Cubestack

Negative Marking Calculator

Free negative marking calculator — work out your exam score after negative marks for SSC, UPSC, banking, RRB, NEET, JEE and CUET, and see whether guessing is worth it.

Exam

1300
0.2510
05
0100
080

Your score

122.5 / 200

61.3% of the maximum

Correct
65 × 2 = +130
Wrong
15 × 0.5 = −7.5
Not attempted
20 × 0
Accuracy
81.3%
Marks lost to negative marking
−7.5

Should you guess?

An attempt pays off on average when you are more than 20.0% sure of the answer.

Options per question
  • Blind guess: +0.125 marks on average — slightly worth it
  • Two options left (50:50): +0.750 marks on average — worth attempting

Correct answers for a target score

0200

With 80 questions attempted, you need at least 64 correct to score 120.

Score = correct × marks per correct − wrong × negative marks. Unattempted questions score zero. Marking schemes follow recent notifications but can change — always check your exam's official notice.

What is the Negative Marking Calculator?

In exams with negative marking, every wrong answer takes marks away — for example SSC deducts 0.5 for a wrong answer worth 2 marks, and NEET deducts 1 for a wrong answer worth 4. A negative marking calculator works out your real score from how many questions you attempted and got right, and shows how many marks the wrong answers cost you.

It also answers the question every aspirant asks in the exam hall: should I attempt a question I'm unsure of? The calculator shows the accuracy at which attempting starts to pay, what a blind guess is worth on average, and how many correct answers you need to reach a target score.

How to use it

  1. 1

    Pick your exam

    Or choose Custom and set the marks for right and wrong answers.

  2. 2

    Enter your attempts

    How many questions you attempted and how many you think are correct.

  3. 3

    Read your score

    See your final score and the marks lost to negative marking.

  4. 4

    Plan your strategy

    Check the guessing advice and the correct answers needed for your target.

Features

  • Exam presets

    SSC CGL / CHSL, UPSC Prelims, IBPS / SBI PO, RRB NTPC, NEET UG, JEE Main and CUET UG, or your own marking scheme.

  • Score breakdown

    Marks from correct answers, marks lost to wrong answers, accuracy and percentage.

  • Should you guess?

    The break-even accuracy, the average value of a blind guess and of a 50:50 guess.

  • Target score

    How many correct answers you need for the score you want.

  • Any scheme

    Quarter, one-third, half or full negative marking, or any custom value.

  • PDF report and sharing

    Download a one-page score report as PDF, or share your score on WhatsApp.

Popular uses

  • After the exam

    Estimate your score from the answer key before the result.

  • Mock tests

    See how much negative marking is costing you and fix it.

  • Exam strategy

    Decide in advance when to attempt and when to skip.

Frequently asked questions

How is the score calculated with negative marking?

Score = correct answers × marks per correct − wrong answers × negative marks per wrong. Questions you skip score zero.

What is the negative marking in SSC CGL?

In recent SSC CGL and CHSL Tier 1 papers, each question carries 2 marks and 0.5 marks are deducted for each wrong answer. Check the current notice, as schemes can change.

Should I guess when there is negative marking?

With 1/4 negative marking on four-option questions, a blind guess averages zero, so it doesn't help. If you can rule out two options, a guess is worth it. The calculator shows this for your exam's scheme.

What is 1/3 negative marking?

One-third of the marks for a correct answer are deducted for each wrong answer — for a 2-mark question, that's 0.66 marks, as in UPSC Prelims.

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