directorate General of Armed Forces Medical Services, Ministry of Defence, Government of India. Candidates who apply for NEET (UG) – 2023 and/or for seeking admission in AFMC also need to apply to AFMC at https://afmc.nic.in/ The shortlisted candidates will be required to appear for a second-stage Screening Test conducted by AFMC. Candidates are advised to contact AFMC for further and exact details. The Counselling will be conducted by DGHS. 

Note: MNS (Military Nursing Services) aspirants seeking admission to BSc Nursing Course being conducted at Armed Forces Medical Service Hospitals for the year 2023 are required to qualify NEET and the NEET score will be used for shortlisting for selection to the four year BSc Nursing course.

Who It is For?

The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Undergraduate)/ NEET (UG) is for all the students who have recently completed their Class-12 Board examination and plan to pursue their field of interests in medicine and its related fields. 

What is the Eligibility Criteria for NEET (UG)?

Eligibility for appearing in NEET (UG), as per related Regulations of NMC and DCI are as follows:-

  • The student must have completed 17 years of age at the time of admission or will complete that age on or before 31 December of the year of his/her admission to the first year of the Undergraduate Medical Course.

Accordingly, the lower age limit for NEET UG 2023 is as follows:

For Candidates of General (UR)/General-EWS

Born on or before 31st Dec 2006

For Candidates of SC/ST/OBC-NCL/PwBD Category

 

    • There is no upper age limit: As per Letter No. U-11022/2/2022-UGMEB, dated 09 March 2022 received from National Medical Commission (NMC), Undergraduate Medical Education Board (UGMEB) regarding the upper age limit.
  • Indian Citizens/ Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) intending to pursue Undergraduate Medical Courses in a foreign Medical/ Dental Institute also need to qualify for NEET (UG).
  • The student must have passed in Physics, Chemistry, Biology/Biotechnology, and English individually and must have obtained a minimum of 50% marks taken together in Physics, Chemistry, and Biology/Biotechnology at the qualifying examination as mentioned in the Regulations of NMC and DCI. 
  • For the students belonging to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes (NCL_ as well as the General- EWS and PwBD the minimum marks obtained in Physics, Chemistry, and Biology/Biotechnology are taken together in the qualifying examination shall be 40% marks.

To be eligible for NEET (UG) – 2023, candidates need to refer to the following table for qualifying examination criteria.

Code-1

A candidate who is appearing in the qualifying examination, i.e., class 12 in 2023, whose result is awaited, may apply and appear in the test but he/she shall not be eligible for admission to the Undergraduate Medical Courses if he/she does not pass the qualifying examination with the required pass percentage at the time of first round of Counseling.


Candidates who have appeared or are appearing at the qualifying Examination with English, Physics, Chemistry, and Biology as the main subject and expect to pass the Examination with the required percentage of marks are also eligible to apply and appear in the Competitive Entrance Examination. However, their candidature will be considered only if they provide documentary evidence of having passed the qualifying Examination with the required subjects and percentage of marks. 

OR

Code-2

The Higher/Senior Secondary Examination or the Indian School Certificate Examination which is equivalent to class 12 Higher/Senior Secondary Examination after a period of 12 years of study, the last two years of such study comprising of Physics, Chemistry, Biology/Biotechnology (which shall include practical tests in these subjects) and Mathematics or any other elective subject with English at a level not less than the core course for English as prescribed by the National Council of Educational Research and Training after the introduction of the 10+2+3 educational structure as recommended by the National Committee on Education.


Candidates who have passed Class 12 from Open School or as private candidates shall not be eligible to appear for the ‘National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test’. Furthermore, a study of Biology/Biotechnology as an Additional Subject at Class 12 level also shall not be permissible.*


*The candidates who have passed Class 12 level with Biology as an additional subject will also be eligible for MBBS Entrance Examination (as per Hon’ble High Court Order No. 2341/-W/DHC/WRIT/D-1/2019 dated 24/09/2019 in the Writ Petition (C) No. 6773/2019. 


If the institute has to consider an examination of an Indian University or of a foreign/university to be equivalent to the Class 12 under intermediate science examination, the candidates shall have to produce a certificate from the concerned Indian university/Association of Indian Universities to the effect that the examination passed by him/her is considered to be equivalent to the class 12 under intermediate science examination.


*(NOTE: The proviso in italics has been a subject matter of challenge before the Hon’ble High Court of Delhi, Hon’ble High Court of Allahabad, Lucknow Bench, and Hon’ble High Court of Madhya Pradesh at Jabalpur. The provisions of the regulations disqualifying recognized Open School Board candidates and the candidates who have studied Biology/Biotechnology as an Additional Subject has been struck down. The Medical Council of India has preferred Special Leave Petitions before the Hon’ble Supreme Court and Appeals in the Hon’ble High Courts. Therefore, the candidature of

candidates in the NEET (UG) – 2023 who have passed the qualifying examinations i.e. Class 12 from National Institute of Open Schooling or State Open Schools or as private candidates from recognized State Boards; or with Biology/Biotechnology as an additional subject shall be allowed but subject to the outcome of Special Leave Petitions/Appeals filed by the Medical Council of India)

OR

Code- 3

The Intermediate/Pre-degree Examination in Science of an Indian University/Board or other recognized examining body with Physics, Chemistry, Biology /Biotechnology (which shall include practical test in these subjects) and also English as a compulsory subject.

OR

Code- 4

The Pre-professional/Pre-medical Examination with Physics, Chemistry, Biology/Biotechnology, and English after passing either the Higher Secondary Examination or the Pre-University or an equivalent examination. The Preprofessional/Pre-medical examination shall include practical tests in these subjects and also English as a compulsory subject.

OR

Code- 5 

The first year of the three years’ degree course of a recognized University with Physics, Chemistry, and Biology/Biotechnology including practical tests in these subjects provided the examination is a University Examination and the candidate has passed the

earlier qualifying examination with Physics, Chemistry, Biology/ Biotechnology with English at a level not less than a core course.

OR

Code- 6

B.Sc. Examination of an Indian University provided that he/she has passed the B.Sc.Examination with not less than two of the subjects Physics, Chemistry, Biology (Botany, Zoology)/Biotechnology and further that he/ she has passed the earlier qualifying examination with Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and English.

OR

Code- 7

Any other examination which in scope and standard (Last 02 years of 10+2 Study comprising of Physics, Chemistry and Biology/Biotechnology; which shall include practical test in these subjects) is found to be equivalent to the Intermediate Science Examination of an Indian University/Board, taking Physics, Chemistry and Biology/Biotechnology including practical tests in each of these subjects and English.

To keep up with the latest updates, the NEET candidates are required to refer to the following websites:

 

…and other concerned authorities of participating States/Universities/Institutions, till the conclusion of the final round of Counseling.

NEET Pathway for Appearing Students

neet ug

Where to apply for NEET-UG?

The appearing students are advised to apply at the official website of National Testing Agency (NTA), that is www.neet.nta.nic.in.

Important Dates for NEET UG 2023

The current schedule for NEET UG 2023 is as follows:

Online Submission of Application Form 

06 March to 06 April 2023

(up to 09:00 PM)

Last date of successful transaction of fee

through Credit/Debit Card/Net-Banking/UPI 

06 April 2023 (up to 11:50 PM)

Correction in Particulars 

To be intimated later on the website

Fee Payable by Candidate

Category of Candidate

Centers In India

(Fee in ₹)

Centers Outside

India (Fee in ₹)

General

₹ 1700/-

₹ 9500/-

General-EWS/ OBC-NCL* 

₹ 1600/-

SC/ST/PwBD/Third Gender

₹ 1000/-

Processing charges & Goods and Services Tax (GST) are to be paid by the candidate, as applicable

Announcement of the City of Examination

To be intimated later on the website

Downloading of Admit Cards from the NTA website 

To be intimated later on the website

Date of Examination

07 May 2023 (Sunday)

Duration of Examination

200 minutes (03 hours 20 Minutes)

Timing of Examination 

02:00 PM to 05:20 PM

(Indian Standard Time)

Centre, Date, and Shift of NEET (UG) – 2023 Examination

As indicated on Admit Card

Display of Recorded Responses and Answer Keys 

To be intimated later on the website

Website(s) 

www.nta.ac.inhttps://neet.nta.nic.in/ 

Declaration of Result on the NTA website

To be intimated later on the website

How to Apply for NEET- UG 2023?

Below is the detailed guide to help the students in properly filling up their application for the NEET exam.

Step-1: Registration

  • Register for the Online Application Form and note down the system-generated Application Number. 
    • The students are required to provide the required details while filling the Online Application Form. 
    • Following which they need to create a strong Password and choose a security question and enter an answer. 
    • Once after the successful submission of the personal details, the Application number will be generated and would be used to complete the remaining Steps of the Application Form and will also be required for all future reference/correspondence. 
  • For the next logins, the students must login directly with the system-generated Application Number and Password. 

Step- 2: Application Form

  • Following the successful registrations the students can now log in with their respective system-generated Application Number and pre-created password for completing the Application Form. 
    • The application form required the students to fill up personal details, choosing the Question Paper medium and Examination Cities, providing the details of educational qualifications, and uploading the images and documents as required.
  • List of Mandatory Documents: 
    • Scanned recent Passport size & Postcard size Photograph, Signature, Left and Right hand Fingers and Thumb impression, Category Certificate (if applicable), Citizenship Certificate (if applicable), PwBD Certificate (wherever applicable) and Address Proof (Present and Permanent Address):

Preferred Format:

  • The recent photograph should be either in color or black and white with 80% face (without mask) visible including ears against a white background.
  • Scanned photographs, signature, and Left and Right hand Fingers and Thumb impressions should be in JPG format (clearly legible).
  • Scanned Category Certificate (if applicable), Citizenship Certificate (if applicable), and PwBD certificate (wherever applicable) should be in pdf format (clearly visible).
  • The size of the scanned passport photograph should be between 10 kb to 200 kb (clearly visible).
  • The size of the scanned Postcard photograph (4”x6”) should be between 10 kb – 200 kb (clearly visible). 
  • The size of the scanned signature should be between 4 kb to 30 kb (clearly visible)
  • The size of scanned and Left and Right hand Fingers and Thumb impressions should be between 10 kb to 200 kb.
  • The size of the scanned copy of the Category certificate (SC/ST/OBC-NCL/EWS etc.) should be in pdf between 50kb to 300kb (clearly visible).
  • The size of the scanned copy of the PwBD certificate should be between 50 kb to 300 kb (clearly visible)

Step- 3: Fee Submission

Once after completing Step 1 and Step 2, to successfully submit their application, the students have to pay the requisite examination fee that can be submitted online only through Net Banking, Credit Card, Debit Card, UPI. 

Processing charges and GST as applicable are chargeable to the candidate (in addition to the examination fee) by the concerned Bank/Payment Gateway Integrator. 

The Confirmation Page of the online Application Form will be generated only after successful payment by the Candidate.

Things to Remember When Applying for NEET UG 2023

  • All 3 Steps can be done together or at separate timings. The form would be complete only when the confirmation page is generated.
  • All candidates must ensure that they have provided the correct email address and mobile number. When Candidates register, they have to enter the OTP received at their registered Mobile Number, and before submitting the fees, they have to enter the OTP received at their registered e-mail address. 
  • A copy of the Confirmation Page, Scanned OMR, and Score Card of NEET (UG) – 2023 will be sent to the registered email address of the Candidates.
  • Any request for change in such particulars  such as name of the candidate, contact details, address details, category, PwBD status, educational qualification details, date of birth, choice of exam cities, etc. will not be considered by NTA under any circumstances.
  • Any request to change the Question Paper Medium, Examination Centre, Date, and Time provided on the Admit Card shall not be considered under any circumstances.
  • The students can also refer to the additional platforms of UMANG and DigiLocker to download their documents like Confirmation Page, Admit Card, Score Cards, etc.
  • The students are once again advised to refer to the website and check their emails regularly for the latest updates.