Examination Format & Marking Scheme
| Total Marks | 720 |
|---|---|
| Test Duration | 3 Hours 20 Minutes (200 Minutes) |
| Negative Marking | -1 mark for every incorrect answer (+4 for correct) |
| Section A (Botany & Zoology) | 35 Questions in Botany + 35 in Zoology (70 Questions Total - All Compulsory) (280 Marks) Direct NCERT line-by-line core conceptual and factual MCQs covering Class 11 and 12 syllabus. |
| Section B (Botany & Zoology) | 15 Questions in Botany + 15 in Zoology (Attempt any 10 in each - 20 Questions Total) (80 Marks) Analytical MCQs, assertion-reasoning, match-the-following, and diagrammatic evaluations. |
High-Yield Exam Strategy & Pro-Tips
- Biology constitutes exactly 50% of the entire NEET score (360 out of 720 marks) — securing 340+ in Biology is indispensable for top government medical college admission.
- NCERT line-by-line mastery is non-negotiable: over 90% of all questions are framed directly from textbook lines, diagrams, summary paragraphs, and scientist biographies.
- Highest-yield units in NEET: Human Physiology (~12-14 Qs), Genetics and Evolution (~14-16 Qs), Ecology (~10-12 Qs), Cell Biology (~8-10 Qs), and Reproduction (~8-10 Qs).
Structural Organisation in Animals and Plants (Class 11)
External morphology and adaptations of roots, stems, leaves, flowers, and fruits; internal plant tissue anatomy and secondary growth; and animal tissue histology.
Chapter 5: Morphology of Flowering Plants
Modifications of root, stem, leaf; inflorescence types (racemose, cymose); flower morphology, aestivation, placentation types; fruit anatomy, seed structure; floral formulas and diagrams of Fabaceae, Solanaceae, and Liliaceae.
Chapter 6: Anatomy of Flowering Plants
Meristematic and permanent tissues (parenchyma, collenchyma, sclerenchyma, xylem vessels, phloem); tissue systems; internal anatomy of dicot vs monocot roots, stems, and isobilateral/dorsiventral leaves; secondary growth in dicot stems.
Chapter 7: Structural Organisation in Animals
Animal tissue histology: epithelial tissues (simple, stratified, ciliated, glandular), cell junctions (tight, adhering, gap), connective tissues (loose, dense, specialized: cartilage, bone, blood), muscle types (striated, smooth, cardiac), and nervous tissue.
Cell: Structure and Functions (Class 11)
Cell theory, ultrastructure of prokaryotic and eukaryotic organelles, structure and kinetic properties of biomolecules and enzymes, and phases of mitosis and meiosis.
Chapter 8: Cell: The Unit of Life
Prokaryotic vs eukaryotic organization; fluid mosaic membrane model; endomembrane system (ER, Golgi body, lysosomes, vacuoles); semiautonomous organelles (mitochondria, chloroplasts); cytoskeleton, cilia/flagella, and nuclear ultrastructure.
Chapter 9: Biomolecules
Chemical composition of living cells: carbohydrates, amino acids, peptide bonds, proteins (primary to quaternary structures), lipids, and nucleic acids; enzyme catalysis, activation energy, factors affecting velocity, and competitive inhibition.
Chapter 10: Cell Cycle and Cell Division
Interphase phases (G1, S phase replication, G2); mitotic stages (prophase, metaphase, anaphase, telophase, cytokinesis); meiosis I (leptotene, zygotene synapsis, pachytene crossing over, diplotene, diakinesis) and meiosis II significance.
Plant Physiology (Class 11)
Light and dark reactions of photosynthesis, cellular aerobic respiration and ATP generation, and phytohormonal control of plant growth and development.
Chapter 11: Photosynthesis in Higher Plants
Chloroplast pigments and absorption spectra; light reactions: Z-scheme photophosphorylation (cyclic/non-cyclic), photolysis of water; chemiosmosis; dark reactions: C3 Calvin cycle, C4 Kranz pathway, photorespiration, and Blackman's law.
Chapter 12: Respiration in Plants
Glycolysis (EMP pathway, ATP budget); alcoholic and lactic acid fermentation; aerobic Krebs citric acid cycle in mitochondrial matrix; electron transport system (ETS) and oxidative phosphorylation (ATP synthase Complex V); respiratory quotient (RQ).
Chapter 13: Plant Growth and Development
Phases of growth; physiological effects and practical applications of plant growth regulators (PGRs): Auxins, Gibberellins, Cytokinins, Ethylene, and Abscisic acid (ABA); photoperiodism and vernalization.
Human Physiology (Class 11)
Pulmonary gas exchange, cardiac circulatory cycle, nephron countercurrent excretion, sarcomere sliding filament locomotion, action potentials, and endocrine hormonal axes.
Chapter 14: Breathing and Exchange of Gases
Human respiratory anatomy; breathing mechanics (diaphragm, intercostals); respiratory volumes and capacities (TV, IRV, ERV, RV, VC, TLC); gas exchange across alveolar membrane; O2 transport (oxyhemoglobin dissociation curve) and CO2 transport; respiratory regulation.
Chapter 15: Body Fluids and Circulation
Blood cells, plasma proteins, ABO and Rh blood grouping; blood clotting mechanism; lymph; heart anatomy, cardiac conducting system (SA node, AV node); cardiac cycle, heart sounds, ECG waves (P, QRS, T); double circulation and hypertension.
Chapter 16: Excretory Products and their Elimination
Ammonotelism, ureotelism, uricotelism; nephron histology (Malpighian body, PCT, loop of Henle, DCT); urine formation (glomerular filtration GFR, selective reabsorption, secretion); Henle loop countercurrent multiplier mechanism; RAAS and ADH regulation.
Chapter 17: Locomotion and Movement
Skeletal muscle fiber ultrastructure, sarcomere, actin thin filaments (troponin, tropomyosin), myosin thick filaments; sliding filament theory of contraction; axial and appendicular skeleton; joint types; myasthenia gravis, tetany, arthritis, gout.
Chapter 18: Neural Control and Coordination
Neuron structure; resting membrane potential (-70 mV), impulse generation (Na+ influx), action potential propagation, and repolarization; chemical and electrical synaptic transmission; brain anatomy (cerebrum, thalamus, hypothalamus, cerebellum, medulla); reflex arc.
Chapter 19: Chemical Coordination and Integration
Endocrine glands and hormone definitions; mechanisms of peptide hormone (cAMP, IP3) vs steroid hormone (gene expression) action; hypothalamus, pituitary, pineal, thyroid, parathyroid, adrenal cortex/medulla, pancreas, and gonadal hormones; endocrine disorders.
Reproduction (Class 12)
Floral sexual reproduction, double fertilization, human reproductive anatomy and gametogenesis, and modern reproductive healthcare and contraception.
Chapter 1: Sexual Reproduction in Flowering Plants
Flower architecture; microsporogenesis, pollen grain viability; megasporogenesis, 7-celled 8-nucleate embryo sac; pollination types (autogamy, geitonogamy, xenogamy) and outbreeding devices; double fertilization (syngamy + triple fusion); apomixis and polyembryony.
Chapter 2: Human Reproduction
Male and female reproductive systems anatomy; spermatogenesis vs oogenesis; menstrual cycle hormonal control (FSH, LH surge, estrogen, progesterone); fertilization at ampulla, blastocyst implantation, placenta functions (hCG, hPL, relaxin), parturition, and lactation.
Chapter 3: Reproductive Health
Reproductive health programs (RCH); population control and contraception methods (natural, barrier, IUDs like Cu-T and LNG-20, oral pills like Saheli, sterilization); medical termination of pregnancy (MTP); sexually transmitted infections (STIs); assisted reproductive technologies (IVF, ZIFT, GIFT, ICSI).
Genetics and Evolution (Class 12)
Mendelian inheritance, Morgan linkage, Watson-Crick DNA double helix, replication, transcription, translation, operon regulation, and evolutionary origin of species.
Chapter 4: Principles of Inheritance and Variation
Mendel's monohybrid and dihybrid crosses; incomplete dominance, codominance, multiple alleles (ABO blood groups); chromosomal theory of inheritance; Morgan's Drosophila linkage; sex determination; Mendelian disorders (thalassemia, sickle cell) and chromosomal disorders (Down's, Turner's, Klinefelter's).
Chapter 5: Molecular Basis of Inheritance
DNA double-helix structure, Chargaff rules, histone nucleosome packaging; Griffith, Avery-MacLeod-McCarty, Hershey-Chase experiments; Meselson-Stahl replication; transcription, genetic code, tRNA adapter, translation; lac operon regulation; Human Genome Project (HGP) and DNA fingerprinting.
Chapter 6: Evolution
Origin of life: Oparin-Haldane chemical evolution and Miller-Urey experiment; evolutionary evidence: homologous (divergent) vs analogous (convergent) organs, fossils; Darwinian natural selection; Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium; adaptive radiation; human evolution lineage.
Biology in Human Welfare (Class 12)
Pathogenic diseases, innate and adaptive immunology, AIDS and cancer etiology, and beneficial microbes in foods, pharmaceuticals, and sewage management.
Chapter 7: Human Health and Disease
Infectious diseases: Typhoid (Widal test), Pneumonia, Common cold, Malaria (Plasmodium life cycle in mosquito vector and human host), Amoebiasis, Ascariasis, Ringworm; innate and adaptive immunity, antibody Y-structure (H2L2); AIDS (HIV retrovirus pathogenesis), cancer biology, and drug abuse.
Chapter 8: Microbes in Human Welfare
Microbes in household food (LAB in curd, Saccharomyces in bread, Swiss cheese holes); industrial fermentation, penicillin antibiotic discovery; organic acids, streptokinase, cyclosporin A, statins; sewage treatment primary/secondary aeration and BOD; biogas production and biofertilizers.
Biotechnology (Class 12)
Recombinant DNA tools (restriction enzymes, pBR322 vectors, PCR), host cell transformation, and agricultural (Bt crops) and medical (Humulin insulin, gene therapy) applications.
Chapter 9: Biotechnology: Principles and Processes
Genetic engineering tools: restriction endonucleases (palindromic recognition sequences, sticky ends), DNA ligases; cloning vectors (pBR322 features: ori, ampR, tetR, insertional inactivation with beta-galactosidase); competent host transformation; PCR (Taq polymerase); bioreactors and downstream processing.
Chapter 10: Biotechnology and its Applications
Agricultural applications: genetically modified Bt cotton (Bacillus thuringiensis Cry endotoxins), pest resistance via RNA interference (RNAi silencing in tobacco roots); medical biotechnology: recombinant human insulin (Humulin proinsulin processing), gene therapy (ADA deficiency), and transgenic animal models.
Ecology and Environment (Class 12)
Organismal adaptations, population growth dynamics and interactions, ecosystem energy pyramids and decomposition, and global biodiversity conservation strategies.
Chapter 11: Organisms and Populations
Abiotic factors (temperature, water, light, soil); adaptations (Kangaroo rat, Allen's rule, CAM photosynthesis); population attributes: age pyramids; growth models: exponential vs logistic (carrying capacity K); species interactions: mutualism, competition (Gause principle), predation, parasitism, and commensalism.
Chapter 12: Ecosystem
Ecosystem structure, abiotic-biotic components; primary productivity (GPP, NPP = GPP - R); decomposition steps (fragmentation, leaching, catabolism, humification, mineralization); 10% energy flow law; ecological pyramids of numbers, biomass, and energy; ecological succession.
Chapter 13: Biodiversity and Conservation
Levels of biodiversity; global diversity patterns (latitudinal gradients, Amazon rainforest, Alexander von Humboldt's species-area relationship); importance of biodiversity (Paul Ehrlich rivet popper hypothesis); 'The Evil Quartet' extinction causes; in-situ vs ex-situ conservation methods.