Lakhs of candidates wrote NEET UG on May 3 for admission in medical colleges. With limited MBBS seats, even a slight difference in marks can significantly change a student’s rank and chances of admission. According to the analysis of recent trends, the competition in the exam continues to be fierce. A ‘safe score’ in NEET is not officially defined by the NTA, but is based on past admission trends and counseling data. However, the idea of a “safe score” is never fixed. This rxam changes every year based on difficulty level, number of test takers, overall performance of students and seat availability in counseling round. If the paper is easy then the cutoff increases. If it is tough, the cutoff may be slightly lower, but the competition is still high due to the large volume of candidates.
NET UG 2026 Expected cut off? What are the trends of last year?
The NEET UG cut-off has changed slightly over the last three years, with the unreserved/EWS range moving from 720–137 in 2023 to 686–144 in 2025 for government colleges, reflecting changes in exam difficulty and competition. Reserved categories such as OBC, SC and ST have remained within similar qualifying bands, showing relatively stable trends over the years.
| category | NEET UG 2025 Cut Off Range | NEET UG 2024 Cut Off Range | NEET UG 2023 Cut Off Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unprotected / EWS | 686 – 144 | 720 – 162 | 720 – 137 |
| OBC | 143 – 113 | 161 – 127 | 136 – 107 |
| SC | 143 – 113 | 161 – 127 | 136 – 107 |
| ST | 143 – 113 | 161 – 127 | 136 – 107 |
| UR/EWS – PwBD | 143 – 127 | 161 – 144 | 136 – 121 |
| OBC – PwBD | 126 – 113 | 143 – 127 | 120 – 107 |
| SC – PwBD | 126 – 113 | 143 – 127 | 120 – 107 |
| ST – PwBD | 126 – 113 | 143 – 127 | 120 – 107 |
Also read: NEET UG Answer Key 2026: When and Where to Check, How to Calculate Score, Raise Objections
NetUG 2026: Marks vs Rank
NEET is highly competitive as even a difference of 10-15 marks can push a student down a lot. In NEET, thousands of students are often clustered within a narrow marks band. For example, a difference of just 10-15 marks may not seem big on paper, but in reality it can separate students by several thousand ranks.As a result, one student at 620 marks and another at 635 marks may not just differ slightly in performance—they may fall into completely different counseling brackets.NEET UG scores are accepted for admission to courses like MBBS, BDS, BAMS, BUMS, BHMS, BSMS, and BVSC and AH.
