Pick your exam or set your own marking scheme, enter your answers, and see your net score, accuracy and answer-sheet map.
Your result
Your answer sheet at a glance
Score breakdown
Marking schemes can change. Always confirm the pattern in the official notification of your exam.
Should I guess this question?
Uses the marks and deduction entered above. Tell it how many options you have left after eliminating.
What is a negative marking calculator?
A negative marking calculator is a free tool that works out your net exam score when some marks are lost due to incorrect answers. You enter the total questions, the marks for each correct answer, the penalty for each wrong answer, and how many questions you got right and wrong. The calculator instantly will show you your final score, percentage, accuracy and attempt rate.
You can use this tool after a mock test, a previous year paper or an answer-key check for exams such as NEET, JEE Main, UPSC Prelims, APSC Prelims, SSC CGL, IBPS, SBI, RRB NTPC, CAT and CUET. You can also enter in any custom marking scheme, such as 0.66 or 0.33 marks per wrong answer.
How to use this negative marking calculator
- Select your exam pattern from the dropdown to fill in the marks and penalty automatically, or keep “Custom pattern” and enter your own.
- Enter in the total number of questions in the paper.
- Enter in your correct and wrong answers. The tool automatically calculates the Skipped Questions.
- Tap “Calculate my score”to view your net score, accuracy, break-even accuracy and answer-sheet map.
- Download the PDF report to save your result, compare your mock tests, or share it with a mentor.
Negative marking formula
Final score = (Correct answers x Marks per correct answer) – (Wrong answers x Negative marks per wrong answer)
Unattempted questions are not counted, so they neither add nor deduct marks. The same numbers also give you two useful ratios:
- Accuracy (%) = Correct answers / (Correct + Wrong) x 100
- Attempt rate (%) = (Correct + Wrong) / Total questions x 100
Example 1: SSC CGL style paper (+2, -0.50)
Total questions 100, correct 70, wrong 20, skipped 10.
Score = (70 x 2) – (20 x 0.50) = 140 – 10 = 130 out of 200.
Example 2: UPSC Prelims style paper (+2, -0.66)
Total questions 100, correct 60, wrong 25, skipped 15.
Score = (60 x 2) – (25 x 0.66) = 120 – 16.5 = 103.5 out of 200.
Example 3: NEET style paper (+4, -1)
Total questions 180, correct 120, wrong 20, skipped 40.
Score = (120 x 4) – (20 x 1) = 480 – 20 = 460 out of 720.
Negative marking in popular exams
These are the commonly followed patterns. The calculator presets use them as a starting point, but exam bodies revise rules from time to time, so always confirm the current scheme in the official notification before you rely on it.
| Exam | Marks per correct answer | Penalty per wrong answer | Official site |
|---|---|---|---|
| NEET UG | 4 | 1 | NTA NEET |
| JEE Main (MCQs) | 4 | 1 (check the official notice for numerical-value questions) | NTA JEE Main |
| UPSC CSE Prelims (GS Paper I) | 2 | 1/3 of the marks (about 0.66) | UPSC |
| APSC GS Paper I | 2 | 1/4 of the marks (0.5) | APSC |
| APSC GS Paper II (CSAT) | 2.5 | 1/4 of the marks (0.625) | APSC |
| SSC CGL Tier-I | 2 | 0.50 | SSC |
| SSC CHSL Tier-I | 2 | 0.50 | SSC |
| IBPS / SBI PO and Clerk Prelims | 1 | 0.25 | IBPS, SBI |
| RRB NTPC / Group D CBT | 1 | 1/3 of the marks (about 0.33) | RRB |
| CAT | 3 | 1 for MCQs, none for typed-in answers | IIM CAT |
| CUET UG | 5 | 1 | NTA CUET |
| GATE | 1 or 2 | 1/3 for 1-mark MCQs, 2/3 for 2-mark MCQs, none for numerical answers | GATE |
Should you guess in a negative marking exam?
The answer depends on one number, your break-even accuracy. It is the accuracy at which attempting a question stops costing you marks.
Break-even accuracy = Penalty / (Marks per correct answer + Penalty)
- With 1/4 negative marking, break-even accuracy is 20%.
- With 1/3 negative marking, it is 25%.
- With 1/2 negative marking, it is about 33%.
Here is what that means in practice. In a 4-option question with 1/4 negative marking, a blind guess has a 25% chance of being right, so it is slightly positive on average. In a 5-option bank exam question with 1/4 negative marking, a blind guess has a 20% chance, which is exactly break-even. The moment you can rule out even one or two options, guessing becomes worth it. Our “Should I guess this question?” box does this calculation for you.
A sensible rule: attempt a question when you can eliminate at least two options, and skip when you are choosing blindly between many options.
Want a full strategy? Read our guide on how to handle negative marking in competitive exams.
How to reduce negative marking
- Do a first round of questions you are sure about, then return to uncertain ones.
- Track your accuracy in every mock test. If it falls below the break-even accuracy of your exam, you are losing marks through your guesses.
- Use elimination method before guessing a question. Each option you rule out increases your chance of being right.
- Do not change an answer in the last minutes unless you find a clear mistake.
- Review wrong answers after each test and note whether they came from a concept gap or a careless error.
These quick tips work well alongside our detailed article on handling negative marking, which covers each step in more depth.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate negative marking?
Multiply your correct answers by the marks for each correct answer, multiply your wrong answers by the penalty for each wrong answer, and subtract the second figure from the first. The negative marking calculator above does this for you automatically.
Is there negative marking for unattempted questions?
No. In standard exam patterns, skipped questions carry zero marks. Only wrong answers are penalised.
What does 1/3 negative marking mean?
It means one-third of the marks for a correct answer is deducted for each wrong answer. In a paper where each correct answer gives 3 marks, a wrong answer costs 1 mark. In a 2-mark paper, it costs about 0.66 marks.
What does 1/4 negative marking mean?
It means one-fourth of the marks for a correct answer is deducted for each wrong answer. In banking exams with 1 mark per question, each wrong answer costs 0.25 marks.
What is a good accuracy in a negative marking exam?
Your accuracy must be above the break-even level of the exam to gain marks overall. For 1/4 marking that is 20%, but aiming for 80% or more on attempted questions gives you a good score.
Can I use this calculator for any exam or mock test?
Yes. Select “Custom pattern” and enter the total questions, marks per correct answer and penalty per wrong answer. It works for school tests, coaching mock tests and any other paper with a negative marking scheme.
Can I download my result?
Yes. After you calculate your score, tap “Download result as PDF” to get a report with your score, percentage, accuracy and answer-sheet map. The calculator runs in your browser, so the numbers you enter stay on your device.
Will this match my official result?
It gives an accurate estimate based on the marking scheme you enter. Official results can vary because of normalisation, withdrawn questions or revised answer keys, so treat it as a close estimate and check the official scorecard for the final figure.