NEET UG Retest On June 21: With over 22 lakh aspirants set to appear for NEET UG 2026 on Sunday, June 21, the National Testing Agency (NTA) on Saturday said it has put in place an extensive, multi-layered security and logistics plan to ensure the smooth, fair and secure conduct of the country's biggest medical entrance examination across India and abroad.
The examination will be held at 5,440 centres in 551 cities in India and 14 cities abroad. It will be conducted in English and 12 Indian languages.
The NEET retest will be conducted from 2 pm to 5:15 pm in pen-and-paper mode. Candidates with disabilities (PwD/PwBD) who are eligible for compensatory time will be allowed to write the examination till 6:20pm.
Over 95,000 Exam Rooms Under CCTV Watch, 51,311 Jammers Deployed
The NTA said NEET UG 2026 will be conducted in more than 95,000 examination rooms, each equipped with CCTV coverage. In all, 1,38,560 CCTV cameras have been installed, with feeds being monitored virtually at the national, state and ministry levels.
To prevent electronic malpractice, 51,311 jammers have been deployed across centres. Of these, 17,054 have been deployed by Electronics Corporation of India Limited (ECIL) and 34,257 by Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL).
Two Invigilators Per Room, Biometric Verification Staff Doubled
For examination-day operations, the NTA has deployed extensive manpower across centres. Each of the more than 95,000 rooms will have two invigilators, while every centre will also have more than 10 additional examination functionaries.
Candidate verification has been strengthened with 38,795 frisking staff and 48,448 personnel for biometric verification.
According to the NTA, biometric manpower has been doubled and will be supported by face authentication to ensure thorough checks while minimising queues at centres. A Centre Systems Officer has also been deployed at each of the 5,440 centres to monitor CCTV feeds and resolve technical issues on the spot.
6,700 Observers, 100 Virtual Monitors and AI Surveillance for Real-Time Oversight
The agency said around 6,700 observers have been deployed at examination centres and will be supported by more than 100 virtual observers monitoring live CCTV footage centrally.
In addition, CCTV footage will be analysed using AI-based tools to flag anomalies, creating a multi-layered surveillance system at the national, state and ministry levels.
Police, Paramilitary, Air Force And Postal Network Roped In For Security and Logistics
The NTA said state and district administrations have carried out extensive mobilisation for the examination, with support from police, paramilitary forces, the Indian Air Force and the Department of Posts. On average, around 40 to 50 security personnel have been deployed at each examination centre.
Bank officials have also been deployed at around 1,500 bank branches holding confidential examination material. Meanwhile, the Department of Posts will coordinate collection of OMR sheets at around 700 collection centres across the country.
The agency said review meetings were held with chief secretaries and senior officials of all states, while districts have confirmed examination centre arrangements.
Mock Drill Held On June 20, Student-Friendly Facilities Arranged At Centres
A nationwide mock drill was conducted on June 20 to verify all systems, including jammers, CCTV, frisking arrangements and biometric verification systems. Coordinators have also verified the examination material kept in custodian banks and confirmed its availability for the examination.
The NTA said candidate-friendly arrangements have also been made in coordination with state governments. These include drinking water, ORS, ambulances and shaded waiting areas for parents at centres. For candidates, a wall clock will be placed in every examination room, additional rough-work pages will be provided, and the examination window has been extended to offset the time taken during entry formalities. The agency added that pages will be provided at the beginning of the booklet for the convenience of left-handed candidates.
NTA Warns Against Rumours, Asks Students to Trust Official Updates Only
The agency said it is closely monitoring social media and taking firm action against rumour-mongering and fraudulent paper leak claims. It advised candidates and parents to rely only on official communication from the NTA and ignore unverified messages.
The NTA appealed to all stakeholders to support candidates and help reduce examination-day stress so that aspirants can appear for the examination in a calm, secure and supportive environment.
