The decision to cancel the National Eligibility Test along with the Entrance Examination (UG) 2026 has come as a major setback for many students after months – and in some cases years – of preparation. The aspirants said they are now burdened with uncertainty about the re-examination and are worried about whether they will be able to perform similarly again.
The National Testing Agency (NTA) on Tuesday canceled the NEET (UG) 2026 exam held on May 3 amid allegations of paper leak, with the government asking the CBI to conduct a thorough investigation into the “irregularities”. The examination for students seeking admission to undergraduate courses in medical colleges will now be conducted again on dates to be announced separately.
“inhibited”
Abhishek Verma, a student from Lucknow, said he expects around 620 marks out of 720 based on the provisional answer key released by NTA on May 6, and hopes to get admission in the government medical college. “Based on the provisional answer keys, I was getting 620 marks out of 720 and was going to get into a government medical college to study MBBS. Now I have to study again for the exam and score the same or more as the paper might be tougher than the one conducted on May 3,” he said.
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Describing the development as “disheartening”, Verma said resuming the final phase of preparation would be mentally exhausting. “There is no justification for canceling the exam because hardworking students like us will suffer despite there being no fault on our part. NTA and other agencies must fix accountability so that we do not suffer from injustice,” he added.
“Students like me…”
Shashank Maurya, another student from Lucknow, said the cancellation is adding to the stress of serious candidates who have appeared several times in the highly competitive exam. “It was my fifth attempt for NEET. Despite scoring good enough marks to get into a government medical college, students like me often lose out because gangs help others get papers in advance, enabling them to secure seats unfairly.”
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“Retaking the exam may create problems for students like me who have to study again with full concentration without any guarantee that we will be able to get similar results,” he said.
Jia, a student from Bhilwara preparing at Kota, a coaching center in Rajasthan, said the decision seemed devastating after two years of hard work.
Meanwhile, members of the National Federation of Indian Students and the Students’ Federation of India held protests in Delhi on Tuesday, raising slogans against the alleged paper leak and demanding accountability from the Union Education Ministry and the NTA.
