Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Friday assured NEET aspirants that the government would not allow any malpractice in the upcoming re-examination and said protecting the future of students remained the Centre’s highest priority.
Addressing a press conference, Pradhan acknowledged that questions from the cancelled NEET-UG 2026 examination had circulated under the guise of “guess papers”, prompting the government to take the difficult decision to cancel the examination in the interest of deserving students.
Government Confirms Question Leak Verification
Pradhan said the verification process began on May 8 and continued for four days before the government decided to cancel the examination on May 12.
“The process began on the morning of May 8 and continued through May 8, 9, 10 and 11. When we got clarity and were confirmed that questions had gone out this time on the basis of the leaked paper, we made a decision on May 12 in the interest of the students,” he said.
He stated that the government did not want deserving candidates to suffer due to the actions of “education mafias”.
“Our topmost priority is the future of the students, and the government is sensitive towards their hard work and efforts. We will not let malpractice happen this time. The government is with you,” Pradhan added.
Zero-Tolerance Policy on Examination Irregularities
The Union Minister reiterated the government’s zero-tolerance policy against examination-related irregularities and said recommendations made by the Radhakrishnan Committee after previous controversies had already been implemented.
“After the irregularities that surfaced last time, the Radhakrishnan Committee had been constituted, and we implemented its recommendations word for word for both 2025 and 2026. Despite that, this incident occurred. Hence, our first decision was to cancel the examination,” he said.
Pradhan also defended the National Testing Agency (NTA), stating that the agency remains fully accountable and conducts examinations for nearly one crore students annually.
“The NTA is in the hands of an able person. It has been formed with the recommendation of the Supreme Court. We will ensure zero errors in the NTA,” he said.
NEET To Shift To CBT Mode From Next Year
Announcing a major reform, the minister said NEET examinations would be conducted in Computer-Based Test (CBT) mode from next year to strengthen security and reduce chances of paper leaks.
The move comes after widespread allegations of question paper leakage in the NEET-UG 2026 examination conducted earlier this year.
Students To Get Refunds, Zero Fees For Re-Exam
Pradhan announced that examination fees paid by students for the cancelled test would be refunded, while no fresh fee would be charged for the re-examination.
“We will return the fees of the students. Zero fees in the upcoming examination,” he said.
The minister further stated that candidates would be allowed to reselect their preferred examination cities since many students may have already left the cities where they previously appeared for the examination.
According to Pradhan, the NTA will issue a detailed public notice with complete guidelines regarding the process.
Exam Duration Extended By 15 Minutes
The Union Minister also announced that the duration of the NEET re-examination would be increased by 15 minutes to help students complete formalities such as attendance signing and verification procedures without affecting writing time.
“The exam, which was scheduled from 2 pm to 5 pm, will now continue till 5:15 pm,” he said.
Pradhan added that the Government of India would coordinate with state governments to ensure transportation and logistical support for students appearing in the re-examination.
He also confirmed that admit cards for the examination would be issued by June 14.
