Patna: A moderately difficult paper with a challenging physics section marked the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET)-UG 2026 held across Bihar on Sunday. Many students described parts of the question paper as confusing.
As many as 1.60 lakh candidates were scheduled to appear at 142 examination centres in 35 districts. Overall attendance stood at 96%, while Patna recorded 97% attendance across its 96 centres.
The three-hour pen-and-paper test was conducted from 2pm to 5pm under strict security arrangements. Candidates underwent thorough checks, including metal detector scans and admit card verification, before entering the centres. Many reached well in advance, some over an hour early.
After the exam, students expressed mixed reactions. While some found the paper manageable, many said it was difficult and left several questions unanswered due to uncertainty. A few claimed some questions appeared to have two correct options.
Shweta Singh, a medical aspirant at Kendriya Vidyalaya, Bailey Road, said physics was the toughest section. “In comparison, biology was easier, while chemistry was moderate. Zoology and botany were easy. The question paper was largely based on the NCERT syllabus of classes XI and XII,” she said.
Nikita Vats, appearing for the second time, said the paper was easier than last year. “Biology and chemistry were easy, but physics was challenging, so I attempted only those questions that I am 100% sure of,” she said.
Manjeet Kumar, a chemistry teacher at Loyola High School, said the overall difficulty was moderate. “Most questions were asked from organic chemistry. There were 20 numerical-type questions, some confusing and lengthy. All questions were from NCERT only,” he said.
Sanjay Roy, a biology teacher at Delhi Public School-Patna, said, “Most of the students shared that the biology section was easy and all the questions were direct and to the point.”
Experts said the cut-off would be higher this time. Candidates in the general category may need over 640 marks for government medical colleges, while reserved category students may target above 550. Around 500 marks may be sufficient for private colleges, they said.
