Hardest NEET Exam: Which Year Was Toughest and Why?
May, 25 2025
Some NEET exams just hit differently. It's not your imagination—every year, students walk out with stories about impossible bio questions or weird physics problems, but one year really stands out when you ask around at coaching centers.
Before you start to panic, it's actually useful to look at why one year's NEET can feel like a totally different beast than another. The difficulty doesn't only depend on who makes the paper, but also the way questions are mixed up—sometimes NCERT basics, sometimes twists you wouldn’t see coming.
If you’re hearing rumors about the hardest NEET ever and worrying if it might get repeated, you’re not alone. People still talk about that one year when social media exploded with memes about tricky chemistry and how toppers found the physics section mind-bending. But understanding what happened then can actually give you an edge now. If you know what made it tough, you can avoid the same mistakes and prep smarter, not just harder.
- Why NEET Difficulty Varies Each Year
- Looking Back: The Year Everyone Dreaded
- What Made That NEET Exam So Brutal
- How Scoring Trends Shifted
- Lessons From Students Who Survived
- Smart Prep Tips for Any NEET Paper
Why NEET Difficulty Varies Each Year
Ever wondered why your seniors call one NEET exam a cakewalk and another a total nightmare? The truth is, NEET isn’t built using a set template. The paper changes every year based on who's on the question-setting panel and how they decide to mix up the topics. Sometimes they love direct hardest NEET exam type questions, other years they go all out with small details from NCERT or throw in curveball concepts.
There's also a thing called the "normalization" effect. When too many students score high one year, the paper might get tougher the next time to balance the cutoff marks. For example, in 2016-2017, the bio section was pretty straightforward, but after complaints that the exam was too easy, the 2018 chemistry and physics sets became noticeably tougher. This keeps the competition fair and prevents everyone from bunching up at the very top of the score chart.
Exam bodies like NTA (National Testing Agency) craft the paper with a team of subject experts. Their goal: keep a balanced mix of easy, moderate, and tough questions. But even experts disagree. What looks moderate to one teacher feels impossible to someone else. On top of this, some years there’s a larger focus on certain chapters—like 2020, which saw more questions from human physiology and thermodynamics.
Let’s look at a quick snapshot of how NEET difficulty shifted over recent years:
| Year | Section Most Students Found Tough | Key Reason |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Chemistry | More theory-based, unexpected questions |
| 2018 | Physics | Lengthy calculations, tricky numericals |
| 2020 | Biology | NCERT-based, but very specific details asked |
| 2022 | Chemistry | Concept mixing, assertion-reason questions |
Bottom line: NEET isn’t just about what you study—it’s about how you think on your feet with whatever the paper throws at you. That’s why coaching centers always say don’t skip chapters—even the ones you hate—because you never know what the trend will be.
Looking Back: The Year Everyone Dreaded
If you ask almost any serious NEET aspirant or coach, the year 2016 instantly comes up when talking about the hardest NEET exam. That year wasn’t just rough—it was a nightmare for a lot of students, mostly because it was the first year after the Supreme Court made NEET the single entrance test for medical admissions across India. No backup exams, no “easier” state-level papers—just one massive hurdle for everyone.
Test-takers were thrown by a paper that seemed designed to trip up even those who had been nailing mock tests. Physics in particular was the showstopper. Loads of students left the hall saying they’d never seen that many calculation-heavy and tricky application questions. And this wasn't just clutching at straws—the numbers back it up.
| NEET Year | Average Score (Physics) | Difficulty Feedback |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 (AIPMT*) | 53/180 | Moderate |
| 2016 | 36/180 | Brutal |
| 2017 | 44/180 | Above Average |
| 2018 | 48/180 | Challenging |
*AIPMT was the predecessor of NEET before 2016.
Lots of questions in 2016 were not straight lifts from NCERT books either, making it a curveball for those focused only on textbook facts. Social media, coaching WhatsApp groups, and even mainstream news talked about that Physics section. Some memes were funny, but the worry was real.
Coaching centers scrambled to analyze the paper, and pretty much everyone agreed: if you could survive NEET 2016, you could handle anything. Cut-offs dropped that year, and the top percentile wasn’t just about being smart—it was about being smart under pressure.
What Made That NEET Exam So Brutal
If there was ever a NEET exam that made students sweat, it was NEET 2016 (Phase 2). This wasn’t just hype. Ask around—most teachers agree this year set the bar for toughness. The hardest NEET exam tag stuck thanks to a bunch of reasons that shook even the best-prepped.
One huge shock was the Physics section. Most years, you’d get a mix of direct formula problems and a few conceptual speed bumps. But in 2016 Phase 2, at least 30% of the Physics questions were wrapped in unfamiliar formats and multi-step calculations. Students who were banking on NCERT revisions felt blindsided by the extra layers thrown in.
Chemistry wasn’t much kinder. The organic and physical sections especially had tricky, time-consuming questions. A lot of folks expected straight facts, but what showed up were confusing, high-order thinking (HOTS) questions that chewed up time for even seasoned test-takers.
Biology is supposed to be the scoring savior, but this time, it turned ruthless. Four or five questions sent everyone on a scavenger hunt—some answers felt almost outside the NCERT syllabus, which is honestly every NEET aspirant’s nightmare.
Check out this comparison table to see what made NEET 2016 Phase 2 infamous:
| Section | Typical Question Level | NEET 2016 Phase 2 Question Level | No. of Higher-Order Questions (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physics | Moderate | Very Difficult | 30% |
| Chemistry | Easy-Moderate | Difficult | 25% |
| Biology | Easy | Moderate-Difficult | 10% |
A couple of factors made things even worse:
- Unusually wordy questions that took extra minutes just to read and start solving.
- Very few straight repeats from past years or even common question banks—so coaching institute “expected set” guesses fell flat.
- Intense pressure because this was a retake year and many were already on their last shot.
One last thing: The number of questions nobody could answer right jumped massively. OMR sheet checks later revealed that most scored 10-20% lower than they had in similar mocks or previous years. This was the real heartbreaker—top ranks dropped, everyone felt the heat, and word got around fast that this was officially a nightmare paper.
How Scoring Trends Shifted
Whenever a NEET paper gets super tough, you can see it straight away in the score sheets. Take NEET 2016 for example—that year is probably still the most talked-about, and for good reason: the highest marks dropped, average scores nosedived, and even coaching center predictions were off.
Normally, NEET toppers hit crazy numbers above 650 out of 720, and even the cutoff for government medical colleges is nothing to sneeze at. But in 2016, things shifted fast. The hardest NEET exam had toppers sightly above 670, and the bulk of serious aspirants clustered lower than usual. Lots of regular 600+ scorers found themselves in the high 400s and low 500s—it shook a lot of confidence.
Check this out for a concrete look at how scoring shifted between a "normal" year and 2016:
| Year | Topper's Marks | Average Score | General Category Cutoff |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 695 | 432 | 453 |
| 2016 | 685 | 355 | 350 |
| 2017 | 697 | 468 | 472 |
The dip in 2016 stands out! Cutoffs dropped almost 100 marks compared to the previous year. This meant that even if you didn’t score that high, you still had a shot at a government seat thanks to the overall tougher paper.
So if you see a bad result day trending, remember—it could be the paper, not just your prep. It’s always smarter to focus on your rank and percentile, not just raw marks. Cutoffs move a lot, and so do opportunities. Toppers themselves say they stopped obsessing over mark predictions after seeing how much can change from one NEET year to the next.
Lessons From Students Who Survived
If you dig into stories from those who tackled the hardest NEET exam, there’s no mythical strategy—just gritty, practical habits that make a huge difference. In the 2018 NEET (often mentioned as the year with the toughest paper so far), many students came out shocked by the length and the curveballs, especially in Physics and Chemistry.
Here’s what students who did well kept repeating when asked about their survival tricks:
- Don’t just revise; practice with actual old papers. Toppers mentioned sticking to previous NEET papers, especially from the last five years. Facing real questions, especially tough ones from years like 2018 and 2016, trained them to handle unpredictability.
- Time management wins over cramming too much theory. Several top scorers realized they finished Biology with time to spare, then had room to think on harder Physics problems. Mock tests with a strict timer helped here.
- NCERT books over thick side books. Almost all high rankers stressed that NCERT is non-negotiable—2018 Biology was ‘NCERT line by line’. They used thick guides only for specific doubts.
- Answering tough questions first isn’t always smart. Many who panicked over a tricky Physics section at the start lost time. Those who skipped the hardest ones on the first go saved minutes for the easy marks.
- They kept mental health in check. Students told of walking their dog, talking to friends, or setting mini-breaks. As simple as it sounds, it meant fewer blank-outs in the hall.
A look at NEET 2018 results backs up these tips. Check this snapshot of top scorer stats and attempts compared to NEET 2017:
| Year | Topper’s Score | Papers Attempted | Physics Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 697/720 | 99% | Moderate |
| 2018 | 691/720 | 97% | Very Tough |
Notice that even the best scored a little less the tough year, and the number of questions attempted dropped too. Students who accepted the hard reality, managed their nerves, and chased sure-shot marks survived the stormy paper.
Smart Prep Tips for Any NEET Paper
It doesn't matter if this year's NEET turns out to be the next toughest or just feels like a standard paper—there are practical ways to prep for any level of difficulty. The truth is, there’s a pattern to why toppers keep their scores high, no matter what the examiners throw. These tips are straight from what works, not just what sounds good.
First, NCERT is king. Around 85% of NEET biology questions come straight from NCERT textbooks. Don’t gloss over diagrams, tables, or even the lines at the end of chapters—they hide easy marks that people skip. Every time Luna, my dog, curled up on my notes, I got reminded: anything in those pages is fair game.
- hardest NEET exam or not, stick to a smart routine. Three to four hours daily for physics and chemistry, and at least two for bio. Split them into blocks—staring at a book for hours rarely pays off.
- Mock tests aren't extra—they’re essential. Taking a mock test weekly from March and bumping up to two or three a week in the final month lets you spot silly mistakes and fix your timing.
- NEET isn’t just memory. Physics especially tests if you 'get' the basics. Don’t jump to advanced problems until you can do all the single-step ones fast, straight off your notes.
- Analyze past NEET papers—not just last year’s. A fact: the NEET 2016 physics section had a much higher difficulty, while chemistry in 2020 was almost all direct from NCERT. Trends repeat.
Track your progress. Here’s what top students often do to keep track of their study and practice efficiency:
| Practice Type | Frequency (per week) | Common Mistake |
|---|---|---|
| Full Mock Tests | 2-3 | Skipping review after test |
| NCERT Revision (All Subjects) | Every alternate day | Ignoring diagrams/text boxes |
| Error Log Review | 1 | Not updating after every test |
One more game-changer: don’t compare rumors about the paper. In hard years, the cut-off always drops. In fact, the NEET 2018 cut-off was lower by over 10 marks compared to 2017 because the paper was tougher. Everyone’s playing the same game; focus on getting your own answers right. Prep for challenges, not just easy wins.