Why NEET Cut-offs Move

The qualifying cut-off is not a fixed target. It moved by 69 marks between 2025 and 2026. Understanding why is one of the most useful things a NEET aspirant can learn.

The NEET cut-off is a percentile, not a mark. NTA does not decide in advance that the cut-off will be 144 or 213. The rule is fixed: the UR/EWS cut-off is the 50th percentile — the score of the candidate exactly halfway down the list — and OBC, SC and ST cut-offs are the 40th percentile. The mark that corresponds to that percentile is whatever the paper produces that year. An easier paper pushes everyone's scores up, and the cut-off rises with them.

UR / EWS qualifying cut-off, 2023 to 2026

All four figures are official NTA cut-offs. Same rule — the 50th percentile — four very different marks.

Year	UR / EWS cut-off	OBC / SC / ST	Topper score	Appeared	Qualified
2023	720 – 137	136 – 107	720	20,38,596	11,45,976
2024	720 – 162	161 – 127	720	23,33,297	13,15,853
2025	686 – 144	143 – 113	686	22,09,318	12,36,531
2026	715 – 213	212 – 177	715	~20,00,000	11,21,185

The Big One

What happened in 2026

The exam was held twice

NEET-UG 2026 was conducted on 3 May 2026. It was then cancelled, and a re-examination was held on 21 June 2026. The result was declared on 16 July 2026.

A note on accuracy: the reason for the cancellation has been widely reported, but we have not found it stated in an NTA notice, so we do not assert a cause here.

The re-exam was easier

Scores across the board rose. The UR cut-off went from 144 in 2025 to 213 in 2026 — a jump of 69 marks under exactly the same 50th-percentile rule.

What that means for you

A score of 200 would have comfortably qualified in 2025. In 2026 the same score does not qualify at all under the UR category. Never compare your score with a friend's or a senior's from a different year.

And for 2027

NEET-UG moves to computer-based testing from 2027, announced by the Union Education Minister in May 2026. The paper's difficulty, and therefore the cut-off, is likely to shift again. Plan for a target well above the cut-off, not just past it.

The Lesson

Don't aim at the cut-off

The cut-off only qualifies you

In 2026, 11,21,185 candidates cleared it. There are about 1,36,939 MBBS seats. Clearing the cut-off puts you in the queue; it does not put you in a college.

It moves unpredictably

137, then 162, then 144, then 213. A student who trained to "just clear the cut-off" in 2025 would have failed to qualify in 2026 with the same performance.

Aim at a rank instead

Set a target rank, work backwards to the score that produces it, and track progress against that. Use the Marks vs Rank tool and the Seat Reality Check together.

A moving target needs a system, not a guess

This is exactly why DNA builds preparation around daily measurement rather than around a number someone hopes to hit in May.

See Our Method Talk to DNA