From NEET To Vyapam: Why India’s Biggest Exams Keep Getting Cancelled

For nearly 23 lakh students, May 12 brought uncertainty and anger after National Testing Agency cancelled NEET UG 2026 cancellation following allegations of a multi-state paper leak.

Investigators found that a so-called “guess paper” circulated before the exam allegedly matched over 120 questions from the final test paper. The matter has now been handed over to the CBI, while students wait for fresh exam dates.

These events highlight a systemic vulnerability that persists despite technological safeguards like GPS-tracked question paper vehicles and AI-powered CCTV surveillance, which the NTA had claimed to have implemented for the 2026 exam.

The human cost of these leaks extends far beyond the medical field, affecting the very fabric of public service recruitment. The state of Rajasthan, which is at the center of the current NEET probe, has been a frequent epicenter of such scandals.

But this is far from the first time India’s high-stakes examination system has collapsed under allegations of paper leaks.

AIPMT 2015: The medical exam that was cancelled by the Supreme Court

Before NEET became India’s single medical entrance exam, students appeared for the All India Pre-Medical Test 2015 cancellation.

In 2015, the Supreme Court cancelled AIPMT after investigators uncovered a cheating racket where candidates allegedly used electronic devices to receive answers during the examination.

Nearly 6.3 lakh students were forced to retake the exam after the court ordered a re-test within four weeks.

It remains one of India’s biggest exam cancellations before NEET.

Vyapam Scam: India’s most infamous recruitment scandal

The Vyapam scam remains one of India’s biggest examination scandals.

The scam involved admissions and recruitment tests conducted by the Madhya Pradesh Professional Examination Board between 2007 and 2013.

Fake candidates allegedly wrote exams for others, answer sheets were manipulated, and a large network of politicians, middlemen and officials came under investigation.

The scandal triggered national outrage and later moved to a CBI investigation.

UP Police Constable Exam 2024

In one of India’s largest recruitment exam disruptions, the Uttar Pradesh Police Constable Exam cancellation 2024 was scrapped after question papers were allegedly leaked on messaging platforms.

Nearly 48 lakh candidates had applied for the exam.

Following massive protests, the Uttar Pradesh government cancelled the exam and promised a fresh test.

REET 2021 paper leak

Rajasthan’s REET 2021 paper leak also triggered major outrage.

The teacher recruitment exam was cancelled after reports emerged that question papers were leaked before the exam.

Several arrests were made, including government officials and middlemen linked to the alleged leak network.

The scandal affected lakhs of teaching aspirants.

SSC CGL controversy

In 2017–18, aspirants protested against alleged irregularities in the SSC CGL examination controversy.

Students accused the system of leaks and manipulation during the recruitment process.

The protests forced government intervention and led to re-examinations in certain cases.

As the CBI now launches raids across 12 locations and Opposition leaders accuse the government of "organized irresponsibility," the 23 lakh students of NEET 2026 are left waiting for a new exam date, their hopes held hostage by a system that seems unable to protect its own future.

For millions of students, these exams are career-defining opportunities. But repeated cancellations, re-tests and leak allegations are steadily eroding trust in India’s examination system — with the latest NEET UG 2026 cancellation row becoming yet another reminder of that growing credibility crisis.