The NEET UG 2026 re-examination, also called Re-NEET by many, is scheduled to be held on Sunday, June 21, with the National Testing Agency (NTA) saying it has put in place “comprehensive arrangements” to ensure the “fair, safe and candidate-friendly” examination is conducted.
The NEET exam was originally conducted on May 3, but was marred by allegations of paper leakage and was consequently cancelled, which has since escalated into a major controversy and demands for the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
The NTA said it is closely monitoring social media and cracking down on rumour-mongering and fraudulent “paper leak” allegations, which cause undue stress to candidates. She urged candidates and parents to rely only on official communications from NTA and ignore unverified messages. However, fear among aspirants, parents, and even NTA itself still remains.
Read also: 1.3 thousand surveillance cameras, 51 thousand jamming devices: Security arrangements are in place before the NEET-UG re-exam today
NEET re-exam 2026: 5,454 centers in India and abroad
In a statement issued on the eve of the re-test, NTA said the test is being conducted across 5,440 centers in 551 cities in India and 14 centers abroad. The exam is conducted in English and 12 Indian languages.
Highlighting the scale of the arrangements, the NTA said the re-test will be conducted in more than 95,000 examination rooms, each equipped with CCTV cameras. A total of 1,38,560 CCTV cameras have been installed, with the broadcast being physically monitored at the national, state and ministry levels, the agency statement said.
To secure check against electronic malpractices, 51,311 jammers have been deployed, including 17,054 by Electronics Corporation of India Limited (ECIL) and 34,257 by Bharat Electronics Corporation Limited (BEL).
Read also: NTA DG rejects allegations of leak of NEET-UG retest papers, ensures multi-layered security
NTA said a large number of staff have been mobilized for examination day duties, with each examination room housing two invigilators and each center staffed with more than 10 additional examination staff.
The agency said candidate verification has been strengthened with 38,795 inspection staff and 48,448 biometric verification staff, with the biometric workforce doubled and supported by facial verification, so that verification is comprehensive while queues at centers are reduced to a minimum.
A Center Systems Officer (CSO) has been deployed at each of the 5,440 centers to monitor the CCTV broadcast and resolve any technical issues immediately, she said.
In surveillance and CCTV monitoring, the NTA said about 6,700 invigilators have been deployed at examination centres, supported by more than 100 virtual invigilators who monitor CCTV footage centrally.
Read also: NEET UG re-exam on June 21: Here is the exam day checklist for candidates
CCTV footage is also being analyzed using AI-based tools to report anomalies, providing a multi-layered monitoring system at the national, state and ministry levels, the statement said.
Deploy security
Emphasizing on the security arrangements, NTA said there has been large-scale mobilization of state and district administration personnel, as well as deployment of police, paramilitary forces, Indian Air Force and postal department personnel.
She added that on average, about 40 to 50 security personnel were deployed at each examination centre.
The statement said that bank officials have been deployed in about 1,500 branches holding confidential materials, while the Postal Department will coordinate its teams to collect Omani Riyal notes at about 700 collection centers across the country.
Review meetings were held with chief secretaries and senior officials of all states, and the districts confirmed the Centre’s arrangements, she added.
The agency said nationwide mock drills were conducted on Saturday to check all the systems — jammers, surveillance cameras, staff frisking and biometrics — while coordinators verified screening materials found in depository banks and confirmed their availability for screening.
Other arrangements
Adequate facilities are being provided to students at the centers in coordination with state governments, including drinking water, oral rehydration salts, ambulances and shaded waiting areas for parents, the NTA statement said.
Additional measures for candidates include a wall clock in each examination room, additional rough work pages, with pages provided at the beginning of the booklet for the convenience of left-handed candidates, and an extended examination window to compensate for the time taken for admission procedures.
NTA has appealed to all stakeholders to extend full support to candidates and help reduce exam day stress so that over 22 lakh aspirants can “appear for the exam in a calm, safe and supportive environment”.
