Is There Negative Marking in NTS? NAT & GAT Marking Scheme Explained (2026)

🔄 Last updated: July 17, 2026

“Is there negative marking in NTS?” is one of the most searched questions by Pakistani students — and the answer you get depends on which website you land on. Some say yes, some say no. That contradiction is dangerous, because your entire test strategy depends on the answer.

Let us be precise about what is actually known, what is disputed, and how to protect yourself either way. If you’re just starting your NTS preparation, our complete NTS test registration and 30-day preparation guide covers the full picture — this article focuses specifically on the marking scheme question.

First: “NTS” Is Not One Test

This is where most confusion starts. NTS (National Testing Service) is an organisation, not an exam. It runs many different tests, and they do not all follow the same marking rules.

• NAT (National Aptitude Test) — undergraduate admissions
• GAT General — MS / MPhil admissions
• GAT Subject — PhD admissions
• Recruitment tests — for specific government and private jobs
• Customised institutional tests — built to a client organisation’s specification

Asking “does NTS have negative marking” is like asking “how long is a government job advertisement”. It depends entirely on which one.

GAT General: No Negative Marking

This one is consistent across every source we checked.

Strategy for GAT General: attempt every single question. A blank answer scores zero. A guessed answer has a 25% chance of scoring a full mark and cannot cost you anything. Leaving a question blank is strictly worse than guessing.

NAT: The Sources Contradict Each Other

Here is where we have to be honest with you rather than confident.

• Some sources state that 0.25 marks are deducted for each wrong answer on NAT, with no penalty for unattempted questions.
• Other sources state that scheduled NAT has no negative marking — while adding that customised NAT tests often do, and that NTS may change the rule in future.

Both of those claims appear on established Pakistani education sites. We are not going to pick one and present it as settled fact, because if we get it wrong, you sit the wrong strategy in an exam that shapes your admission.

The likeliest explanation for the contradiction is that the rule has varied between test types and over time — which is exactly why you cannot rely on a blog post from two years ago, including this one.

What You Should Actually Do

There is one source that settles this for your test, and it is not a website.

1. Read Your Own Question Booklet

Every NTS paper states its marking scheme on the front page or in the instructions. Read it before you start. Whatever it says overrides every blog, every YouTube video, and every WhatsApp forward — including this article.

This takes thirty seconds and removes all uncertainty.

2. Check the Official Advertisement or Candidate Guidelines

For recruitment and customised tests, NTS publishes Guidelines for Candidates for each specific test project. These state the marking scheme explicitly. Download the one for your test from nts.org.pk.

Marking schemes genuinely differ between projects. One NTS recruitment test we reviewed stated clearly: 20 total marks, 1 mark per correct answer, no negative marking. Another test under a different client may deduct. The guidelines tell you which.

3. Email NTS If It Is Still Unclear

info@nts.org.pk. It is a legitimate question and it costs you nothing to ask.

The Strategy for Each Scenario

Once you know the rule for your test, the correct approach follows automatically.

If There Is No Negative Marking

• Attempt every question. No exceptions.
• Never leave a blank. A blank is a guaranteed zero; a guess is a free 25% chance.
• In the last five minutes, fill in every remaining bubble, even at random.

If There Is Negative Marking (e.g. −0.25 per wrong answer)

The maths here is worth understanding rather than memorising.

• Blind guessing on a 4-option MCQ breaks even. On average you get 1 right (+1) and 3 wrong (−0.75) out of every 4 guesses. Net: +0.25 across 4 questions. Marginally positive, but close enough to zero that it is not a strategy.
• Eliminate one option and guessing becomes clearly worth it. With 3 options left, you average 1 right and 2 wrong per 3 guesses: +1 − 0.5 = +0.5. That is a real gain.
• Eliminate two options and you should definitely guess. A 50/50 shot at +1 against a 50/50 shot at −0.25 is a strongly positive bet.
• If you genuinely cannot eliminate anything, leave it blank. This is the one case where a blank is defensible.

The rule of thumb: under negative marking, guess only when you can rule at least one option out. Pure random guessing is not punished heavily, but it is not helping you either.

Other Marking Rules That Cost People Marks

Negative marking is not the only way to lose points on an NTS answer sheet. From the official test-day instructions:

• Filling two circles for one question is marked ZERO. Not “the first one counts” — zero.
• Overwriting or cutting near an answer circle may be marked ZERO because it damages readability for the scanner.
• Use only blue or black ball pen. Anything else may not be read.

Students lose more marks to a smudged answer sheet than to negative marking. If you change an answer, change it cleanly. For the full registration timeline, test-day checklist and a structured 30-day study plan, see our NTS Test Guide 2026.

Quick Reference

The Bottom Line

Do not walk into your test having decided your guessing strategy based on a website — this one included. Read the marking scheme printed on your own question booklet in the first thirty seconds, and let that decide.

Any site that gives you a confident one-word answer to “does NTS have negative marking” is oversimplifying a question that genuinely has different answers for different tests.

Official NTS website: nts.org.pk

Preparing for a government job test more broadly? See our guides on job interview preparation, CV writing for Pakistani jobs, and common government job application mistakes to avoid.

Disclaimer: FutureRozgar is an independent information website and is not affiliated with NTS. Marking schemes vary by test and may change. Always confirm from your official question booklet, the Guidelines for Candidates document for your specific test, or NTS directly.

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