NEET 2019: Eligibility criteria are the conditions which a candidate need to possess in order to appear for a test. National Testing Agency (NTA) has taken over the authority to conduct the NEET exam from CBSE. From 2019, NEET is going to be conducted in offline mode by NTA. However, certain changes have been made by the NTA, eligibility criteria remains the same as earlier. Candidate must go through the eligibility criteria properly before doing the online registration.
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NEET 2019 Application Form Releasing Date
The NEET MBBS Entrance Exam will be held on 5th May 2019. This is an Offline Exam that will take place in a single session only. The dates are available on the Official Notification.
NEET 2019 Eligibility Criteria
Before going to fill up the application form, aspirants must check the eligibility conditions mentioned below. Eligibility related to age, academic qualification & nationality is provided below.
| S. No | Particulars | Details |
| 1. | Age Limit | Candidates must have completed the age of 17 years. The maximum age limit will be 25 years (30 years for SC/ST & OBC). |
| 2. | Nationality | Indian Nationals, Non-Resident Indians (NRIs), Persons of Indian OrigiNon-Residenterseas Citizen of India (OCIs) & Foreign Nationals are eligible to apply for NEET UG. Candidates belong to J&K state will be eligible to apply for 15% All India Quota on the basis of self-declaration. J&K, Assam & Meghalaya candidates can also apply by providing their passport number, ration card number, bank account number or any other valid Government ID number. NRI candidates can apply by Adhaar Card number or Passport Number. PIO, OCI & Foreign nationals candidates can apply by Passport Number. |
| 3. | Qualifying examination | Students must have passed 10+2 or equivalent exam with physics, chemistry, biology/biotechnology with English as a compulsory subject and obtained Minimum 50% marks for general, 45% marks for PH and 40% marks for SC/ST candidates in the PCB group. Students appearing in the qualifying exam are also eligible. |
NOTE: Students appearing for class 12 exam in the year 2019 can also apply for the test session 2019-20. Admission will be only granted based on Class 12 marks and NEET score.
Check – NEET Admit Card 2019
NEET 2019 Eligibility Criteria for NRI/Foreign students
For Foreign nationals, to appear in NEET 2019 exam, it is mandatory to pass class 12 or equivalent examination with Chemistry, Biology, Physics, and English. They also need to score 50% in class 12 or equivalent examination. Other than academic qualification criteria, candidates need to possess the age criteria which is mentioned above.
Number of Attempts
There is no limit on the appearance of NEET exam. As per the criteria, a candidate can attempt for the NEET exam as many times as they wish provided they fulfill the above mentioned eligibility criteria. From the next year 2019, candidates can appear twice for the first time.
Age Requirement
As per the NEET 2019 eligibility criteria, the candidate must attain the age of 17 years of age (for the general category candidate) either at the time of admission or else on or before 31st December 2019. The maximum age limit of the candidate is 25 years for unreserved category. For reserved category and PwD applicants, age should not be more than 30 years. However, petition to increase the upper age limit has been filed in the supreme court but no final verdict has been given till date.
As of now, the upper age limit for reserved category is 25 years and for PWD and unreserved candidates is 30 years but this was later temporarily removed as per the Delhi High Court’s verdict on April 26, 2018. As a result, the unreserved category candidates with age more than 25 years were allowed to take the test. However, the age criteria were upheld by the Delhi High Court in the judgment passed on 11th May 2018.
Qualification required for different categories to appear in NEET 2019
- To apply for the NEET eligibility criteria 2019, the candidate must have passed in Physics, Chemistry, Biology/Biotechnology, and English individually in the qualifying examination.
- Candidates belonging to the unreserved category should score a minimum required percentage of 50% marks in Physics, Chemistry and Biology/Bio-technology in their Class 12 or equivalent examination.
- Candidates who belong to Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribes or Other Backward Classes (OBC) should score a minimum of 40% in Physics, Chemistry and Biology/Bio-technology in aggregate in the qualifying examination.
- For persons with locomotor disability of lower limbs, a minimum of 45% marks for General-PH and 40% marks for SC-PH/ST-PH/OBC-PH are required in aggregate across Physics, Chemistry and Biology/Bio-technology.
- As per MCI, candidates who have studied Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics as core subjects and Biology/Biotechnology as an additional subject is ineligible for NEET 2018.
Check – NEET Answer Key 2019
FAQ about NEET 2019
Q1. Are NIOS students eligible for NEET 2019?
Ans: NIOS students are eligible to take NEET 2019 as the clause which barred such students was removed by the High Court of Delhi.
Q2. I will complete 25 years of age in March 2019. Will I be eligible for the February session of NEET?
Ans: There is no NEET upper age limit. The Exam will take place on 5th May 2019 in a single session. Therefore, it is likely that the date will be set one day prior to the exam date of May session. However, the Supreme Court verdict in the matter is currently awaited.
Q3. In Class 11 and 12, I had Biology as an additional subject. Does that make me ineligible for NEET 2019?
Ans: This clause was introduced by MCI for NEET 2018 but was overruled by the Delhi High Court which means that the students with Biology/Biotechnology as an additional subject in Class 11 and 12 are eligible for NEET 2019.
Q4. Will NTA consider my Class 12 marks for NEET 2019?
Ans: Candidates have to score the minimum qualifying percentage hence to become eligible for NEET 2019. The Applicants must note that the minimum required percentage in Class 12 will only make candidates eligible to appear for NEET 2019 but not assure qualification in the NEET exam.
Q5. I have a gap year between Class 11 and 12. Will I be eligible for NEET 2019?
Ans: Yes, candidates with a gap year will be eligible for NEET 2019. Earlier, MCI made amendments to the “Regulations on Graduate Medical Education, 1997” in which it was specified that a student must undergo continuous two years of study to become eligible to take NEET. However, this amendment was removed by the Delhi High Court and candidates with gap year can appear for NEET 2019 for now.
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