Negative marking is a scoring rule where marks are deducted for wrong answers, not just withheld — designed to discourage random guessing on multiple-choice questions.
Under negative marking, a correct answer earns full marks, an unattempted question earns zero, but a wrong answer costs a fraction of a mark (commonly one-third or one-fourth of the marks for that question, depending on the exam).
Negative marking means blind guessing has a negative expected value overall, so candidates are generally advised to only attempt a question if they can eliminate at least one or two wrong options, improving their odds enough to make an educated guess worthwhile — or to skip it entirely if genuinely unsure.
Not every competitive exam uses negative marking — some rely purely on positive scoring, so it's important to check the specific exam's marking scheme rather than assume.
Last reviewed: September 2026