Is NCERT Enough to Crack NEET 2026?

Each year, lakhs of students who wish to study medicine appear to give the highly competitive National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) Exam. With NEET 2026 only a few months away, students keep asking whether studying NCERT alone is sufficient to score well. The answer to this question can shape the whole preparation process for NEET for many students.

There’s a lot of confusion among the aspirants after the NEET 2025 exam got over because the NEET 2025 Physics was extremely tough. Just because NEET 2025 Physics was tough, it does not mean that every year physics will be tough. If you analyze the subject-wise analysis of PrepMed, you will see that NEET 2025 biology has 86-88 questions directly from the NCERT textbook. Focus on the concepts more than the lines as biology plays a major role in your score improvement. In order to tackle the difficulty of any subject in NEET 2026, it is necessary to find out difficult questions by practicing mixed standard types of questions.

The goal of this blog is to study the role of NCERT books for NEET, discuss both their advantages and disadvantages, and suggest the best strategies for students. No matter if you are a dropper or still in high school, you should understand the importance of NCERT if you want to succeed in NEET preparation.
 

The structure of NEET UG 2026 and how NCERT helps

Let’s know about the exam before we start reading the books. NEET UG 2026 will offer admission to undergraduate medical and dental courses all over the country. In the exam, there will be a single paper of 180 questions. There are 45 questions each for Physics, Chemistry, Botany, and Zoology. The importance of every subject is the same, yet Biology (Botany + Zoology) receives a slightly higher importance because it has 90 questions.

At this stage, NCERT becomes very important. Questions in the NEET, especially in Biology and Chemistry especially, are often taken from the NCERT textbooks by the National Testing Agency (NTA). So, every serious student looking to study for NEET 2026 should begin with NCERT books.

Biology: The NCERT stronghold

If you speak with a top-ranking NEET student, they will say that Biology is the subject where NCERT books are required the most. Every year, the NEET Biology questions involve direct phrases, lines, diagrams, and examples taken from NCERT books. The NEET analysis for 2025 Biology found that around 86-87 out of the 90 questions were from NCERT topics.

NEET 2026 is expected to follow the same trend. So, what is the best way for a student to use NCERT for Biology?

Many have found that reading line by line, highlighting important ideas, and going over the drawings several times is very effective. Every detail, like definitions, tables, figures, and footnotes, should be understood and memorized. To excel, focus on studying the material well and rereading it regularly. Any student who wants to do well in NEET 2026 needs to study NCERT Biology at least five times before the exam.

Chemistry: A mixed surprise

When it comes to Chemistry, NCERT still plays a major role — but with some limitations. The subject is made up of three primary areas: Physical, Inorganic, and Organic Chemistry.

In Inorganic Chemistry, NCERT is the ultimate source. All the trends, exceptions, and properties of the elements are covered in tables and clear explanations. Many questions about periodic properties, bonding, and p-block and d-block elements are copied from the NCERT. You should go over these chapters in the NCERT, memorizing each line.

For Organic Chemistry, NCERT helps students build a strong foundation of concepts. Some students believe that NCERT explanations are too short. Additional reference books are helpful in understanding mechanisms, reaction pathways, and exceptions. 

Physical Chemistry is an area where the NCERT might not be as strong. It requires solving many numerical and conceptual problems, but NCERT does not give much importance to these. Since there are not enough explanations in the book, it is hard for a student to feel confident. So, to get ready for NEET 2026, students should also work on questions from coaching modules or books by N Awasthi or O.P. Tandon, along with their NCERT book.

Physics: NCERT as a reference, not a primary tool

Most people see physics as the hardest subject in the NEET exam. Unfortunately, NCERT’s Physics books do not prepare students well for the NEET exam. Explanations are often hard to grasp, the terms are complex, and there are a limited number of solved examples.

Still, that doesn’t mean you should not use NCERT materials. It is important to continue using it to find definitions, check SI units, look at formulas, and explore essential laws. Therefore, students have to use multiple resources when solving physics problems, as this is essential for success in NEET. It is highly advised to use H.C. Verma, DC Pande, and question banks from previous years.

Focus on NCERT textbooks for the basic subject concepts and then work on improving your skills with lots of practice questions from question banks and test series. One cannot rely solely on the NCERT books.

What the NEET 2025 paper taught us

Looking at previous year question papers is one of the best strategies while preparing for NEET. After studying the NEET 2025 question paper, some important details can be noticed:

• Most of the biology questions, approximately 86-87 questions, were based on direct concepts from NCERT.
• About 35 to 38 questions on chemistry came straight from the NCERT.
• Physics: Approximately 20–25 questions closely related to the NCERT theory.

Students often get a lot of marks if they focus on NCERT for NEET, but this approach may not guarantee the highest possible marks. To get a high rank in NEET 2026, students should build their knowledge on NCERT and use additional questions and exercises to improve their understanding.
 

Is NCERT alone enough to score 600+ in NEET 2026?

If you want to score more than 600 in NEET, you must answer at least 150 questions correctly. If you get a perfect score in Biology and moderately good marks in Chemistry, Physics is what will decide your result. To really learn Physics, you need more than just the NCERT textbooks. So, to get above 600 in the exam, you probably need Physics help from sources beyond the NCERT materials, unless your Physics skills are already very high.

The ideal strategy using NCERT for NEET 2026

If your target is to get a competitive score in NEET UG 2026, here’s how you can make the best use of NCERT books during your preparation.

1. Always start with NCERT to make sure you understand the basics well.

2. Your first guide in Biology should be the NCERT textbook. Go through your draft several times.

3. For Chemistry, stick to the NCERT textbook for Inorganic and Organic and use reference materials to work on the numericals.

4. Complete the NCERT for a basic introduction to Physics and then practice with MCQ books for different concepts and NEET-type questions.

5. Solve questions from NCERT-based question banks to familiarize yourself with the questions you will encounter in the NEET exam.
 

Common mistakes aspirants make with NCERT

Students often make the mistake of just reading the NCERT without practicing questions. People also tend to underrate the value of learning the basics and start with challenging reference books too early. A common mistake for students is to overlook revising NCERT because they feel that reading it just once is enough. Do not repeat these mistakes if you want to pass the NEET UG 2026 exam.

NOTE: In other words, NCERT is still important. As far as Physics is concerned, you will find out that sometimes you might need to build the concept from other reference books and then go through the NCERT Physics textbook. The basic core, concept and syllabus of the questions will still follow NCERT. The difficulty level might vary but the basic concept of NCERT will still be necessary. So in a nutshell, for Physics, Chemistry and Biology, study from NCERT and practice mixed-based questions. The question paper will be strictly NCERT-based.

Conclusion

Can NCERT alone help students achieve success in NEET 2026? For the majority of Biology and Chemistry, NCERT materials are truly necessary. If you are studying Physics or numerical Chemistry, you will need more resources than just NCERT. You should depend on NCERT material first and then enhance your learning with additional problems, question banks, mock exams and study materials. That mixture of NCERT with regular practice and study is the difference between those who qualify and those who top the exam.

Don’t limit yourself to just reading NCERT if you want to do well in NEET UG 2026. Instead, master it, review it and build upon your knowledge.

FAQS:

1. How many questions in NEET 2026 will be from NCERT?

Around 70 to 90 percent of the Biology and Chemistry questions are expected to be based directly on NCERT content.

2. Is NCERT enough for NEET Physics?

 No. While NCERT is useful for theory, it lacks depth of problem-solving. Supplementary books and practicing MCQ are essential.

3. Can I crack NEET 2026 by studying only NCERT?

 You can get close to the cutoff by studying only NCERT, especially in Biology and Chemistry, but not a top rank without additional practice.

4. Which NCERT books should I read for NEET?

Class 11 and 12 NCERT textbooks for Physics, Chemistry, and Biology are required. Stick to the original editions published by NCERT.

5. How many times should I revise NCERT before NEET 2026?

At least four to six thorough revisions, especially for Biology and Inorganic Chemistry, are recommended before the exam.