More than two million medical students appeared for the re-test of the National Eligibility Test for Undergraduate Entrance Test (NEET-UG) 2026 on Sunday across 5,440 centers in India and 14 centers abroad under extensive security arrangements, with officials closely monitoring the process following fears of a leak after the original examination was conducted on May 3.
The National Testing Agency (NTA) announced the retest on 15 May after receiving an email on 8 May alleging a leak and noting an overlap between the rolling guess sheet and the 3 May question paper. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which is investigating the alleged leak, has arrested 13 people so far.
Out of 2,279,743 candidates registered for NEET-UG 2026, as many as 2,275,011 downloaded admit cards for the May 3 examination and 2,205,035 eventually appeared, which translates into an attendance rate of 96.92%.
NTA has not released the exact number of candidates who downloaded admit cards or appeared for the re-test on June 21. “Nearly 2.1 million admit cards were downloaded and more than 2 million candidates appeared for the exam today,” a senior NTA official said.
Commenting on the lower number of candidates appearing for the June 21 re-examination compared to the May 3 exam, NTA Director General Abhishek Singh said, “A little less number of students have appeared this time, which is normal as many students are getting admission in other colleges for other courses.”
Singh said that many state governments and government departments extended full support to the NTA, which was able to conduct the examination with complete safety as well as convenience for the students. When asked if NTA had received any emails or complaints related to the leak this time, Singh said: “Not yet. We are 100% confident about the entire process this time.”
Commenting on the date of the expected results, the Director General said: “Let’s start the evaluation process, and then we will set a date. Look, we conducted the exam in 37 days, and we compressed the entire exam cycle, so the results will also be announced faster than one would expect.”
“The physics part was difficult.”
The re-exam question paper consists of 45 questions each in Physics and Chemistry and 90 questions in Biology (45 questions each in Botany and Zoology), and is presented in 13 languages, including Hindi and English.
Candidates who appeared for the exam at various centers in Delhi said that they found physics to be the most difficult of the three sections and spent most of their time in this section.
Noman Ali, 21, who made his third attempt, said: “Biology was very easy, and physics was comparatively harder and also long compared to last time. It took me more than an hour to solve the physics questions.”
Mayuri Kumari, 19, who made her second attempt, said the paper was rather difficult. She added that the physics section was difficult but relied largely on clear questions based on certain formulas. “The last month was very stressful, but I am happy that my paper went well,” she said. “The physics was difficult, but the questions were straightforward and based on equations.”
Commenting on the difficulty level of the paper, Neeraj Kumar Chaudhary, Faculty of Physics at PhysicsWallah (PW), said the physics section was challenging but manageable for students who prepared and practiced well. “The Physics section was fairly challenging, yet remained easy for well-prepared students. The questions were carefully designed to assess students’ conceptual understanding and application skills.”
Nabin Karki, National Academic Director, Medical, Aakash Educational Services Limited (AESL), said physics was the toughest and most time-consuming section, as app-based digital issues created huge time pressure.
Extensive arrangements
The NTA said “extensive arrangements” had been made for all candidates, including more than 10,000 people with disabilities, and “special arrangements” had been made for about 81 candidates with medical conditions, including a child involved in a road accident and a child undergoing chemotherapy, who were determined not to miss the exam they had prepared for for years.
About 700,000 officials – police teams, monitors and screening staff – have been mobilized across India to conduct this screening, NTA said.
Congress leader and Chairman of Parliament Committee on Education Digvijaya Singh told reporters in Indore, “NEET exam was conducted peacefully today, I am happy about it. Even in the previous exam, it came to light after a few days that the paper had been leaked. Let us wait a few days and see what happens…”
“Facilities are insufficient”
However, some students missed their exam after arriving late at the exam centers in Bengaluru and Delhi. Entry to the examination centers began at 11 a.m., and final entry is allowed until 1:30 p.m. The pen and paper test was conducted in one shift from 2 pm to 5.15 pm (IST).
When students appeared for the NEET exam, parents at several exam centers in Delhi waited outside for hours. While the government has set up cooling zones in some centers with seating facilities, coolers and access to drinking water, parents said the arrangements are inadequate and cannot accommodate everyone.
During HT’s visit to examination centers in RK Puram and Mayur Vihar, several parents were seen sitting under trees, cross-legged on the grass, on folded papers, and on stairs while waiting for their wards to finish the exam. “The government’s initiative to set up cooling zones is good, but the capacity is limited and can accommodate only about 30 to 35 parents. In most centres, more than 100 students show up, so the arrangements had to be planned keeping this number in mind,” said Aisha Munina, 48, who accompanied her 20-year-old daughter to the testing centre.
