Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham - Directorate of Admissions and Academic Outreach
On 3 May 2026, 22.7 lakh students sat for NEET-UG. By 12 May, the exam was cancelled. A paper leak traced to coaching networks in Rajasthan and Maharashtra forced the NTA's hand-and for the first time, the government confirmed that NEET would shift to a computer-based test (CBT) from 2027 onward. Between the leak, the re-exam on 21 June 2026, and the structural overhaul now locked in, aspirants have every reason to wonder: what else changed?
The syllabus didn't. The National Medical Commission's UGMEB uploaded the finalised NEET-UG 2026 syllabus on 22 December 2025, and that document-aligned with the rationalised NCERT curriculum-remains the blueprint for NEET 2027. No new chapters have been added. The deletions made in 2023-24 (Transport in Plants, States of Matter, Solid State, and others) are still gone. What did shift is the depth NTA wants, the question formats it prefers, and the chapter emphasis revealed by the 2026 paper itself.
This article gives you every subject-wise topic the NMC prescribes, flags every deleted chapter, and updates the weightage picture using the actual 2026 paper analysis-so you study from what happened, not from outdated memory.
The 2026 paper wasn't harder than 2025-it was different. Physics felt moderately difficult to many students; chemistry was easy to moderate; biology was easy but lengthy. The overall difficulty rating: moderate. [gap1] But the question types had shifted. Single-correct MCQs still dominated (115 of 180 questions), but 33 multi-statement questions and 29 match-the-column questions appeared across biology and chemistry. Assertion-reason questions were absent, but statement-based formats demanded precision. [gap2]
Class 12 contributed 52.2% of the total paper, class 11 contributed 47.8%-a slight but consistent edge to class 12. Physics leaned heaviest on class 12 (57.8%), zoology leaned slightly on class 11 (56.1%). Botany favoured class 12 (55.1%), chemistry was nearly even. [gap2]
These are not abstract trends. They tell you where to invest your revision hours. The section below breaks down the 2026 question distribution chapter by chapter.
Botany (49 questions in 2026, up from 45 in pattern) [gap1]
Zoology (41 questions in 2026) [gap1]
Genetics (Principles of Inheritance plus Molecular Basis) alone contributed 11 questions-roughly 12% of the biology section, consistent with its historical dominance. Biotechnology (Principles + Applications) added 8 questions. Human physiology chapters (breathing, circulation, excretion, neural, chemical coordination, locomotion) totalled around 12 questions. Ecology chapters (Biodiversity, Ecosystem, Organisms & Populations) contributed 11 questions. These four blocks accounted for nearly half of all biology marks.
Physics had 45 compulsory questions-no optional section. The distribution: [gap1]
Current Electricity alone delivered 5 questions-roughly 11% of the physics section. Modern physics (dual nature, atoms, nuclei, semiconductors) contributed 8 questions. Mechanics (motion, laws of motion, work-energy, rotational motion) contributed around 10 questions. Optics (ray + wave) contributed 4 questions. The paper was numerically dense; students who had practised derivations and circuit analysis had a clear advantage.
Chemistry had 45 questions. The distribution: [gap1]
Equilibrium and chemical bonding remain pillars. Coordination compounds and GOC are high-yield. The dip in aldehydes/ketones (1 question) was the biggest deviation from 5-year trends, but that single question doesn't signal a permanent shift-it signals that organic chemistry weightage rotates across functional groups. Cover all.
The NMC document dated 22 December 2025 is the reference. I reproduce every unit below. Topics marked with (deleted) were removed in the 2023-24 rationalisation and remain absent. [authority source]
Physics deleted: Rolling motion, heat engine, refrigerator, forced damped oscillations, Doppler effect, potentiometer, cyclotron, Davisson-Germer experiment, transistor amplifier, colour code of resistors, Van de Graaff generator.
Physical Chemistry
Inorganic Chemistry 9. Classification of Elements and Periodicity - Periodic trends. 10. p-Block Elements - Groups 13 to 18. 11. d- and f-Block Elements - Transition elements, K₂Cr₂O₇, KMnO₄, lanthanoids, actinoids. 12. Coordination Compounds - Werner's theory, IUPAC, isomerism, VBT, CFT, magnetic properties.
Organic Chemistry 13. Purification and Characterisation - Crystallisation, distillation, chromatography, qualitative/quantitative analysis. 14. Basic Principles - Hybridisation, IUPAC, inductive effect, resonance, reactions types. 15. Hydrocarbons - Alkanes, alkenes, alkynes, aromatic hydrocarbons, electrophilic substitution. 16. Organic Compounds Containing Halogens - Haloalkanes and haloarenes. 17. Organic Compounds Containing Oxygen - Alcohols, phenols, ethers, aldehydes, ketones, carboxylic acids. 18. Organic Compounds Containing Nitrogen - Amines, diazonium salts. 19. Biomolecules - Carbohydrates, proteins, enzymes, vitamins, nucleic acids. 20. Principles Related to Practical Chemistry - Detection, preparation, salt analysis, titration experiments.
Chemistry deleted: States of Matter, Hydrogen, s-Block Elements, Environmental Chemistry, Solid State, Surface Chemistry, Metallurgy, Polymers, Chemistry in Everyday Life (full chapters).
The NMC document lists up to Unit 6 explicitly, but the rationalised NCERT includes the full Class 11 and 12 biology syllabus. Units that are tested:
Class 11
Class 12
Biology deleted full chapters: Transport in Plants, Mineral Nutrition, Digestion and Absorption, Reproduction in Organisms, Strategies for Enhancement in Food Production (largely removed), Environmental Issues. Subtopics deleted: photoperiodism, vernalisation, reflex arc, secondary growth. [authority source]
Use this combined picture to prioritise:
On 15 May 2026, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan announced that NEET-UG will shift to a computer-based test (CBT) from 2027. The cancellation of the 2026 pen-and-paper exam-after a paper leak involving multiple states-was the catalyst. [gap3]
What does this mean for syllabus? Nothing. The NMC syllabus remains identical. The NTA has clarified that no new chapters are being added; no deleted chapters are being restored. The shift is purely in delivery mode. The question types, marks distribution, and NCERT dependence stay as they are.
What it changes for you: you'll answer on a screen instead of an OMR sheet. You'll need to build screen-reading stamina, practise timed mock tests on a computer (not just on paper), and get comfortable with digital navigation-flagging questions, reviewing, toggling between sections. The section B with optional questions: the 2026 format had no optional section (all 180 questions compulsory). The 2027 CBT format may revert to the section A (35 compulsory) + section B (15, attempt 10) pattern used before 2026's cancellation, as per NTA's typical structure. Official confirmation will come with the information bulletin. Either way, the syllabus doesn't care about the medium.
If you are a dropper or a long-term aspirant targeting 2027: use the 2026 syllabus to audit your existing notes. Delete chapters like Transport in Plants, Solid State, Polymers entirely. Rebuild weak areas using official NCERT. Then, from September 2026 onward, switch to CBT mock tests.
The 2026 paper reinforced a truth many students overlook: knowing the syllabus doesn't mean you can answer the questions. Here is a practical, evidence-based approach:
1. NCERT is non-negotiable, but reading isn't enough. About 80-85% of biology questions were directly from or based on NCERT. Multi-statement questions, however, required you to connect facts from different chapters. Example: a question might combine a fact about photosynthesis with ecological efficiency. Practice solving chapter-connective MCQs.
2. Physics numerical stamina beats memorisation. Current Electricity gave 5 questions-all requiring circuit analysis. Electrostatics, mechanics, and optics also demanded calculation. Simulate exam conditions: solve 45 physics questions in 50 minutes without a calculator. The experimental skills unit is real-questions on vernier calipers and diode characteristics appeared.
3. Chemistry's organic core shifts but never vanishes. Aldehydes/Ketones had a light year, but GOC, hydrocarbons, and amines stepped up. Coverage across all functional groups is safer than betting on one.
4. Diagrams are your retrieval cue. The nephron, heart cross-section, DNA replication fork, embryo sac, and floral diagrams were tested indirectly via statement-based questions. Draw and label from memory weekly.
5. Use the 2026 chapter-wise distribution as a priority map, not a crystal ball. Start with the chapters that gave 4-5 questions in 2026 and have historically delivered 9%+ weightage. Then fill in the medium-weight chapters.
6. The CBT transition demands new habits. If you are preparing for 2027:
