Short answer: most of them do. JEE Main, NEET, CUET, BITSAT, VITEEE, CAT, the SSC exams, the bank exams (IBPS and SBI) and the railway exams all deduct marks for a wrong answer. Among the major exams, only UGC NET, MHT-CET and TS/AP EAPCET have no negative marking at all. GATE and CAT are mixed: some question types carry a penalty and others don't. A question you leave blank never costs you marks in any of these exams.
Last updated: 16 October 2026. Patterns can change between years, so always confirm in the official notification before your exam.
Negative marking, exam by exam
| Exam | Marks for a right answer | Deducted for a wrong answer |
|---|---|---|
| JEE Main | +4 | −1 |
| JEE Advanced | Varies by question type | Varies, up to −2. Some types have none; the paper's instructions state it |
| NEET (UG) | +4 | −1 |
| NEET PG | +4 | −1 |
| CUET (UG) | +5 | −1 |
| CUET PG | +4 | −1 |
| BITSAT | +3 | −1 |
| VITEEE | +4 | −1 |
| GATE | +1 or +2 | −⅓ on 1-mark MCQs, −⅔ on 2-mark MCQs; none on multiple-select (MSQ) and numerical (NAT) questions |
| CAT | +3 | −1 on multiple-choice; none on type-in-the-answer (TITA) questions |
| CSIR UGC NET | Varies by part | Varies by part and subject (up to −1) |
| UGC NET | +2 | None |
| MHT-CET | +1 (Physics, Chemistry, Biology), +2 (Maths) | None |
| TS / AP EAPCET | +1 | None |
| SSC CGL (Tier-I) | +2 | −0.5 |
| SSC CHSL (Tier-I) | +2 | −0.5 |
| SSC GD Constable | +2 | −0.25 |
| SSC CPO | +1 | −0.25 |
| SSC MTS | +3 | None in Session 1; −1 in Session 2 |
| IBPS PO, IBPS Clerk, IBPS RRB | +1 | −0.25 |
| SBI PO, SBI Clerk | +1 | −0.25 |
| RRB Group D, NTPC, RRB JE | +1 | −⅓ |
When does guessing pay? The 30-second maths
A blind guess pays off only if its average value is above zero. That depends on two things: the penalty, and how many options there are.
- JEE Main and NEET (+4 / −1, 4 options): a blind guess is worth +0.25 marks on average. That's positive, but small and risky. If you can rule out one option, the average rises to +0.67.
- CUET (+5 / −1, 4 options): a blind guess is worth +0.5 on average, so guessing is more forgiving here than in most exams.
- SSC CGL and CHSL (+2 / −0.5, 4 options): +0.125 on average. It's barely worth it blind, but clearly worth it once you've eliminated one option.
- Bank exams (+1 / −0.25, 5 options): a blind guess is worth exactly 0. Don't guess blind. Rule out at least one option first, and then it becomes positive.
- Railway exams (+1 / −⅓, 4 options): also exactly 0 on a blind guess. The same rule applies: eliminate first, then guess.
- UGC NET, MHT-CET, EAPCET (no negative marking): answer every question. A blank is a guaranteed zero, and a guess can only help.
These are averages, so one guess can still lose marks. The real lesson is that eliminating even one option changes the maths in your favour in every exam on this list.
Practise with the real penalty, not without it
Students who practise without negative marking learn to guess more than they should, and it shows on exam day. Every mock and topic test on Sanviora uses the exam's own marking, penalty included. After each test you can see how many marks the wrong answers cost you. For JEE and NEET strategy in more depth, read our guide on when to attempt and when to skip.
FAQ
Is there negative marking in CUET?
Yes. In CUET (UG), each correct answer earns 5 marks and each wrong answer loses 1. A question you leave unanswered scores 0.
Which entrance exams have no negative marking?
Among the major exams, UGC NET, MHT-CET and TS/AP EAPCET have none. In GATE, the multiple-select and numerical questions have none, and in CAT, the type-in-the-answer questions have none.
Do unanswered questions lose marks?
No. In every exam listed here, a question you leave blank scores zero. Marks are only deducted for a wrong answer.
Is negative marking the same in Prelims and Mains for bank exams?
For IBPS and SBI, it's −0.25 of the question's marks in both stages. Mains questions can carry different marks per section, so check that year's notification.