Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Friday announced that NEET-UG will be conducted in Computer Based Test (CBT) mode from next year, replacing the existing pen-and-paper format using OMR sheets.
The announcement came days after the National Testing Agency cancelled NEET-UG 2026 following allegations of a question paper leak.
NEET To Move Away From OMR-Based Exam
Addressing a press conference, Pradhan said the government believes the OMR-based examination system was the root cause behind repeated paper leak concerns.
“Despite implementation of Radhakrishnan committee recommendations, this incident occurred. The root cause of this is Optical Mark Recognition (OMR) based examination. From next year, the NEET examination will happen in CBT mode,” he said.
The seven-member Radhakrishnan Committee, formed after the NEET-UG 2024 controversy, had earlier strongly recommended shifting the examination to CBT mode to strengthen security and prevent leaks.
Re-Exam On June 21 With Extra Time
The minister confirmed that the NEET-UG 2026 re-examination will be conducted on June 21 and candidates will receive 15 extra minutes during the exam.
According to him, students earlier lost valuable time due to mandatory formalities such as signing OMR sheets at the beginning and end of the examination.
“Considering the exam timing from 2 PM to 5 PM, NTA has decided to extend it by 15 minutes,” Pradhan said.
Admit cards for the re-examination are expected to be released by June 14.
Over 2.2 Million Students Affected
The cancellation of NEET-UG 2026 affected more than 2.2 million candidates across India who had appeared for the examination on May 3.
The government has already announced that no additional fee will be charged for the re-test and earlier examination fees will be refunded.
CBI Probe Underway
Pradhan said the matter is being thoroughly investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation and assured strict action against all those involved.
“CBI will go deep into the matter and no one will be spared,” he stated.
According to reports presented before a Delhi court, investigators suspect that the leak may have originated from a source inside the NTA. So far, seven people have reportedly been arrested in connection with the case.
CBT Exam May Need Multiple Shifts
Earlier, NTA Director General Abhishek Singh had stated that conducting NEET in CBT mode for over 2.2 million students may require nearly 20 shifts along with a score normalisation process to ensure fairness.
The normalisation process is used to balance variations in difficulty levels across different exam shifts.
Minister Reacts To Student Deaths
Responding to reports of student suicides following the cancellation of the examination, Pradhan expressed grief and said the government has a responsibility to prevent such incidents in the future.
“I have no words to explain the loss of precious lives. It is our responsibility that such incidents do not occur in future,” he said.
