Getting NG in Grade 12 in Nepal is genuinely scary in the moment. You open your result, see those two letters next to a subject you worked for all year, and your mind immediately goes to the worst-case scenario — repeating the whole year, losing a year of your life, being behind all your friends.

Stop. Breathe. Here's the reality: NG in Grade 12 Nepal is not the end of your education. NEB has a clear, structured process that gives you multiple pathways to move forward — and tens of thousands of students navigate this every year and come out the other side just fine. What you need right now is accurate information, not panic.

This guide explains exactly what NG in Grade 12 means, why it happened, and every option available to you right now.

What Does NG Mean in Grade 12 Nepal?

NG stands for Not Graded. It is the lowest possible outcome in the NEB grading system and carries a grade point of 0.0. NG appears on your marksheet when you score below 35 marks in the external theory exam or below 40 percent in the internal assessment or practical component of a subject.

This is a critical point that most students and parents misunderstand: NG in Grade 12 Nepal is a subject-level result, not a whole-year result. You don't fail all of Grade 12 because of one NG. You specifically haven't cleared that one subject.

Getting NG in even one subject means you have not met the passing requirement for that subject. You must clear it through the grade increment exam or retotaling before your result is considered a full pass.

The minimum passing grade in any subject under the NEB system is D — which requires scoring at least 35 marks in theory. So the line between NG in Grade 12 and a passing grade is 35 marks in theory. That's the threshold you need to cross.

How Does NG in Grade 12 Affect Your GPA?

This is the part that surprises most students. NG is 0.0 grade points, but the subject still counts in the divisor. So if you have 5 subjects and one is NG, you divide by 5, not 4. That one NG pulls your entire GPA down sharply even if all other subjects are strong.

This matters because many students assume their GPA from their other subjects still reflects their overall performance. It doesn't. As long as NG appears on your marksheet, your GPA includes a 0.0 for that subject, which drags your entire average down significantly.

The only way to fix this is to clear the NG — either through retotaling, rechecking, or the Grade Increment Exam. Once cleared, your GPA is recalculated with the new grade replacing the NG.

Step 1 — Apply for Retotaling (If Your Marks Feel Wrong)

Before anything else, ask yourself honestly: did you feel you answered that paper reasonably well? Did you write enough? Was there any chance of an addition error in marking?

If yes — apply for retotaling immediately. Retotaling is not about a full re-evaluation of your answers. It checks whether your marks were added correctly and totalled without arithmetic errors. It costs less and takes less time than rechecking.

The retotaling application for Grade 12 2083 starts from Ashadh 6, 2083, from 11:00 AM. Applications are submitted online through the Online Payment (Retotaling) service on the NEB website. Students who are dissatisfied with the grade obtained in any subject are eligible. Late applications will not be accepted.

The retotaling application deadline is within Shrawan 25, 2083 — around August 9, 2026. The fee is NPR 500 per subject — confirm the current amount on neb.gov.np at the time you apply, as this can change.

What retotaling checks: Whether marks were added correctly on your answer sheet and whether the total was transferred to the marksheet accurately.

What retotaling does NOT check: Whether the examiner marked your answers fairly or correctly.

Step 2 — Apply for Rechecking (If Retotaling Didn't Change Your Grade)

If retotaling doesn't fix your NG in Grade 12 Nepal, the next option is rechecking. This is a more thorough process — a new examiner actually reviews your entire answer sheet.

If you are not satisfied with the retotaling result, NEB provides a facility to apply for Rechecking of your answer sheets. If any mistake is found during rechecking, NEB will issue a new marksheet with updated marks. Rechecking must be applied within 15 days of the retotaling result publication. The cost is NPR 2,000 per subject. Visit the NEB Examination Controller's Office and fill the rechecking form, deposit the required fee at designated banks, and submit the form with the bank voucher to NEB within 15 days.

Rechecking takes 30–45 days for results. If your NG in Grade 12 is overturned through rechecking, NEB issues an updated marksheet.

Important: If rechecking does not change your grade, the decision is final. There is no further appeal process after rechecking. At that point, your options are the Grade Increment Exam or repeating as a partial student.

Step 3 — Grade Increment Exam (The Most Used Option)

This is what most students with NG in Grade 12 Nepal end up doing — and it works. The Grade Increment Exam (also called the supplementary exam or chance exam) gives you a direct opportunity to clear the NG subject without repeating the full year.

The Grade Increment Exam is only for regular examinees of the Grade 12 annual examination held in Baishakh 2082 whose registration numbers start with '82'. Students who participated and obtained a minimum grade of D or above in other subjects in the theoretical part and NG in the remaining two subjects are eligible.

This means you can appear in the Grade Increment Exam if you have NG in a maximum of two subjects while having cleared all others with at least D grade. If you have NG in more than two subjects, the Grade Increment Exam is not available to you — you would need to repeat as a partial student in the next year's examination.

For Class 12, the grade increment exam is expected from Bhadra 20, 2083 onward — around September 2026. Results would follow a few weeks after, expected around Kartik 15, 2083 (November 2026).

After you clear the Grade Increment Exam: The new grade replaces NG on your record and your GPA is recalculated. You then download your updated marksheet and use it for college admissions.

Most colleges have a late admission window specifically for students who clear NG through retotaling or rechecking or the Grade Increment Exam. These windows are typically 2 to 4 weeks long after the updated marksheet is available. So even if everyone else has already enrolled, there will still be a path in for you.

Step 4 — Repeat as a Partial Student (If You Have NG in More Than Two Subjects)

If you received NG in Grade 12 Nepal in more than two subjects, the Grade Increment Exam is not available to you. Your option is to appear in the next year's Grade 12 exam as a partial student — only in the subjects where you received NG.

This is not repeating the full year in the conventional sense. You don't redo all subjects. You only sit the exams for the NG subjects in the next cycle, which runs in Baisakh-Jestha 2084 (April-May 2027).

In the meantime, this year is not wasted. Students in this situation typically use the time to prepare seriously, sometimes taking coaching classes specifically for their weak subjects.

What You Should Do Right Now — In Order

Acting quickly is the most important thing when you see NG in Grade 12. Here is the exact sequence:

Today: Check which subject(s) you received NG in and confirm how many — this determines which options are available to you.

Within the next few days: Decide honestly whether the NG is likely a marking error (apply for retotaling) or whether you genuinely underperformed in that subject (prepare for Grade Increment Exam).

Ashadh 6, 2083 onwards: Retotaling application opens. If you want to contest your marks, apply online through NEB's payment portal as soon as this window opens. Don't wait until the last day.

Watch for the Grade Increment Exam notice: NEB will publish the form fill-up notice and schedule after the main result. Applications must be submitted in the short window NEB announces right after the main result. Do not miss that window.

Print your current marksheet now: Download and save a copy of your current result even with the NG showing. You'll need it for reference regardless of which path you take next.

FAQs

What does NG mean in Grade 12 Nepal?
NG means Not Graded. It appears when you score below 35 marks in the external theory exam or below 40% in the internal assessment of a subject. It carries 0.0 grade points and means you have not cleared that subject.

Can I still get into college with NG in Grade 12 Nepal?
Not directly. You need to clear the NG first — through retotaling, rechecking, or the Grade Increment Exam — before most colleges will admit you. Most colleges have late admission windows for students who clear NG after the main result.

How many subjects can I have NG in and still appear for the Grade Increment Exam?
A maximum of two subjects. If you have NG in more than two subjects, the Grade Increment Exam is not available and you must appear as a partial student in the next year's exam cycle.

When is the Grade 12 Grade Increment Exam 2083?
Based on NEB's academic calendar, the Grade Increment Exam for Grade 12 2083 is expected from Bhadra 20, 2083 — around September 2026.

What is the retotaling fee for Grade 12 Nepal 2083?
The retotaling application opens Ashadh 6, 2083. The fee is approximately NPR 500 per subject — verify the current amount on neb.gov.np when applying.

What if retotaling and rechecking both don't change my NG?
The Grade Increment Exam is your next option if you have NG in a maximum of two subjects. If the Grade Increment Exam is also not available (more than two NG subjects), you repeat those subjects as a partial student in 2084.

Getting NG in Grade 12 Nepal is genuinely stressful. But it's a temporary situation with clear, structured exits — retotaling, rechecking, Grade Increment Exam, or partial repeat. All of them lead to the same destination: a cleared result and an open path into bachelor's programs. The students who handle this best are the ones who act quickly, make the right choices in the right sequence, and don't waste the weeks between result and Grade Increment Exam.

Start today. Check your result carefully, know your options, and take the first step.
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