NEET-UG 2026 Cancelled After Leak Confirmation. 23 Lakh Students Affected. Re-exam Likely in June

The cancellation of NEET-UG 2026 has affected nearly 23 lakh medical aspirants across the country, after investigators reportedly found strong evidence that a practice or “guess” paper circulated before the examination had several questions identical or strikingly similar to the final paper.

The exam, conducted on May 3 , was cancelled by the National Testing Agency with the approval of the Government of India. The NTA said the decision was taken to protect transparency, fairness and trust in the national examination system. A fresh examination is expected to be held in June , though the exact date is yet to be announced.

The controversy deepened after reports from Rajasthan suggested that a handwritten practice paper circulated in coaching circles in Sikar allegedly matched a large part of the actual NEET-UG paper. Investigators are also said to be looking into leads from Churu, Jhunjhunu, Dehradun, Kerala and Latur in Maharashtra . However, officials have not publicly confirmed the names of any coaching institutes as being responsible for the leak, and education observers say naming institutions without formal confirmation could be legally risky.

The case is now being examined by the CBI , which is expected to investigate the chain of circulation, possible digital forwarding through messaging platforms, and whether the leak originated at the level of question setting, printing, storage, transport or local handling.

Parents and student groups have criticised the NTA for failing to protect the sanctity of one of India’s most important entrance examinations. At the same time, several education analysts say the agency deserves credit for taking a fast and unprecedented decision , instead of waiting for months of litigation while evidence surfaced gradually. According to them, allowing a tainted paper to decide medical admissions would have caused far greater damage.

Experts also say NEET-UG must now move towards a JEE-Main-style computer-based model , with multiple sessions, encrypted question banks, dynamic question allocation and transparent normalisation. Such a system could also allow candidates to take the exam more than once, reducing the impact of illness, travel disruption or a technical problem in one phase.

They argue that the cost of building digital infrastructure is justified because guarding one physical paper across the country is becoming nearly impossible. From paper setting and printing to transport, storage and exam-centre handling, there are too many points of failure.

NEET has faced credibility challenges earlier too. In 2024 , a disputed Physics question reached the Supreme Court , which sought expert opinion before ordering result revision. Before NEET became the common medical entrance test, the AIPMT 2015 exam was cancelled after a leak scandal. Education experts say the latest cancellation is unfortunate, but given the scale of the alleged breach, it was the correct decision taken at the right time.