NTA Cancels NEET-UG 2026 Over Alleged Paper Leak, Announces Re-Examination

New Delhi, May 2026 : The National Testing Agency (NTA) on Tuesday announced the cancellation of the NEET-UG 2026 examination conducted on May 3, following allegations of widespread irregularities and a suspected question paper leak that raised serious concerns over the credibility of the country’s largest medical entrance examination.

The decision came nearly 10 days after the examination was held and after central agencies reportedly shared incriminating inputs pointing to possible malpractice in the conduct of the exam.

According to the NTA, the first indications of irregularities linked to NEET-UG 2026 surfaced on May 7. The agency said it immediately began examining the matter and referred the information to central investigative and law enforcement agencies on May 8 for independent verification and further action.

After reviewing the findings and coordinating with the authorities, the examination body concluded that the integrity of the examination process had been compromised, making cancellation unavoidable.

In an official clarification, the NTA stated that despite implementing multiple layers of security measures, including GPS-based tracking systems, digital monitoring, and watermarking of question papers, the leak still occurred.

The agency acknowledged that maintaining fairness and transparency in national-level examinations was of paramount importance and that allowing the current examination results to stand would have severely damaged public confidence in the system.

The NTA said that a fresh NEET-UG 2026 examination would now be conducted on dates that will be announced separately through official channels. It also clarified that candidates would not be required to submit fresh applications for the re-examination, as all existing registrations and candidature details from the May cycle would remain valid.

Students will, however, receive newly issued admit cards for the re-examination. The revised schedule for downloading admit cards and other procedural details will be communicated in the coming days.

The examination authority further announced that no additional fee would be charged from candidates for appearing in the re-test. In addition, the examination fee already paid by students would be refunded.

The NTA said the entire cost of conducting the fresh examination would be borne through its internal resources.

Recognising the anxiety and inconvenience caused to lakhs of students and their families, the agency said the decision had been taken in the larger interest of preserving trust in the national examination system.

Officials stated that while the cancellation and re-examination process would undoubtedly create hardship for candidates, the alternative would have been far more damaging to the credibility of competitive examinations in the country.

The agency also confirmed that it is extending full cooperation to the investigating agencies probing the matter and is providing access to all relevant documents, records, and technical data related to the examination process.

To assist students and parents, the NTA said its helpline and email support services would remain operational to address queries and provide updates regarding the re-examination process.

Meanwhile, reports regarding a possible paper leak had surfaced from Rajasthan shortly after the examination. Investigators reportedly recovered handwritten documents containing nearly 120 questions that allegedly matched the actual NEET question paper, including a significant number of Biology and Chemistry questions.

The allegations triggered a wider investigation into the conduct of the examination and intensified demands from students and opposition parties for accountability and strict action against those involved.

The NTA has urged students and parents not to rely on unverified social media reports and to follow only official notifications issued through authorised channels regarding the revised examination schedule and related procedures.