The NEET UG 2025-26 syllabus for Biology remains largely the same as the 2024 syllabus,
which saw significant changes to align with the rationalized NCERT textbooks. This means
some topics have been removed, some added, and some modified.
Here's a chapter-wise breakdown of the NEET Biology syllabus, covering both Class 11 and
Class 12 topics, as per the current information for 2025-26. It's crucial to refer to the official
NEET (UG) 2025 syllabus released by the National Medical Commission (NMC) or National
Testing Agency (NTA) for the most accurate and up-to-date information.
NEET Biology Syllabus (Class 11 & 12) - Chapter Wise
CLASS 11 BIOLOGY
Unit I: Diversity in Living World
● Chapter 1: The Living World
○ Biodiversity; Need for classification; three domains of life; taxonomy and
systematics; concept of species and taxonomical hierarchy; binomial nomenclature.
● Chapter 2: Biological Classification
○ Five kingdom classification; Salient features and classification of Monera, Protista
and Fungi into major groups; Lichens, Viruses and Viroids.
● Chapter 3: Plant Kingdom
○ Classification of plants into major groups; Salient and distinguishing features and a
few examples of Algae, Bryophyta, Pteridophyta, Gymnospermae and
Angiosperms.
● Chapter 4: Animal Kingdom
○ Salient features and classification of animals, non-chordates up to phyla level and
chordates up to class level (salient features and a few examples of each category).
Unit II: Structural Organisation in Plants and Animals
● Chapter 5: Morphology of Flowering Plants
○ Morphology of different parts of flowering plants: root, stem, leaf, inflorescence,
flower, fruit and seed. Description of family Solanaceae (formerly Fabaceae and
Liliaceae were also included, but Solanaceae is commonly cited now).
● Chapter 6: Anatomy of Flowering Plants
○ Anatomy and functions of tissue systems in dicots and monocots.
● Chapter 7: Structural Organisation in Animals
○ Animal tissues; Morphology, Anatomy and functions of different systems (digestive,
circulatory, respiratory, nervous and reproductive) of an insect (Frog, Earthworm,
Cockroach are often included for basic understanding of organ systems).
Unit III: Cell: Structure and Function
● Chapter 8: Cell: The Unit of Life
○ Cell theory and cell as the basic unit of life, structure of prokaryotic and eukaryotic
cells; Plant cell and animal cell; cell envelope; cell membrane, cell wall; cell
organelles - structure and function; endomembrane system, endoplasmic reticulum,
golgi bodies, lysosomes, vacuoles, mitochondria, ribosomes, plastids, microbodies;
cytoskeleton, cilia, flagella, centrioles (ultrastructure and function); nucleus - nuclear
membrane, chromatin, nucleolus.
● Chapter 9: Biomolecules
○ Chemical constituents of living cells: Biomolecules (structure and function of
Proteins, Carbohydrates, Lipids, Nucleic acids); Enzymes - types, properties,
enzyme action.
● Chapter 10: Cell Cycle and Cell Division
○ Cell cycle, mitosis, meiosis and their significance.
Unit IV: Plant Physiology
● Chapter 11: Photosynthesis in Higher Plants
○ Photosynthesis as a means of autotrophic nutrition; site of photosynthesis,
pigments involved in photosynthesis (elementary idea); photochemical and
biosynthetic phases of photosynthesis; cyclic and non-cyclic photophosphorylation;
chemiosmotic hypothesis; photorespiration; C3 and C4 pathways; factors affecting
photosynthesis.
● Chapter 12: Respiration in Plants
○ Exchange gases; cellular respiration - glycolysis, fermentation (anaerobic), TCA
cycle and electron transport system (aerobic); energy relations - number of ATP
molecules generated; amphibolic pathways; respiratory quotient.
● Chapter 13: Plant Growth and Development
○ Seed germination; phases of plant growth and plant growth rate; conditions of
growth; differentiation, dedifferentiation and redifferentiation; sequence of
developmental processes in a plant cell; growth regulators - auxin, gibberellin,
cytokinin, ethylene, ABA; elementary idea; photoperiodism and vernalisation.
Unit V: Human Physiology
● Chapter 14: Breathing and Exchange of Gases
○ Respiratory organs in animals (recall only); Respiratory system in humans;
mechanism of breathing and its regulation in humans - exchange of gases,
transport of gases and regulation of respiration, respiratory volume; disorders
related to respiration - asthma, emphysema, occupational respiratory disorders.
● Chapter 15: Body Fluids and Circulation
○ Composition of blood, blood groups, coagulation of blood; composition of lymph
and its function; human circulatory system - Structure of human heart and blood
vessels; cardiac cycle, cardiac output, ECG; double circulation; regulation of
cardiac activity; disorders of circulatory system - hypertension, coronary artery
disease, angina pectoris, heart failure.
● Chapter 16: Excretory Products and their Elimination
○ Modes of excretion - ammonotelism, ureotelism, uricotelism; human excretory
system - structure and function; urine formation, osmoregulation; regulation of
kidney function - Renin-Angiotensin mechanism, ANF, ADH, diabetes insipidus; role
of other organs in excretion; disorders - uremia, renal failure, renal calculi, nephritis.
● Chapter 17: Locomotion and Movement
○ Types of movement - ciliary, flagellar, muscular; skeletal muscle - contractile
proteins and muscle contraction; skeletal system and its functions (To be dealt with
the relevant practical of Practical syllabus); joints; disorders of muscular and
skeletal system - Myasthenia gravis, Tetany, Muscular dystrophy, Arthritis,
Osteoporosis, Gout.
● Chapter 18: Neural Control and Coordination
○ Neuron and nerves; Nervous system in humans - central nervous system;
peripheral nervous system and visceral nervous system; generation and conduction
of nerve impulse; reflex action; sensory perception; sense organs; elementary
structure and functions of eye and ear.
● Chapter 19: Chemical Coordination and Integration
○ Endocrine glands and hormones; human endocrine system - hypothalamus,
pituitary, pineal, thyroid, parathyroid, adrenal, pancreas, gonads; mechanism of
hormone action (elementary idea); role of hormones as messengers and regulators,
hypo - and hyperactivity and related disorders; dwarfism, acromegaly, cretinism,
goiter, exophthalmic goiter, diabetes, Addison's disease.
CLASS 12 BIOLOGY
Unit VI: Reproduction
● Chapter 20: Sexual Reproduction in Flowering Plants
○ Flower structure; development of male and female gametophytes; pollination -
types, agencies and examples; outbreeding devices; pollen-pistil interaction; double
fertilization; post fertilization events - development of endosperm and embryo,
development of seed and formation of fruit; special modes - apomixis,
parthenocarpy, polyembryony; significance of seed dispersal and fruit formation.
● Chapter 21: Human Reproduction
○ Male and female reproductive systems; microscopic anatomy of testis and ovary;
gametogenesis - spermatogenesis & oogenesis; menstrual cycle; fertilisation,
embryo development up to blastocyst formation, implantation; pregnancy and
placenta formation (elementary idea); parturition (elementary idea); lactation
(elementary idea).
● Chapter 22: Reproductive Health
○ Need for reproductive health and prevention of sexually transmitted diseases
(STDs); birth control - need and methods, contraception and medical termination of
pregnancy (MTP); amniocentesis; infertility and assisted reproductive technologies -
IVF, ZIFT, GIFT (elementary idea).
Unit VII: Genetics and Evolution
● Chapter 23: Principles of Inheritance and Variation
○ Heredity and variation: Mendelian inheritance; deviations from Mendelism -
incomplete dominance, co-dominance, multiple alleles and inheritance of blood
groups, pleiotropy, polygenic inheritance; chromosome theory of inheritance;
chromosomes and genes; Sex determination - in humans, birds, honey bee; linkage
and crossing over; Sex linked inheritance - haemophilia, colour blindness;
Mendelian disorders in humans - thalassemia, cystic fibrosis, PKU, sickle cell
anaemia; chromosomal disorders in humans - Down's syndrome, Turner's and
Klinefelter's syndromes.
● Chapter 24: Molecular Basis of Inheritance
○ Structure and function of DNA and RNA; Packaging of DNA helix; DNA replication;
Central dogma; transcription, genetic code, translation; gene expression and
regulation - Lac Operon; Genome and Human Genome Project; DNA fingerprinting.
● Chapter 25: Evolution
○ Origin of life; biological evolution and evidences for biological evolution
(paleontology, comparative anatomy, embryology and molecular evidence);
Darwin's contribution, modern synthetic theory of evolution; mechanism of evolution
- variation (mutation and recombination) and natural selection with examples, types
of natural selection; gene flow and genetic drift; Hardy-Weinberg's principle;
adaptive radiation; human evolution.
Unit VIII: Biology and Human Welfare
● Chapter 26: Human Health and Disease
○ Pathogens; parasites causing human diseases (Malaria, Filariasis, Ascariasis.
Typhoid, Pneumonia, common cold, amoebiasis, ringworm, dengue, chikungunya);
Basic concepts of immunology - vaccines; Cancer, HIV and AIDS; Adolescence,
drug and alcohol abuse. Tobacco abuse.
● Chapter 27: Microbes in Human Welfare
○ In household food processing, industrial production, sewage treatment, energy
generation and as biocontrol agents and biofertilisers.
Unit IX: Biotechnology and its Applications
● Chapter 28: Principles and Process of Biotechnology
○ Genetic engineering (Recombinant DNA technology).
● Chapter 29: Application of Biotechnology in Health and Agriculture
○ Human insulin and vaccine production, gene therapy; Genetically modified
organisms - Bt crops; Transgenic Animals; Biosafety issues - Biopiracy and patents.
Unit X: Ecology and Environment
● Chapter 30: Organisms and Populations
○ Organism and its environment; population interactions - mutualism, competition,
predation, parasitism; population attributes - growth, birth rate and death rate, age
distribution.
● Chapter 31: Ecosystem
○ Patterns, components; productivity and decomposition; energy flow; pyramids of
number, biomass, energy.
● Chapter 32: Biodiversity and its Conservation
○ Concept of Biodiversity; patterns of Biodiversity; Importance of Biodiversity; Loss of
Biodiversity Biodiversity conservation; Hotspots, endangered organisms, extinction;
Red Data Book, biosphere reserves, National parks and sanctuaries, Sacred
Groves.
Important Notes for your NEET 2025-26 Preparation:
● NCERT is Key: The NEET syllabus is primarily based on the NCERT textbooks for Class
11 and 12. Make sure your fundamental understanding of all topics comes from NCERT.
● Rationalized Syllabus: Be aware that the NCERT has rationalized its syllabus. The
NEET syllabus usually follows these changes. Therefore, if you are using older NCERT
editions, cross-check with the latest NEET syllabus to identify any deleted or added
topics.
● Practice Previous Year Questions (PYQs): Solving PYQs will give you an idea of the
types of questions asked, the difficulty level, and important topics.
● Mock Tests: Regularly take mock tests to assess your preparation, identify weak areas,
and improve time management.
● Stay Updated: Always check the official NTA/NMC website for any last-minute changes
or clarifications regarding the NEET 2025-26 syllabus.
Good luck with your preparation!
