Computer-based testing from next year: Union Education Minister
Aatif Qayoom
Srinagar, May 15: The National Testing Agency (NTA), with the approval of the Government of India (GoI), has announced that the NEET UG 2026 re-examination will be held on June 21, 2026, following the cancellation of the earlier test over alleged paper leak and examination irregularities.
The original NEET UG 2026 examination was conducted on May 3, 2026. However, the test was later scrapped after investigative agencies raised concerns about the integrity of the examination process. The Centre approved the cancellation after allegations of a paper leak and irregularities surfaced from multiple locations.
In an official notice, the NTA urged candidates and parents to rely only on official communication channels for updates related to the country’s largest medical entrance examination. The agency also shared its helpline numbers and official email for student support.
The testing agency clarified that candidates will not be required to submit fresh application forms or pay any additional examination fee for the retest. Existing registrations, submitted application forms and examination city preferences will remain valid for the June 21 examination.
The announcement comes amid growing pressure on the government and examination authorities over the credibility of competitive entrance tests.
Following the controversy, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan announced that major entrance examinations would gradually shift towards computer-based testing from next year to improve transparency and reduce chances of malpractice.
However, the NTA has maintained that conducting NEET UG fully online is not possible at present because of limited technical infrastructure and the massive number of candidates.
According to officials, more than 22 lakh aspirants appeared for the medical entrance examination this year, making it difficult to conduct the test completely online like JEE and other computer-based competitive exams.
Candidates have been advised to regularly check official NTA platforms for admit cards, examination guidelines and further announcements related to the re-examination.