Minimum NEET Marks for MBBS required: Category-wise cutoff

The entrance to medical studies through NEET UG 2025 serves as your initial major challenge to becoming a doctor. Every medical aspirant seeks to understand their required NEET score for MBBS admission. This blog provides an analysis of NEET minimum marks for MBBS admission with separate cutoffs for different categories and historical NEET UG trends. 

This guide provides information about MBBS cut-off marks to help all students from general categories and OBC, SC, and ST backgrounds achieve their goals. The following article provides an analysis of NEET UG 2025's fundamental aspects.

Understanding the NEET UG 2025 Exam

The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET UG 2025) is the gateway to all medical colleges in India. Conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA), this exam determines your eligibility for MBBS, BDS, and other undergraduate medical programs.

• Exam Date: May 4, 2025
• Registration Window: Feb 7 – Mar 7, 2025
• Official Website: neet.nta.nic.in

Before diving into numbers, let’s first understand how NEET Marks for MBBS determine your admission.

NEET Marks for MBBS: What Does It Mean?

When we talk about the minimum NEET marks for MBBS, we're referring to two key concepts:

1. Qualifying Cutoff – The minimum score to be eligible for counselling.
2. Admission Cutoff – The actual score needed to secure a seat in an MBBS college.

Just qualifying for NEET doesn't guarantee admission, especially in government colleges. Let’s dig into the cutoffs now.

Minimum Marks for MBBS in NEET 2024: Category-Wise Cutoff

Here are the category-wise NEET 2024 qualifying criteria you should know:

These are just the qualifying marks—actual cutoffs for MBBS admission can go much higher, depending on the college, state quota, and competition.

General Category – NEET MBBS Cutoff (Previous Trends)

General category students usually need to aim the highest. Here’s a quick look at MBBS cutoff scores for the General category over recent years:

To secure a government MBBS seat under the general category, you’ll typically need a score above 600+. Top colleges? Think 670–705+.

OBC Category – NEET MBBS Cutoff Analysis

For students under the OBC category, the cutoff scores are slightly relaxed due to reservation norms:

To land a government MBBS seat under OBC, a score above 570+ is usually needed. However, this can vary by state and institution.

SC/ST Categories – NEET MBBS Cutoff

Thanks to inclusive policies, SC/ST students have access to lower cutoffs, which boosts their chances of entry.

Still, to be in a safer zone for MBBS admissions, scores in the 500–530+ range are advisable.

Minimum NEET Score for MBBS Abroad

Planning to study MBBS abroad? Good news—you only need to qualify for NEET!

So, even if your score is around 150–200, you can explore options in countries like Russia, Georgia, the Philippines, Ukraine, and more.

Factors That Determine NEET Minimum Marks for MBBS

The minimum score required for MBBS admission through NEET varies from one year to the next. It's not random. Several elements determine the final cutoff score, which becomes effective each year. Learning about these factors enables better planning to prevent unexpected situations.

1. Difficulty Level of the Paper

The average student scores decrease when NEET presents a challenging paper, thus resulting in decreased minimum admission marks. The challenging nature of NEET 2022 examination caused the qualifying scores to decrease significantly.

2. Total Number of Test Takers

The increased number of NEET test-takers creates higher competition that tends to elevate the cutoff scores. NEET UG 2025 will attract the highest number of test takers in its history.

3. Availability of Seats

The number of MBBS seats available determines the role they play in the rising student demand for medical education. The introduction of additional MBBS seats by the government in 2025 could make cutoff scores slightly less challenging to achieve.

4. Reservation Policies

The cutoff trends experience significant changes because of the category-wise reservation system, which includes OBC, SC, ST, EWS, and PH categories. The introduction of additional reserved seats creates additional qualifying positions for candidates from these categories who achieve lower scores.

5. State Quotas and Domicile Benefits

Local students receive 85% of medical seats throughout each state. Medical colleges in Rajasthan, along with Tamil Nadu and Kerala, demand a high cutoff score, but other educational institutions follow different cutoff policies based on student competition and seat availability.

6. Counselling Rounds

NEET counselling consists of various rounds during which candidates' scores can change. The cutoff scores during the initial round of counselling tend to reach their peak. Your odds of securing an MBBS seat become stronger when you participate in the first round of counselling.

The multiple factors involved demonstrate why you should not base your application solely on the previous year's cutoff marks. Your application should exceed the previous year's cutoff mark to ensure complete safety.

How to Score Above the Minimum NEET Score for MBBS?

Now, let’s talk strategy. What steps should you take to secure admission in a top MBBS college after passing the qualification requirements?

The following actions represent the typical approach of successful candidates:

• Students who score 650+ points have the most secure position to obtain a government medical seat despite their general category status.
• NCERT textbooks function as an essential guide since they provide the origin of 85–90% of NEET questions. Each line and every example and diagram must be reviewed without any omission.
• Previous Year Papers from various years should be solved to understand the test structure. Physics Wallah gives students free access to their NEET PYQs PDF collection. Practice religiously.
• Performing mock tests weekly functions as a direct simulation of the actual examination. These resources enable students to boost their speed as well as their accuracy, and their ability to manage time effectively.
• Revision serves as a powerful tool that requires constant visits to formulas and diagrams, and essential concepts. Students should use summary sheets together with mind maps as study tools.
• The subject of biology carries the most weight in NEET, but students should maintain equal focus on physics and chemistry because these subjects serve as distinguishing factors.

Conclusion

Students who want admission to top government medical colleges should avoid resting on the qualifying cutoff score. General category students should target 650+ marks in NEET, while OBC and SC/ST candidates should aim for 580–620+ to remain competitive. And remember, preparation is everything.

PrepMed functions as an all-encompassing platform that provides personalized NEET coaching services and expert mentorship, along with test series that duplicate the actual NEET exam experience. PrepMed provides all the necessary tools for students who want to advance toward an MBBS seat through their NCERT revision and PYQ solutions.