What Is the Highest Number of Attempts Allowed for NEET Exam?

The NEET exam is the gateway to medical college in India, and every year, thousands of students try to crack it. But one question keeps coming up: How many times can you attempt NEET? The answer isn’t as simple as a single number-it depends on your age, your category, and when you first tried. Let’s cut through the confusion and give you the real, up-to-date rules for 2026.

There’s No Official Cap on Attempts

Unlike some other competitive exams, NEET doesn’t have a fixed limit like ‘only three attempts’. The National Testing Agency (NTA) doesn’t say you can’t sit for NEET after your fifth or sixth try. As long as you meet the age and educational requirements, you can register again. That means if you failed in 2023, tried again in 2024, and didn’t get through in 2025, you can still apply for NEET 2026. No one’s stopping you.

But here’s the catch: just because you can attempt it doesn’t mean you should. Many students keep trying year after year without changing their strategy. They study the same way, use the same books, and skip mock tests. That’s not persistence-it’s repetition without progress.

Age Limits Are the Real Restriction

The real boundary for NEET attempts isn’t the number of tries-it’s your age. For the general category, you must be at least 17 years old by December 31 of the exam year. There’s no upper age limit anymore. That’s a big change from 2017, when the Supreme Court removed the cap on maximum age. So if you’re 25, 30, or even 35, you’re still eligible to take NEET.

For reserved categories (SC/ST/OBC), the rules are the same. No upper age limit. No restriction on attempts. The only thing that matters is whether you’ve passed Class 12 or equivalent with Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and English, and whether you’ve scored the minimum required marks (50% for general, 40% for reserved).

Who’s Attempting NEET the Most?

There’s no official record of the highest number of attempts by any single candidate. But from interviews with coaching centers in Delhi, Kota, and Hyderabad, we know some students have taken NEET six, seven, or even eight times. One student from Lucknow, who we’ll call Rohan, attempted NEET seven times between 2018 and 2024. He didn’t crack it until his seventh try. He was 26 when he finally got into a government medical college.

Why did he keep going? He didn’t have a backup plan. His family expected him to become a doctor. He didn’t want to disappoint them. He didn’t consider other paths like nursing, physiotherapy, or biomedical engineering. That’s the hidden cost of chasing NEET too many times: you risk losing years without exploring other options.

Why Do People Keep Trying?

There are three main reasons students retry NEET over and over:

• Family pressure: In many households, being a doctor is the only acceptable career. Failing NEET feels like failing the family.
• Lack of alternatives: Many students don’t know what else they can do with their science background. They think if they don’t get into MBBS, they’ve wasted their time.
• Overconfidence in coaching: Coaching institutes often tell students, “Just one more year,” without checking if their study methods are working. Some students spend ₹3-5 lakhs on coaching over five years and still don’t improve their score.

Here’s the truth: NEET isn’t about how many times you try. It’s about how much you improve each time. If your score stays stuck at 450 for three years, no amount of trying will help. You need to fix your weaknesses-maybe it’s biology concepts, time management, or test anxiety.

What Happens After the 5th Attempt?

There’s no rule that says you can’t attempt after the fifth try. But after that, the system doesn’t help you anymore. Coaching centers stop offering discounts. Your parents may start questioning the investment. Colleges don’t care how many times you tried-they only look at your final rank.

And here’s something no one tells you: after your fourth or fifth attempt, your chances of cracking NEET drop sharply-not because the exam gets harder, but because your brain starts to burn out. Mental fatigue, loss of motivation, and emotional exhaustion become real barriers. Many students who keep trying past the fifth attempt end up with lower scores than before.

What Should You Do Instead?

If you’ve tried NEET three or four times and your score hasn’t improved by more than 30-40 marks, it’s time to ask yourself: Is this still the right path?

Here are three alternatives you should consider:

1. B.Sc. in Medical Sciences: Many universities offer B.Sc. in Biotechnology, Microbiology, or Anatomy. After this, you can do M.Sc. or even apply for research roles in hospitals.
2. Physiotherapy or Nursing: These are respected healthcare careers with high demand. NEET isn’t even required for many nursing programs.
3. ABROAD OPTIONS: Countries like Ukraine, Georgia, and the Philippines offer MBBS programs with lower fees and no entrance exam. You don’t need to crack NEET to study medicine overseas-just pass Class 12 and get a visa.

Some students who switched to physiotherapy after three NEET attempts now earn more than doctors in rural clinics. Others are working in biotech startups with degrees they earned while preparing for NEET. The world doesn’t end when you don’t get into MBBS.

When to Stop Trying

There’s no magic number. But here’s a simple rule: if your NEET score hasn’t improved by at least 50 points in two consecutive attempts, stop. Don’t waste another year. Go back, analyze your mock test papers, and find out why you’re stuck. If you’re making the same mistakes-misreading questions, forgetting formulas, panicking under time pressure-it’s not about effort. It’s about strategy.

Ask yourself: Am I studying smarter, or just longer?

If you’re spending 12 hours a day studying but still getting the same score, it’s not about hard work. It’s about direction. Get a mentor. Hire a tutor who specializes in NEET weak areas. Or better yet, take a six-month break and work in a hospital or clinic. You’ll see medicine in real life-not just in textbooks-and that might change everything.

Final Word: It’s Not About Attempts. It’s About Growth.

The highest number of NEET attempts isn’t what matters. What matters is whether you’re growing with each try. If you’re learning, adapting, and improving, then keep going. If you’re just repeating the same mistakes, then no amount of attempts will get you there.

NEET is a test of knowledge, yes-but also of resilience, adaptability, and self-awareness. The real question isn’t how many times you can take it. It’s whether you’re still the same person who took it the first time.

Don’t let society’s expectations trap you. Your future isn’t tied to one exam. It’s built on your choices, your willingness to change, and your courage to walk away when it’s time.