NEET-UG: Govt Announces Re-exam on 21st June, Refunds Fees, Promises CBT Format from Next Year

Moneylife Digital Team 15 May 2026

Personal Finance

The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test undergraduate (NEET-UG), examination will be conducted on 21 June 2026 after the earlier test was cancelled following allegations of paper leaks and other irregularities. Addressing a press conference in the national capital, Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan also announced a major overhaul in the conduct of the NEET, stating that the medical entrance examination will shift to a computer-based test (CBT) format from next year onwards. In another relief measure, the minister announced that all candidates would receive refunds of the examination fees paid earlier and no additional fee would be charged for the re-test.

??NTA has issued new date for NEET-UG Exam. The re-exam will be held on June 21. The exam took place on 3rd May and on 7th May, NTA received a complaint that the guess paper had some questions that were present in the Question sheets this time.

??The Higher Education Department… pic.twitter.com/mPLlui6oop
— PIB India (@PIB_India) May 15, 2026

The minister says the Union government’s 'topmost priority' is safeguarding the future of students and ensuring that no deserving candidate suffers because of malpractice by 'education mafias' and anti-social elements.

“Our topmost priority is the future of the students. We will not let malpractice happen this time. The government is with you,” Mr Pradhan says.

The NEET-UG examination was originally conducted on 3 May 2026. However, on 7 May 2026, the National Testing Agency (NTA) reportedly received complaints that a so-called 'guess paper' contained several questions identical to those asked in the examination.

According to the minister, an immediate inquiry was initiated by the higher education department and the matter was subsequently handed over to central agencies. By 12 May 2026, authorities confirmed that the actual examination paper had allegedly been leaked under the guise of a guess paper.

“We did not want any deserving student to be deprived of their rights because of the conspiracy of education mafias or because an undeserving candidate benefited through unfair means,” Mr Pradhan says.

He says the government had decided to cancel the examination despite implementing recommendations made earlier by the Radhakrishnan Committee, which had been constituted after previous irregularities in competitive examinations.

“Despite implementing the recommendations, this incident occurred. Hence, our first decision was to cancel the examination,” he says.

Mr Pradhan described the situation as part of a 'long and sustained fight' against examination mafias operating across the country and accused anti-social elements of using technology to spread misinformation and confusion around the examination process.

He says the case had been handed over to central bureau of investigation (CBI), which has already launched a multi-level probe into the breach.

“The CBI has already begun its investigation into the lapses and will soon determine how the miscreants managed to penetrate what was believed to be a fool-proof system,” he says.

The minister assured students that the entire government machinery would work to ensure that no malpractice takes place during the re-examination.

Mr Pradhan says admit cards for the re-examination would be issued by 14 June 2026. He added that students would be allowed to choose their preferred examination city through a one-week correction window.

He also says candidates would be given an additional 15 minutes to fill details in the OMR sheet during the 21 June 2026 examination.

The shift to the computer-based format from next year is being viewed as a significant structural reform aimed at reducing the risk of paper leaks and improving examination security.

The NEET controversy has triggered widespread anxiety among lakhs of medical aspirants and parents across the country, with questions being raised over the functioning of the National Testing Agency and the integrity of high-stakes competitive examinations.

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