Cracking NEET 2025: What’s a good score and rank for MBBS in AIIMS, government, private medical colleges?

NEW DELHI: Nervous about your MBBS dream? Knowing the good score and rank needed in NEET UG 2025 may help you set your goal and perform accordingly in tomorrow’s exam. The National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET 2025) for admission to medical and dental colleges in India will be held on May 4. NEET UG 2025 Live.

The number of medical aspirants appearing for the NEET exam has been consistently increasing each year. Of the 23 lakh students who took the exam last year, approximately 13 lakh managed to clear it. Notably, the number of candidates who qualify NEET has also doubled in just three years from 7 lakh to 13 lakh.

This year, around 23 lakh students will compete for a limited number of 1,18,190 (1.18 lakh) MBBS seats in India, making NEET 2025 one of the toughest and largest entrance exams in the country.

NEET cut-off percentile for General, OBC, SC, ST

With high competition, one of the most commonly asked questions among aspirants is: “What is a good score for NEET?” and “What is the safe rank in NEET UG 2025 for MBBS in government medical colleges?” To assess your chances of admission to a desired college, it's important to understand the NEET cut-off percentile, corresponding marks, and overall score trends.

NEET cut-off varies depending on the candidate's category. Last year, the NEET cut-off increased for all categories — General, OBC, SC, ST, and EWS — reflecting fierce competition fueled by a record-breaking number of registrations in NEET history.

General and General-EWS category candidates must obtain a minimum NEET cut-off of the 50th percentile, while for OBC, SC, and ST, it is set at the 40th percentile. The NEET percentile and NEET marks differ, as the former is based on the overall performance of the candidates who took the exam. It largely depends on the difficulty level of NEET, competition, and previous years’ trends.

Also read NEET UG 2025: New tie-breaking rule, independent expert panel to resolve through ‘random process’

What’s a good score in NEET for government medical colleges?

There is no concrete answer to what qualifies as a good mark in NEET. However, scoring 650+ out of 720 can maximize your chances of getting a seat in a government college. The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, has been ranked the best medical college in India. All 47 top AIQ NEET rank holders last year opted to pursue MBBS at AIIMS.

The Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) is responsible for conducting the NEET UG counselling to fill 15% of the All India Quota (AIQ) seats in India. The remaining seats are filled through state counselling committees based on NEET scores.

In case you score slightly lower NEET marks, there are still plenty of good options in government and private medical colleges. Students are advised to check last year’s state-wise NEET cut-off ranks while filling choices through NEET state counselling.