NEET UG 2025 Analysis: Physics challenging, Biology & Chemistry balanced; How students, experts rate?

Nitin Vijay, CEO of Motion Education analysed that 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.

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NEET UG 2025 Analysis: Subject-wise review

Physics

The Physics section was reported to be the toughest of all three. Questions required a strong conceptual understanding and analytical thinking. Many were formula-based but involved multiple steps, making them time-consuming. Students needed to apply concepts across multiple chapters to arrive at correct answers, which increased the overall difficulty level.

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, said Vijay.

Nabin Karki – National Academic Director (Medical), of Aakash Educational Services Limited (AESL) opined that Physics section was highly challenging with emphasis on Class 11 and questions too required extensive calculations. “There were no statement-based, assertion-reason, or match-the-column questions were included and majority focus were asked from Mechanics,” said Karki.

Topics covered 

This year one question came from experimental skills, followed by 15 questions  from Mechanics, four from Thermal Physics, three from SHM Waves, 13 from Electrodynamics, four from Optics and six from Modern Physics and Electronics.

Chemistry

The Chemistry section was lengthy. The section demanded precision and careful reading, as even minor misinterpretations could lead to errors, claimed experts pointing out that the theoretical parts were relatively easier, but the application-based questions raised the difficulty level significantly.

Karki assessed the section to be of medium to difficult difficulty level with focus on Organic and Physical Chemistry, with the majority of questions being derived from the Class 12 syllabus. As he analysed, candidates faced various questions that required a conceptual clarity and analytical understanding.

The section also featured a considerable number of statement-based and matrix-match questions, along with one assertion-reason-based question. Interestingly, several questions involved the application of multiple concepts simultaneously, making them more time-consuming compared to the previous year.

Topics covered

This year, 16 questions were asked from Physical Chemistry, 12 from Inorganic Chemistry and 17 from Organic Chemistry, 22 questions were asked from the syllabus of class 11th and 23 questions were asked from the syllabus of class 12th. Nine questions of Physical Chemistry, five from Inorganic Chemistry and eight from Organic Chemistry were asked from the syllabus of class 11th. Whereas seven questions of Physical Chemistry, seven from Inorganic Chemistry and nine from Organic Chemistry were asked from the syllabus of class 12th.

Biology

Although Biology (Botany and Zoology) was not as conceptually difficult, the section was very lengthy. Questions were often detailed and required careful reading. 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, said Nitin Vijay.

Karki opined that the section had a majority of the questions followed a predictable pattern, a few were challenging. He said some questions were also drawn from introductory passages, exercise sections, and brief profiles of scientists presented at the start of certain chapters.

The section displayed a clear preference for content from Class 12 over Class 11, and offered a well-balanced mix of factual, conceptual, and analytical questions, said experts.

The most common formats in the exam included multi-statement and match-the-column questions, followed by assertion-and-reason type questions. Additionally, diagrams from the NCERT textbooks were incorporated in a few cases with focus on Genetics and Biotechnology.

“Some questions, like the one on the water vascular system, required verbatim textbook recall, while others, such as the fig–wasp relationship, were ambiguous and open to interpretation,” said Ujjwal Singh founding CEO of Infinity Learn by Sri Chaitanya. He also added that Both Physics and Chemistry incorporated questions with intricate calculations and contextual reasoning, creating significant time pressure for examinees.

Vijay also suggested that 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. On the other hand, Maheshwari claimed that the cutoff could likely be low due to the paper being difficult and lengthy.