The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) UG 2025, conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) on Sunday, May 4th, reported a record 22.7 lakh registrations, with aspirants turning up at 5,453 centres spread across 500+ cities.
Conducted in one shift from 2 PM to 5 PM, NEET 2025 was a break from the past. Rather than the usual 24 paper sets, the NTA released only four sets, all four of which had a uniformly more difficult format, setting the bar higher on analytical and application-oriented learning.
Though the Biology section was aligned with the NCERT syllabus, the questions were conceptual, quietly worded, and meant to assess understanding rather than mere recall. The Physics and Chemistry sections were the actual test of mettle, labelled as AIIMS-level by most, filled with multi-step questions, cumbersome calculations, and situation-based reasoning. Many students reported that time management became a hurdle due to the complex nature of the Physics problems, especially in topics like Modern Physics, Electrodynamics, and Thermodynamics.
Nitin Vijay, CEO and Founder of Motion Education said, "NEET 2025 saw a definite change in philosophy, it's no longer a question of memorizing textbook lines. The paper called for maturity, clarity of thought, and an ability to think like a doctor, right at the entrance gate. According to academic quarters, this peak in the exam is likely a conscious attempt on the part of the NTA to improve the levels of selection, in accordance with the global trend towards competency-based medical education. The aim appears to be to develop better trained, analysis-sufficient medical professionals, adequate for an increasingly changing healthcare scenario. The paper required a profound conceptual understanding and excellent problem-solving skills."
Motion Education promptly released the fastest NEET 2025 answer key, enabling students to assess their performance and estimate their standing - https://motion.ac.in/neet-answer-key-solutions-2025/?utm_source=media&utm_medium=media&utm_campaign=media
Experts suggest that the difficulty in Physics may impact overall cut-offs this year, especially for top government medical colleges. However, the relatively accessible Chemistry and Biology sections could provide some balance for well-prepared students.
It is to be noted that NEET UG is the sole exam in India to shortlist candidates to undergraduate medical courses. For the last two years, over 20 lakh students are registering for the exam. In 2024, as many as 24,06,079 candidates registered for NEET UG, while in 2023, it was 20,87,462. In 2022, 2021, 2020 and 2019, the number of registered candidates in NEET UG are 18,72,343, 16,14,777, 15,97,435 and 15,19,375 respectively.
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