NEET Eligibility: Who Can Take the Exam and What You Need to Know

When it comes to getting into medical school in India, NEET, the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test, is the only gateway for MBBS and BDS courses. Also known as UG NEET, this exam replaced all state-level medical entrance tests and is now mandatory for over 90% of medical seats across the country. If you’re aiming for a career in medicine, understanding NEET eligibility isn’t just important—it’s your first step.

You don’t need to be a top scorer in school to qualify, but you do need to meet basic academic and age rules. To sit for NEET, you must have passed Class 12 with Physics, Chemistry, and Biology (or Biotechnology) as core subjects, plus English. The minimum marks? 50% for general category, 40% for OBC/SC/ST, and 45% for PwD candidates. There’s no upper age limit anymore, but you must be at least 17 years old by December 31 of the exam year. That means even if you took a gap year or repeated Class 12, you’re still eligible—as long as your subjects and marks line up.

What about candidates from different boards? CBSE, ICSE, state boards, and even international boards like IB or Cambridge are accepted, as long as the syllabus matches the NTA’s requirements. If you’re from a state that uses a different curriculum, make sure your school provides a certificate confirming your subjects and marks meet NEET standards. And yes, you can take NEET multiple times—there’s no cap on attempts. But here’s the catch: the exam doesn’t care how many times you’ve tried. It only cares if you meet the criteria this year.

Reserved categories get special rules. NRI, OCI, and foreign nationals can apply under specific seats, but they still need to meet the same subject and age requirements. And if you’re a repeater? You’re not penalized. Many toppers are second or third-time candidates. What matters is how you’ve prepared—not how many times you’ve sat down to take the test.

There’s one thing you won’t find in the official guidelines: rumors. No, you don’t need coaching. No, you don’t need to have studied in a certain school. And no, you can’t get in through backdoor channels. NEET eligibility is strict, but it’s also fair. It’s designed to level the playing field. If you’ve got the right subjects, the right marks, and the right age, you’re in.

Below, you’ll find real questions from students who’ve walked this path—how they cleared doubts about their board eligibility, what they did after failing once, and how they managed to qualify despite being from a rural school. These aren’t success stories from elite cities. These are the quiet, determined ones who just followed the rules—and got results.