There is no fixed number of NEET attempts. NEET exam is conducted once a year. It means that for NEET 2026, students have 1 attempt. There is a possibility to take the NEET exam once again if a student does not score the required marks. Therefore, the NEET exam has no limits. Generally, students have to score above the cutoff marks. For general category students, the NEET cutoff is 686-144 marks.
Students who have secured less marks which are close to the cutoff may consider a re-attempt. For a NEET exam re-attempt, students may consider choosing the iQuanta NEET 2026 full course. The 2026 course will help students prepare for the NEET exam to effectively achieve the required cutoff in their next attempt. NEET exam has a lower age limit and no upper age limit.
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How Many Attempts Are Allowed in NEET?
‘N’ number of attempts are allowed in the NEET exam. There is no limit on how many times you can take the NEET exam. In other words, a student is able to appear for the NEET exam as many times as possible. If 1 attempt fails, students are free to proceed with a re-attempt to clear the cutoff and get a seat at their desired college.
| NEET Attempts Count | |
| Attempts | Count |
| Number of Attempts | Unlimited |
| How many are allowed? | ‘N’ number of attempts |
NEET Attempts Maximum Limit
There is no maximum limit for NEET attempts. You can take the exam as many times as needed. While some students believe that NEET re-attempt or further re-attempts help create NEET achievers, others believe that the NEET exam is based on a variety of factors including the number of test takers, difficulty level of the questions and so on. Hence, there is no definitive number on the maximum limit for the NEET exam.
- There is no maximum limit for NEET exam attempt.
- Students can appear for the NEET exam as many times as they need depending on their personal capacity to register, study and write the exam.
- Multiple NEET attempts allow students to improve their exam related skills such as solving questions in less time.
NEET Attempts Age Limit Criteria
There is no upper age limit but there is a lower age limit for NEET attempts. Check the table below for more details on NEET attempt age limit criteria.
| NEET Attempts Age Limit Criteria | |
| Particulars | Criteria |
| Lower Age Limit | Candidate must be born on or before 31st December, 2008 |
| Requirement | Minimum 17 years old |
| Upper Age Limit | No limit |
NEET Attempt Qualifying Marks
Since the NEET exam was not easy this year, and there were multiple challenges faced by the NEET test takers, the minimum qualifying marks also known as the cutoff is significantly lower. For the OBC or SC category students, the NEET cutoff 2025 is between 143-113 marks.
Students failing to secure marks within this range will have to try for NEET 2026. Given that there is no limit to writing the NEET exam, students may re-take multiple times to secure their desired marks.
| NEET Minimum Qualifying Marks | |
| NEET Exam Category | Qualifying Marks Range |
| General/EWS | 686-144 |
| OBC/SC/ST | 143-113 |
| General EWS/PwBD | 143-127 |
| OBC/SC/ST PwD | 126-113 |
NEET Attempt Eligibility Criteria
Candidates must have passed PCB and English to be eligible for the NEET exam. Taking the NEET exam is not an easy task and required through planning and preparation. Therefore, it is crucial to check your eligibility for the exam before filling out the examination form online. Here is the NEET exam eligibility for students preparing for their 1st, 2nd or even the 3rd NEET exam attempt.
| NEET Eligibility Criteria | |
| Particulars | Details |
| Subjects | Physics, Chemistry, Biology/Biotechnology, and English |
| Minimum Qualification | 10+2 |
| Board of Qualification | Must be a recognized board |
NEET Category Wise Eligibility
Students belonging to the General category must secure a minimum of 50% marks in the PCB subjects in their 10+2 studies. For the SC/ST/OBC students, the minimum aggregate marks required in 10+2 are 40% while for the PwD category students there is drop in the required aggregate percentage.
| NEET Eligibility Category Wise | |
| Category | Minimum Aggregate Marks in PCB |
| General | 50% |
| SC/ST/OBC | 40% |
| PwD | 45% |
NEET Attempt Score Validity
A student’s NEET scores are valid only for a limited period. NEET score validity for each attempt whether the 1st or the 5th attempt is fixed. NEET scores are valid only for 1 academic year in which the candidate took the exam. Below are important points on NEET score validity for multiple attempts.
- NEET 2025 score will not be valid for admission in the academic year 2026-2027.
- Similarly, NEET 2026 score is only valid for admission in 2026.
- The overall validity of the NEET UG score is only 1 year.
- For candidates having more than 1 NEET attempt, only the score of the last attempt will be valid for the particular academic year.
FAQs
Yes, you can still take the NEET exam again after 2 unsuccessful attempts.
Your NEET score is only valid for 1 year from the exam date.
If you were not able to score the desired marks or missed out by a few points, you may consider NEET 2nd attempt as there is no attempt limit.
Yes, you have to pay NEET registration fees for as many NEET attempts as you wish to take. The amount is ₹1700 for the general category students.