NEET UG 2026 Exam Cancelled: The National Testing Agency (NTA) has cancelled the NEET (UG) 2026 examination that was held on May 3, citing serious concerns over the integrity of the process. With the approval of the Government of India, the agency will re-conduct the examination on dates to be notified later. The government has also referred the matter to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for a comprehensive inquiry.
In an official statement issued on Tuesday, the NTA said that inputs examined in coordination with central agencies, along with investigative findings shared by law enforcement, had established that the present examination process could not be allowed to stand. The decision aims to ensure transparency and preserve trust in the national examination system. The agency had earlier referred related matters to central agencies on May 8 for independent verification.
The cancellation follows allegations of large-scale malpractices, primarily centred on a pre-circulated "guess paper" that reportedly matched around 120 questions in Chemistry and showed significant overlaps in Biology with the actual NEET UG 2026 question paper. According to reports, this material had reached coaching hubs such as Sikar up to a month in advance and was allegedly sold to aspirants for sums as high as 730,000 even the night before the exam, prompting investigations by Rajasthan's Special Operations Group that included raids and questioning of multiple individuals.
The National Students' Union of India (NSUI), the student wing of the Congress party, staged massive sit-in protests outside the education ministry near Shastri Bhawan welcoming the cancellation while demanding stricter accountability and systemic reforms. NSUI activists raised slogans against the NTA and called for a complete overhaul of the examination process to prevent future leaks, and demanding swift action against those involved in the alleged irregularities.
The NTA acknowledged that the re-examination will cause real and significant inconvenience to candidates and their families but stressed that this step was necessary, as allowing the original exam to stand would have caused greater and more lasting damage to the credibility of the system.
Registration data, candidature details, and opted examination centres from the May 2026 cycle will be carried forward, so no fresh registration is required. No additional examination fee will be levied, and fees already paid will be refunded. The re-conducted examination will be funded through NTA's internal resources.
Further communications regarding the new examination dates and the schedule for re-issuing admit cards will be released through official NTA channels in the coming days.
NEET-UG serves as the single gateway for admissions to MBBS, BDS, and several other undergraduate medical and allied health courses across India. Since its conduct was taken over by the NTA in 2019, the exam has seen participation from over 20 lakh students every year. With a limited number of medical seats available, especially in government colleges, it remains one of the most competitive and high-stakes entrance tests in the country.
This cancellation comes against the backdrop of recurring controversies surrounding the exam. In 2024, widespread allegations of question paper leaks, irregularities, and unusual scoring patterns had triggered nationwide protests, arrests, and judicial intervention, including by the Supreme Court. Similar concerns had surfaced in the run-up to the 2026 examination, prompting investigations by agencies such as Rajasthan's Special Operations Group.
The NTA had claimed to have implemented enhanced security measures for the 2026 exam, including GPS tracking of question papers and advanced CCTV monitoring. Despite these efforts, the cumulative evidence led to the decision for complete cancellation.
The move is expected to provide relief to students concerned about fairness, even as it disrupts academic timelines, travel plans, and counselling schedules for thousands of aspirants. Coaching institutes and medical colleges will also need to readjust their calendars. The development has once again highlighted the persistent challenges in conducting large-scale, secure national examinations and is likely to intensify calls for deeper systemic reforms.