The NEET-UG 2026 re-examination was conducted without any untoward incident on Sunday, assured the National Testing Agency Director General Abhishek Singh. The agency had received no complaints of a question paper leak and was 100 per cent confident about the integrity of the process.
More than 20 lakh candidates appeared for the NEET UG re-examination across 5,440 centres in India and 14 centres abroad. The exam was held in 13 languages under what the NTA described as unprecedented security arrangements, drawing on support from state governments, central ministries and nearly seven lakh personnel deployed across the country.
Asked whether the examination had gone off without a hitch, Singh said the agency had received positive reports from across the country. “So far, from what we have heard, everything went well. We have received good reports. A lot of state governments and government departments extended full support, and we were able to conduct the exam with full security as well as convenience for the students,” he said.
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On whether any leak-related complaints or emails had been received, Singh was unequivocal. “Not so far. But NTA is working aggressively to ensure the integrity of the process. We are 100 per cent confident about the whole process this time.”
The NTA also moved quickly to dismiss a video circulating on social media that claimed the NEET-UG 2026 paper had been leaked, calling it “fake” and the claims it made “false.” The agency said it was working with the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) and law enforcement agencies to act against those responsible for originating the content and warned that manufacturing and circulating such misinformation was “a serious offence.”
“Our 20 lakh-plus aspirants deserve a calm and fair process,” the agency said.
A whole-of-government effort
Singh credited the smooth conduct of the examination to what he called a whole-of-government approach, noting that the re-examination was organised in a record 37 days after the original test (May 3) was cancelled following a paper leak that triggered widespread protests and put the agency under intense public scrutiny.
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“This was not the NTA acting alone. It was Team Bharat — a chain of people across the country who showed up so that, for each candidate, the only thing that mattered that morning was the paper in front of them,” the agency said in a statement.
Support was provided by the Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Defence, Ministry of External Affairs, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, CAPF, NIC, MeitY, the Department of Posts and banking partners, among others. Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan reviewed arrangements at NTA headquarters in Delhi’s Okhla ahead of the examination.
Security and special arrangements
Security arrangements included Aadhaar-based biometric and face authentication, CCTV surveillance, signal jammers and two-layer frisking at centres. Command and control centres for CCTV monitoring were set up at the NTA, the Ministry of Education, 34 Centrally Funded Institutions, state headquarters and district collectorates.
Singh acknowledged a small number of violations were detected. “There were some minor reports regarding people coming with wrong admit cards, people coming with some forged admit cards at a few places; impersonation cases were also found out,” he said, adding that attempts to carry mobile phones into centres were also intercepted.
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The NTA said special arrangements were made for more than 10,000 Persons with Disabilities and around 81 candidates with serious medical conditions — including a child undergoing chemotherapy and another recovering from a road accident — who were “determined not to miss an exam they had prepared for years.”
Several state governments also arranged drinking water, shaded waiting areas, medical assistance, ambulances and, in some cases, free transportation for candidates on examination day.
Results expected soon
On the declaration of results, Singh said the evaluation process would begin shortly and that results would be announced faster than in a typical cycle.
“As soon as possible. Let us start the evaluation process, then we will give a date. See, we conducted the exam in 37 days. We compressed the entire exam cycle. So the results will also be announced faster than what one would expect,” he said.
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The re-examination was necessitated after the original NEET-UG 2026 was cancelled following allegations of a paper leak — an issue that became a flashpoint for public anger and triggered a protest movement, including demonstrations by the newly formed Cockroach Janta Party, which has been demanding the resignation of the Education Minister.