The Education Minister revealed that the verification process began on May 8 and continued for four days before authorities decided to cancel the examination in the interest of students.
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan (Photo: IANS)
In a major overhaul of the medical entrance examination system after the NEET paper-leak controversy, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Friday announced that NEET-UG will be conducted entirely in Computer-Based Test (CBT) mode from next year, blaming the existing OMR-based system as the “root cause” behind the latest irregularities.
Addressing a press conference on the NEET re-examination, Pradhan said the government had decided to shift to CBT mode to eliminate loopholes, strengthen transparency and prevent any recurrence of malpractice.
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“The root cause of this was OMR and therefore, from next year, the examination will be conducted in Computer-Based Test (CBT) mode,” Pradhan said.
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#WATCH | Delhi | On NEET re-examination, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan says, “The root cause of this was OMR and therefore, from the next year, the exam will be conducted in Computer-Based Test (CBT) mode…” pic.twitter.com/5BepLQD7CC
— ANI (@ANI) May 15, 2026
Pradhan assured students that the government would not allow any repeat of malpractice and said protecting the future of students remained the Centre’s “topmost priority.”
“We will not let malpractice happen again. The government is with you. We had to make a difficult decision in the interest of the nation,” Pradhan said.
The announcement comes after the government cancelled the earlier NEET-UG examination amid allegations of a paper leak linked to organised education mafias.
The Education Minister confirmed that the NEET-UG re-examination will now be conducted on June 21 by the National Testing Agency (NTA).
He admitted that examination questions had circulated under the guise of “guess papers,” triggering concerns over the integrity of the test.
“Questions have gone out under the guise of guess papers,” he said.
The Education Minister revealed that the verification process began on May 8 and continued for four days before authorities decided to cancel the examination in the interest of students.
“The process began on the morning of May 8 and continued through May 8, 9, 10 and 11. When we got clarity and were confirmed that questions had gone out on the basis of the leaked paper, we made a decision on May 12,” he said.
The Minister said the government acted to ensure deserving candidates were not deprived because of a conspiracy by “education mafias.”
“We did not want any deserving candidate to lose their rights because of the conspiracy of education mafias,” he added.
The Union Minister said the government continues to follow a zero-tolerance policy towards examination irregularities and had already implemented the recommendations of the Radhakrishnan Committee after controversies surrounding previous examinations.
“Despite implementing the recommendations word for word for 2025 and 2026, this incident still occurred. Therefore, our first decision was to cancel the examination,” Pradhan said.
He also defended the NTA, asserting that the agency remained fully accountable and capable of conducting large-scale national examinations.
“NTA is fully accountable. It conducts examinations for nearly one crore students every year. We will ensure zero errors in the NTA,” he said.
#WATCH | Delhi | Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan says, “The NTA is in the hands of an able person… It has been formed with the recommendation of the Supreme Court and conducts examination of nearly 1 crore students each year… We will ensure 0 errors in the NTA…” pic.twitter.com/yM2LjirD0a
— ANI (@ANI) May 15, 2026
Students who paid fees for the cancelled NEET-UG examination will receive full refunds.
No examination fee will be charged for the upcoming NEET-UG re-examination.
The National Testing Agency (NTA) will allow candidates to choose their preferred examination city again.
Students will get one week to submit fresh city preferences as many candidates may have relocated after the earlier examination.
A detailed public notice with complete examination guidelines and procedures will be issued by the NTA.
The duration of the examination has been extended by 15 minutes to ease procedural formalities such as attendance signing and verification.
The exam timing has been revised from 2 pm–5 pm to 2 pm–5:15 pm.
The Centre will coordinate with state governments to minimise transportation and travel difficulties for students.
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said he would personally speak with Chief Ministers to ensure smooth arrangements for candidates.
Admit cards for the NEET-UG re-examination will be issued by June 14.
#WATCH | Delhi | Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan says, “On the day of the cancellation, the NTA had declared the return of the fees of the students. There will be 0 fees for the upcoming examination… Prima facie, the NTA has decided to give students one week to… pic.twitter.com/5KboscB9E1
— ANI (@ANI) May 15, 2026
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