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Friday, 16 October

NEET UG · 1,406 ideas · 2017–2026

What NEET asks again

Inside each topic we tagged the exact idea every question tested. Here is which ideas came back, in which chapters, in what form and after how long.

Ideas tested
1,406
in 10 papers
Asked only once
76%
1067 ideas
Asked twice or more
339
across 90 chapters
Asked three times or more
92
22 of them four times or more

Key findings

  1. 01

    Of the 1,406 ideas NEET tested in ten years, 1067 (76%) were asked only once.

  2. 02

    Only 92 ideas have been asked three or more times, and 1 reached 7.

  3. 03

    In 2026, 41% of questions went back to an idea from an earlier paper, up from 5% in 2018.

  4. 04

    When an idea returns, the most common gap is 1 year; 48% of returns come within two years.

  5. 05

    Molecular Basis of Inheritance holds the most repeating ideas (12). Subjects are close: Physics 27%, Chemistry 23%, Biology 24% of ideas asked again.

24%

of ideas came back at least once

  • One paper1,08477%
  • Two papers24017%
  • Three papers665%
  • Four or more161%

1,406 ideas by how many of the ten papers asked them.

48%

of returns came within two years

GapReturnsSo far
  • 1 yr11026%
  • 2 yrs9748%
  • 3 yrs6563%
  • 4 yrs6478%
  • 5 yrs4188%
  • 6 yrs2593%
  • 7 yrs1497%
  • 8 yrs13100%
  • 9 yrs1100%

Years between two papers asking the same idea, 430 returns; plus 39 times an idea was asked twice in one paper.

41%

of 2026 questions went back to an earlier idea

5
11
16
14
34
36
41
38
41%
’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25’26

Share of each paper testing an idea asked before. It rises partly because each year has more past papers behind it.

The most repeated

Ideas asked in three papers or more

82 ideas came back in three or more of the ten papers, 16 of them in four or more. They are the closest thing NEET has to a fixed question. Open any row to see every question that tested it.

  • Usually asked as

    One-line MCQ · Application

    What each paper asked

    • match list on magnetic moments of ions
    • identify ion by d-d transition and magnetism

    The 7 questions

    • 2026 · Q67
      The lanthanide ion having four unpaired electrons is (Given : Atomic numbers of Ce = 58, Nd = 60, Tb = 65 and Ho = 67)

      mediumOne-line MCQAsked the year before

    • 2025 · Q71
      Given below are two statements : Statement I : Ferromagnetism is considered as an extreme form of paramagnetism. Statement II : The number…

      mediumTwo statementsAsked the year before

    • 2024 · Q67
      'Spin only' magnetic moment is same for which of the following ions? A. Ti3+^{3+} B. Cr2+^{2+} C. Mn2+^{2+} D. Fe2+^{2+} E. Sc3+^{3+}…

      mediumOther

    • 2024 · Q94
      The pair of lanthanoid ions which are diamagnetic is

      hardOne-line MCQ

    • 2020 · Q103
      The calculated spin only magnetic moment of Cr2+\mathrm{Cr^{2+}} ion is :

      easyNumerical

    • 2018 · Q69
      Match the metal ions given in Column I with the spin magnetic moments of the ions given in Column II and assign the correct code : Column…

      mediumMatch the listsNew idea

    • 2018 · Q70
      Which one of the following ions exhibits d-d transition and paramagnetism as well ?

      mediumOne-line MCQNew idea

Papers counts the different years that asked the idea. Squares are the ten papers, 2017 to 2026; a number means the idea was asked more than once that year.

Where repeats live

Chapters that keep asking the same ideas

90 chapters have at least one idea asked in two papers. Size alone does not explain it: some small chapters bring back most of what they ask, some big ones almost never repeat.

Every chapter, by size and by repeat rate

Bubble size: ideas asked again. Dashed lines: the median chapter. Chapters with fewer than 5 ideas left out.

  • Physics
  • Chemistry
  • Biology
0%20%40%60%80%100%01020304050Ideas NEET tested in the chapter →↑ Share of them asked againBig and repeatingSmall but repeatingBig, mostly new ideasMolecular Basis of Inheritance: 12 of 47 ideas asked again (26%)Animal Kingdom: 9 of 17 ideas asked again (53%)Human Health and Disease: 9 of 16 ideas asked again (56%)Principles of Inheritance and Variation: 9 of 31 ideas asked again (29%)System of Particles and Rotational Motion: 9 of 15 ideas asked again (60%)Biotechnology: Principles and Processes: 8 of 32 ideas asked again (25%)Chemical Coordination and Integration: 7 of 10 ideas asked again (70%)Semiconductor Electronics: Materials, Devices and Simple Circuits: 7 of 13 ideas asked again (54%)Cell Cycle and Cell Division: 7 of 21 ideas asked again (33%)Coordination Compounds: 7 of 19 ideas asked again (37%)Anatomy of Flowering Plants: 7 of 15 ideas asked again (47%)Electromagnetic Waves: 6 of 8 ideas asked again (75%)Current Electricity: 6 of 23 ideas asked again (26%)The p-Block Elements (Class 12): 6 of 14 ideas asked again (43%)Gravitation: 6 of 10 ideas asked again (60%)Cell: The Unit of Life: 6 of 29 ideas asked again (21%)Aldehydes, Ketones and Carboxylic Acids: 6 of 20 ideas asked again (30%)Biomolecules: 6 of 25 ideas asked again (24%)Ray Optics and Optical Instruments: 6 of 18 ideas asked again (33%)Sexual Reproduction in Flowering Plants: 6 of 31 ideas asked again (19%)Kinetic Theory: 5 of 5 ideas asked again (100%)Electrostatic Potential and Capacitance: 5 of 17 ideas asked again (29%)Solutions: 5 of 10 ideas asked again (50%)Body Fluids and Circulation: 5 of 15 ideas asked again (33%)Biotechnology and its Applications: 5 of 18 ideas asked again (28%)Human Reproduction: 5 of 28 ideas asked again (18%)Morphology of Flowering Plants: 5 of 23 ideas asked again (22%)Moving Charges and Magnetism: 5 of 17 ideas asked again (29%)Plant Kingdom: 5 of 26 ideas asked again (19%)Microbes in Human Welfare: 4 of 7 ideas asked again (57%)Chemical Kinetics: 4 of 14 ideas asked again (29%)Dual Nature of Radiation and Matter: 4 of 13 ideas asked again (31%)Plant Growth and Development: 4 of 18 ideas asked again (22%)Alternating Current: 4 of 10 ideas asked again (40%)Reproductive Health: 4 of 17 ideas asked again (24%)Electrochemistry: 4 of 12 ideas asked again (33%)Locomotion and Movement: 4 of 14 ideas asked again (29%)Organisms and Populations: 4 of 27 ideas asked again (15%)Evolution: 4 of 24 ideas asked again (17%)Ecosystem: 4 of 16 ideas asked again (25%)Organic Chemistry - Some Basic Principles and Techniques: 4 of 18 ideas asked again (22%)Hydrocarbons: 4 of 21 ideas asked again (19%)Some Basic Concepts of Chemistry: 3 of 7 ideas asked again (43%)Chemical Bonding and Molecular Structure: 3 of 20 ideas asked again (15%)Units and Measurements: 3 of 16 ideas asked again (19%)Breathing and Exchange of Gases: 3 of 11 ideas asked again (27%)Thermodynamics: 3 of 28 ideas asked again (11%)Structural Organisation in Animals: 3 of 23 ideas asked again (13%)Alcohols, Phenols and Ethers: 3 of 11 ideas asked again (27%)Biological Classification: 3 of 22 ideas asked again (14%)The Solid State: 3 of 6 ideas asked again (50%)Equilibrium: 3 of 23 ideas asked again (13%)Biodiversity and Conservation: 3 of 19 ideas asked again (16%)Motion in a Straight Line: 3 of 10 ideas asked again (30%)States of Matter: 3 of 7 ideas asked again (43%)The d- and f-Block Elements: 2 of 14 ideas asked again (14%)Wave Optics: 2 of 9 ideas asked again (22%)Redox Reactions: 2 of 5 ideas asked again (40%)Structure of Atom: 2 of 13 ideas asked again (15%)Neural Control and Coordination: 2 of 12 ideas asked again (17%)Biomolecules: 2 of 11 ideas asked again (18%)Environmental Issues: 2 of 16 ideas asked again (13%)Mineral Nutrition: 2 of 9 ideas asked again (22%)Excretory Products and their Elimination: 2 of 14 ideas asked again (14%)Atoms: 2 of 11 ideas asked again (18%)Respiration in Plants: 2 of 13 ideas asked again (15%)Work, Energy and Power: 2 of 14 ideas asked again (14%)The p-Block Elements (Class 11): 2 of 11 ideas asked again (18%)Photosynthesis in Higher Plants: 2 of 21 ideas asked again (10%)Haloalkanes and Haloarenes: 2 of 14 ideas asked again (14%)Mechanical Properties of Fluids: 2 of 13 ideas asked again (15%)Thermal Properties of Matter: 2 of 8 ideas asked again (25%)Magnetism and Matter: 2 of 6 ideas asked again (33%)Amines: 2 of 16 ideas asked again (13%)Transport in Plants: 2 of 11 ideas asked again (18%)General Principles and Processes of Isolation of Elements: 2 of 6 ideas asked again (33%)Strategies for Enhancement in Food Production: 2 of 9 ideas asked again (22%)Surface Chemistry: 2 of 6 ideas asked again (33%)Classification of Elements and Periodicity in Properties: 1 of 11 ideas asked again (9%)Electromagnetic Induction: 1 of 12 ideas asked again (8%)Waves: 1 of 7 ideas asked again (14%)Oscillations: 1 of 15 ideas asked again (7%)The Living World: 1 of 8 ideas asked again (13%)Electric Charges and Fields: 1 of 13 ideas asked again (8%)Laws of Motion: 1 of 19 ideas asked again (5%)Mechanical Properties of Solids: 1 of 6 ideas asked again (17%)Motion in a Plane: 1 of 5 ideas asked again (20%)The s-Block Elements: 1 of 11 ideas asked again (9%)Hydrogen: 1 of 5 ideas asked again (20%)Chemistry in Everyday Life: 1 of 5 ideas asked again (20%)Nuclei: 0 of 13 ideas asked again (0%)Digestion and Absorption: 0 of 15 ideas asked again (0%)Environmental Chemistry: 0 of 6 ideas asked again (0%)Polymers: 0 of 6 ideas asked again (0%)Chemical Coordination and In…System of Particles and Rota…Human Health and DiseaseSemiconductor Electronics: M…Animal KingdomPrinciples of Inheritance an…Molecular Basis of InheritanceBiotechnology: Principles an…

Swipe the chart sideways to see all of it.

50%

of all repeating ideas are Biology, from 50% of the ideas

  • Physics27% came back · 337 ideas

    24766

    Most asked: Polarisation and Malus's Law, in 5 papers.

  • Chemistry21% came back · 359 ideas

    28360

    Most asked: Magnetic Moment and Colour of d- and f-Block Ions, in 5 papers.

  • Biology22% came back · 710 ideas

    554114

    Most asked: Fundamental Chordate Features, in 6 papers.

  • Once
  • 2 papers
  • 3 papers
  • 4+

Each subject’s ideas by how many of the ten papers asked them.

32%

of calculation ideas came back, the most of any skill

  • Calculation202 ideas32%
  • Application163 ideas29%
  • Concept288 ideas25%
  • Recall629 ideas21%
  • Data or graph26 ideas19%
  • Multi-step85 ideas18%
  • Figure reading13 ideas8%

All ideas: 24% asked again. Dot size: number of ideas.

Share of ideas asked again, by the skill the question tested.

Form

The shape repeated ideas take

Match the lists ideas come back most often: 40% of them were asked again. A line that climbs means the format is over-represented among the ideas NEET reuses.

Share of all ideas against share of repeating ideas

Navy: formats NEET reuses more than it asks. Light: formats it brings back less. Square-root scale.

All ideasIdeas asked againOne-line MCQ 56%49%Numerical 17%20%Match the lists 9%15%Figure-based 7%7%Other 6%5%Assertion–reason 2%4%Two statements 3%1%

Chance a format’s idea is asked again

Formats with at least 10 ideas.

  • Match the lists125 ideas40%
  • Assertion–reason34 ideas38%
  • Numerical236 ideas28%
  • Figure-based93 ideas25%
  • One-line MCQ788 ideas21%
  • Other83 ideas20%
  • Two statements47 ideas4%

All ideas: 24% asked again. Dot size: number of ideas.

Repetition explorer

Every idea asked twice or more

Filter by subject or by how often, search by name, and sort by times asked, recency or the historical chance of coming back.

339 ideas · 808 questions

Chance next is the calibrated historical rate at which ideas with the same record came back in the following paper. For single ideas it is low, a few percent at most. How we compute it.

Index

All 1,406 ideas, by chapter

Every idea NEET tested from 2017 to 2026, including those asked once. Open a chapter, then an idea for its questions and how they were framed.

Physics · 337 ideas

Alternating Current10
Atoms11
Current Electricity23
Dual Nature of Radiation and Matter13
Electric Charges and Fields13
Electromagnetic Induction12
Electromagnetic Waves8
Electrostatic Potential and Capacitance17
Gravitation10
Kinetic Theory5
Laws of Motion19
Magnetism and Matter6
Mechanical Properties of Fluids13
Mechanical Properties of Solids6
Motion in a Plane5
Motion in a Straight Line10
Moving Charges and Magnetism17
Nuclei13
Oscillations15
Ray Optics and Optical Instruments18
Semiconductor Electronics: Materials, Devices and Simple Circuits13
System of Particles and Rotational Motion15
Thermal Properties of Matter8
Thermodynamics11
Units and Measurements16
Wave Optics9
Waves7
Work, Energy and Power14

Chemistry · 359 ideas

Alcohols, Phenols and Ethers11
Aldehydes, Ketones and Carboxylic Acids20
Amines16
Biomolecules11
Chemical Bonding and Molecular Structure20
Chemical Kinetics14
Chemistry in Everyday Life5
Classification of Elements and Periodicity in Properties11
Coordination Compounds19
Electrochemistry12
Environmental Chemistry6
Equilibrium23
General Principles and Processes of Isolation of Elements6
Haloalkanes and Haloarenes14
Hydrocarbons21
Hydrogen5
Organic Chemistry - Some Basic Principles and Techniques18
Polymers6
Redox Reactions5
Solutions10
Some Basic Concepts of Chemistry7
States of Matter7
Structure of Atom13
Surface Chemistry6
The d- and f-Block Elements14
The p-Block Elements (Class 11)11
The p-Block Elements (Class 12)14
The s-Block Elements11
The Solid State6
Thermodynamics17

Biology · 710 ideas

Anatomy of Flowering Plants15
Animal Kingdom17
Biodiversity and Conservation19
Biological Classification22
Biomolecules25
Biotechnology and its Applications18
Biotechnology: Principles and Processes32
Body Fluids and Circulation15
Breathing and Exchange of Gases11
Cell Cycle and Cell Division21
Cell: The Unit of Life29
Chemical Coordination and Integration10
Digestion and Absorption15
Ecosystem16
Environmental Issues16
Evolution24
Excretory Products and their Elimination14
Human Health and Disease16
Human Reproduction28
Locomotion and Movement14
Microbes in Human Welfare7
Mineral Nutrition9
Molecular Basis of Inheritance47
Morphology of Flowering Plants23
Neural Control and Coordination12
Organisms and Populations27
Photosynthesis in Higher Plants21
Plant Growth and Development18
Plant Kingdom26
Principles of Inheritance and Variation31
Reproductive Health17
Respiration in Plants13
Sexual Reproduction in Flowering Plants31
Strategies for Enhancement in Food Production9
Structural Organisation in Animals23
The Living World8
Transport in Plants11

Method

How to read this

What is an idea?
The single fact, law or skill a question tests, one level below the topic. For example, a topic like Chemical Kinetics holds ideas such as the first-order integrated rate law.
Does a repeated idea mean a repeated question?
No. The idea comes back, usually in a new form: a match-the-lists one year, a two-statement question the next. Learn the idea, not the old question.
Why is the chance for each idea so low?
Because NEET draws from a very large pool. Even the most repeated ideas came back in only about half the papers. Topics are far more predictable than ideas.

See repeat patterns by topic