NEET · Exam basics

NEET syllabus: all 50 units for Physics, Chemistry and Biology

By the PrepMatic team · Updated 8 Oct 2026 · 8 min read

The NEET syllabus is the one prescribed by the National Medical Commission (NMC): 20 units in Physics, 20 in Chemistry and 10 in Biology, aligned with the NCERT Class 11 and Class 12 textbooks. The NEET-UG 2026 syllabus was notified in December 2025 and did not change from 2025. NMC lists units by subject, not by class, so the Class 11 and Class 12 split below is our own mapping to NCERT chapters. NEET 2027 is announced to be computer-based, but that announcement covers the mode of the exam, not the syllabus.

How the NEET syllabus is organised

Since NEET 2024, the syllabus has come from NMC's Under Graduate Medical Education Board rather than the older MCI/NTA document. It names units, and each unit expands into topics. The paper has 180 questions: 45 each from Physics, Chemistry, Botany and Zoology (see the NEET exam pattern). So Biology, with 10 units, supplies half the paper, while Physics and Chemistry spread 45 questions each across 20 units.

Two practical points before the lists:

• The class split is ours. NMC says the syllabus is aligned with NCERT. We have mapped each unit to the NCERT class it mostly comes from, to help you plan. A few units, such as p-Block Elements, are taught across both years.
• Topic-level detail lives in NMC's document. This page lists units. For the exact topics under each unit, read NMC's current NEET-UG syllabus notice on nmc.org.in and tick topics against it.

Physics: 20 units

Units 1 to 10 are the Class 11 mechanics and heat block, and units 11 to 19 are the Class 12 electricity, optics and modern physics block. "Experimental Skills" is the practical unit, covering instruments and experiments you will have used in the school lab, such as Vernier callipers, screw gauge and the simple pendulum. It is easy to under-prepare because it has no single chapter in the textbook. How to attack each block is in NEET Physics preparation.

Chemistry: 20 units

NMC groups Chemistry into physical, inorganic and organic parts.

Eight physical, four inorganic and eight organic units make 20. Organic Chemistry is the largest block, and everything in it rests on the Class 11 units on basic principles and hydrocarbons, which is why the organic chemistry for NEET guide starts there. The overall approach to the three parts is in NEET Chemistry preparation.

Biology: 10 units

Ten units look short, but each is large, and Biology is 360 of the 720 marks. The split is clean: Class 11 gives the structure and function units, and Class 12 gives reproduction, genetics, applied biology and ecology. Unit 7 combines the two most problem-based topics in the subject, and genetics and evolution for NEET works through it. The method for the whole subject is in NEET Biology preparation.

What changed from the old NEET syllabus

If you are using a book, a PDF or a video series made before 2024, check it against the units above. Chemistry is where the biggest difference shows. These topics are no longer listed as separate units in the NMC Chemistry list:

• Solid State
• Surface Chemistry
• General Principles and Processes of Isolation of Elements (metallurgy)
• Polymers
• Chemistry in Everyday Life
• Environmental Chemistry
• Hydrogen
• s-Block Elements
• States of Matter

Two things were added: the Physics unit "Experimental Skills" and the Chemistry unit "Principles Related to Practical Chemistry". Both bring lab-based questions into scope.

Coaching websites also report topic-level changes inside Biology units, such as sub-topics in digestion and absorption, sense organs, secondary growth and plant families. We haven't listed them here, because NMC's own document is the only authority. Before you skip any chapter that a site calls "deleted", confirm it against the NMC notice. Dropping a chapter on a blog's word is a risk you don't need.

Class 11 versus Class 12: how to use the split

Of the 50 units, 24 sit mainly in Class 11 and 22 mainly in Class 12 by our mapping, and four span both years: Experimental Skills, Redox Reactions and Electrochemistry, p-Block Elements, and Principles Related to Practical Chemistry. Those counts are a planning aid, not a statement of weightage. NMC does not publish how many questions come from each class, and a fixed 50-50 assumption is risky.

What the split does tell you:

• Class 11 is the larger base. Most Class 11 units are prerequisites for Class 12 ones. Electrostatics needs vectors and mechanics, and organic reactions need Class 11 basics.
• A Class 12 student carries both. If you are writing boards and NEET together, the one-year NEET study plan shows how to schedule the Class 11 backlog alongside the new chapters.
• Starting early helps. The NEET preparation from Class 11 plan paces the two years.

For the chapters that carry the most questions, see high-weightage chapters. Use that list to order your work, not to skip anything.

If you study in the Tamil Nadu state board

NMC describes the syllabus in NCERT terms. Samacheer Kalvi textbooks cover most of the same ground, but chapter names, order and depth differ in places. The safest method is to treat the NMC unit list as the master checklist, read the state-board chapter first in your own medium, and then read the matching NCERT chapter for the exam's depth and wording. The NEET preparation in Tamil guide covers terminology, and NCERT for NEET explains how to read the NCERT chapters.

Turning the syllabus into a tracker

A list of 50 units is only useful if you track it. A simple system:

1. Copy the 50 units into a sheet with four columns: first pass, notes made, practice questions done, revised.
2. Tick a column only when the work is complete. "Read it once" counts only as a first pass.
3. After each test, mark the units where you lost marks and revisit those first.
4. Review the sheet every Sunday. Units with ticks only in the first column after a month are your risk.

Using PrepMatic with the syllabus

PrepMatic's free assessment (about 15 untimed multiple-choice questions) shows your weakest subjects across Physics, Chemistry and Biology, so you know which block of this list to start with. Its study plan then turns your exam date, daily study hours and study days into a Today view and a Roadmap that runs from months to weeks to topics. Topic tests of about 15 questions (30 minutes) let you check a unit you have just finished. The diagnosis is at the subject level, so you still map your errors to units yourself.

Frequently asked questions

Is the NEET syllabus the same as Class 11 and 12 NCERT?

It is aligned with NCERT, but it is not the whole textbook. NMC lists specific units, and a few NCERT chapters or sub-topics fall outside it. Use the NMC unit list as the boundary and NCERT as the source for each unit.

Has the NEET syllabus changed for 2027?

The 2026 syllabus was identical to 2025. For 2027, the announcement so far is about computer-based testing, not about content. Check NMC's syllabus notice and NTA's 2027 bulletin when they appear.

Are Solid State and Polymers still in NEET?

Not as separate units. The NMC Chemistry list does not include Solid State, Surface Chemistry, Polymers, Metallurgy, Hydrogen, s-Block Elements, States of Matter, Chemistry in Everyday Life or Environmental Chemistry. Confirm against the NMC document if a topic matters to you.

How many units are there in the NEET syllabus?

Fifty: 20 in Physics, 20 in Chemistry and 10 in Biology (Botany and Zoology together).

Which is more important for NEET, Class 11 or Class 12?

NMC does not publish a class-wise split of questions. Past papers draw on both years, and Class 12 topics depend on Class 11 basics, so neither can be skipped. See the high-weightage chapters page for how to prioritise.

Official sources

• NMC (nmc.org.in): the NEET-UG syllabus notice from the Under Graduate Medical Education Board.
• NEET-UG official website (NTA): the information bulletin, which refers to the syllabus.
• National Testing Agency: notices for each year's exam.

Always confirm units against the latest NMC notice and the NTA bulletin for the year you are writing. For the full exam picture, return to the NEET guide.

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