The NEET UG 2026 answer key challenge window is open from June 25 to June 28. The processing fee is Rs 200 per question challenged, and the payment can be made through debit card, credit card or net banking up to 11:50 pm on June 28. No challenge will be entertained without payment of the fee.

Candidates can raise objections online from June 25 to June 28 by paying a processing fee of Rs 200 per question. The fee will be refunded in full if the challenge is accepted by the expert panel.

Read full story | NEET UG 2026 Re-Exam Answer Key Out: Here's Direct Link To Check, Challenge

Candidates have to pay Rs. 200 per question challenged. However, the NTA has stated that the fee is refundable in full amount for the accepted challenges. 

In a public notice issued today, the National Testing Agency said that it aims to publish the NEET final answer key and declare the NEET UG 2026 result at the earliest possible date. 

The objection window is open from June 25 to June 28, 2026.

The National Testing Agency has released the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Undergraduate) provisional answer key on its official portal, neet.nta.nic.in.

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Candidates and parents take shelter at a 'Cooling Zone' set up by the Delhi Government with water, ORS, first aid and other facilities outside a NEET UG 2026 re-examination centre, in New Delhi on Sunday. 

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Candidates undergo a security check before appearing for the NEET UG 2026 re-exam at GNK Inter College, Civil Lines, in Kanpur on Sunday.

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The NTA is yet to issue the provisional answer key and response sheets for the NEET UG retest candidates. The NEET UG 2026 re-exam was held on June 21, 2026, for more than 20 lakh candidates across 5,440 centres in India and 14 centres abroad. 

Once the NEET provisional answer key is published, candidates will get an objection window before the final key is prepared. The NEET UG 2026 final answer key will determine the NEET UG 2026 result.

Aspirants wait in a queue outside the examination centre to appear for the NEET UG 2026 re-exam, in Patna on Sunday. 

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The NTA will upload the provisional answer key, scanned images of OMR answer sheets, and recorded responses for the NEET UG 2026 re-exam candidates. 

To prevent leaks from the very beginning, the teachers and experts who draft, translate, and check the NEET papers were moved to a secure, secret location. They remained in strict isolation, cut off from mobile phones and internet access until the exam was over.

NEET UG 2026 candidates undergo biometric and digital verification by staff at the examination centre at Kachiguda, in Hyderabad on Sunday.

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Aspirants undergo security check as they enter the examination hall for the NEET UG 2026 re-exam, in Lucknow on Sunday.

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Challenges made by the candidates against the provisional answer key will be verified by a panel of experts, according to NTA. 

Last year, the NEET UG provisional answer key was declared on June 3, 2026, for the exam conducted on May 4. 

The objection window was open from June 3 to 5, 2025. 

The National Testing Agency has given no official confirmation on the provisional answer key release date for the NEET UG 2026 re-exam.

Earlier, the NEET provisional answer key was published on May 6, 2026, for the exam conducted on May 3. 

The NTA will release the NEET UG re-exam provisional answer key on the official website, informing the candidates through an official press release. Applicants will be given an opportunity to make an online challenge against the provisional answer key by paying a non-refundable processing fee of Rs. 200 per answer challenged.

Asserting that the law will deal strictly with individuals who circulate misinformation and fake posts to scam the public, NTA Director Singh said that the wrongdoers are under surveillance. He further assured the public that the integrity of the exam remains fully intact, with no scope for a leak.

The NEET UG 2026 re-exam was conducted error-free and flawlessly, said National Testing Agency (NTA) Director General Abhishek Singh on Monday. The NEET re-examination was conducted on June 21, 2026, across 5,440 centres in India and 14 centres abroad. Singh also emphasised that security efforts were made to ensure a smooth experience for all participating candidates without any malpractice.

Tulika Jha, Biology faculty at PW, compared the paper with the earlier exam held on May 3, calling the current Biology section "a level above" that sitting. "However, all questions were based on the NCERT syllabus," she added, indicating that while the paper may have demanded deeper conceptual clarity, it remained predictable in coverage.

Around 7 lakh officials - police teams, observers and examination staff - were mobilised across India to conduct this examination, and it was done in a record 37 days, the NTA stated. 

Aspirants undergo security check as they enter the examination hall for the NEET UG-2026 re-exam, in Bengaluru on Sunday.

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Aspirants leave from exam centre after appearing for the NEET UG 2026 re-examination, in New Delhi on Sunday.

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In an interview with NDTV on Tuesday, Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said the biggest challenge this time was preparing the question paper. To address this, teams of experts were constituted and the scope of the paper-setting process was widened. He said no one knew which question paper set would eventually be finalised.

The minister further said all teachers involved in setting the paper were kept in isolation for several days and had no access to the internet during that period. 

Speaking on the conduct of the NEET UG 2026 re-exam, NTA said that "this was not the National Testing Agency acting alone. It was Team Bharat - a chain of people across the country who showed up so that, for each candidate, the only thing that mattered that morning was the paper in front of them".

Speaking at a Cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Narendra Modi described the re-exam as having been organised "smoothly and with integrity," according to sources. He commended all ministers involved for their roles in planning and execution and urged that the same coordinated model be adopted for similar occasions in the future.

Read more | "Whole-Of-Government Approach": Prime Minister Lauds Successful Conduct Of NEET Re-Exam

Applicants must note that no individual candidate will be informed about the acceptance or non-acceptance of his/her challenge. The key finalised after the objections will be treated as final and be displayed on NTA website before the declaration of NEET UG 2026 result.

Neeraj Kumar Chaudhary, Physics faculty at PW, assessed the Physics section as "moderately difficult," noting that it was "easily doable for the students." He said the questions were arranged "in a smart manner" to test students' conceptual understanding rather than rote recall.

Om Pandey, Chemistry faculty at PhysicsWallah (PW), said the Chemistry section "was easy to moderate in difficulty, with questions covering the entire NCERT syllabus." 

Based on the revised answer key after reviewing the challenges raised against the provisional answers, the NTA will prepare the NEET UG final answer key 2026. The final answer key will then be used to declare the NEET UG result. 

The exam conducting body will release the NEET UG provisional answer key on the official website, informing the candidates through an official press release. Applicants will be given an opportunity to make an online challenge against the provisional answer key by paying a non-refundable processing fee of Rs. 200 per answer challenged.

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, in conversation with NDTV, responded to concerns over students who were denied entry to the NEET UG 2026 re-examination centres after arriving late, saying the gate closure rules had been clearly communicated in advance and had to be followed uniformly.

Speaking to NDTV on the issue, Pradhan said students had started reaching examination centres across the country from 10 am onwards, and that activity at the centres was being monitored through CCTV footage as well as from the National Testing Agency's command centre.

"There is a discipline in every examination. According to the advisory, guidelines and entry rules, it was clearly mentioned that only those students who reached the examination centre by 1:30 pm would be allowed to appear for the exam," he said.

According to the National Testing Agency, the NEET UG candidates will be given an opportunity to make the representation on the OMR gradation of their OMR sheets and challenge the provisional answer key in case of any doubt. However, it is important to note that there is no provision for re-checking or re-evaluation of the answer sheets after the declaration of NEET results.

Referring to the irregularities that surfaced during the earlier exam cycle, Pradhan said some of those entrusted with responsibility had failed in their duty. "NTA had placed its trust in certain teachers, but some of them did not fulfil their responsibility. Rakshak hi bhakshak ban gaye (the protectors themselves turned predators)," he said.

Read more | NEET Paper Leak: 'Some Teachers Turned Predators,' Dharmendra Pradhan Tells NDTV

According to the official Information Bulletin 2026, the NEET UG answer sheets are evaluated with extreme care and are repeatedly scrutinised. "The OMRs are machine-gradable and are being evaluated through specific software impartial to all," the official notification stated. 

In an exclusive interview with NDTV, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said that the National Testing Agency organised the NEET re-exam in just 38 days, which generally takes around six months of preparation. 

Read more | Dharmendra Pradhan Says NTA Pulled Off Re-Exam In 38 Days, Far Ahead Of Usual 6-Month Timeline

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan congratulated all aspirants, their parents, and all those involved in the successful conduct of the NEET UG 2026 re-exam. In an exclusive interview with NDTV, Pradhan said that the National Testing Agency organised the NEET re-exam in just 38 days, which generally takes around six months of preparation. 

Pradhan also said that foolproof examinations were conducted this year. Students have done good, they are going to score well, he added. "I wish the candidates all the very best and I wish the students secure seats in top medical institutes of India," the minister said. 

The exam conducting body will display the NEET UG 2026 provisional answer key on the official website, neet.nta.nic.in, giving an opportunity to NEET candidates to review their responses and verify the answers.

Earlier, the exam body had declared the provisional answer key on May 6, 2026, for the exam conducted on May 3. 

The NTA will issue provisional answer key and response sheets for the NEET UG retest candidates. The NEET UG 2026 re-exam was held on June 21, 2026, for more than 20 lakh candidates across 5,440 centres in India and 14 centres abroad. 

The National Testing Agency is expected to release the NEET provisional answer key soon on its official website, neet.nta.nic.in.