"I scored 600 — which college will I get?" It's the most common question after results, and it has no fixed answer. The reason is simple: NEET admissions run on rank, not raw marks.
Marks, rank and percentile
- Marks — your raw score out of 720.
- Rank — your position among all candidates after tie-breaking.
- Percentile — the share of candidates you scored above.
Colleges are filled strictly in rank order, so two students with identical marks can still land different colleges if their ranks differ slightly.
Why the same marks shift each year
When an exam is easier, more students cluster at high marks — so the same 600 maps to a worse rank. In a harder year, 600 might be a much better rank. That's why last year's "600 = X college" rule of thumb can mislead you.
Tie-breaking
When candidates score the same marks, defined tie-breakers (such as subject-wise performance and other published criteria) decide who ranks higher. This is why equal marks rarely mean an equal rank.
What this means for you
Don't anchor your expectations to a marks figure you heard from a senior. Get your rank, study three-year closing-rank trends for your category and quota, and build your list from there.
Marks get you into the race. Rank — and how you use it in counselling — decides where you finish.