Union Minister of Education Dharmendra Pradhan on Friday announced major changes to the NEET Exam process. The undergraduate medical examination will be rescheduled to June 21 and from next year the exam will switch to a computer-based test model in a bid to improve transparency.
Pradhan added that the Optical Mark Recognition (OMR) sheets was the main root of the leak.
Announcing further changes he added that the examination time will be extended by 15 minutes in order to facilitate completion of formalities such as the signing of attendance sheets.
NEET Re-Exam Free of Cost
Pradhan also admitted that there needs to be improvement from the testing agencies as well as the education department.
He also said that the examination fees collected from students will be refunded and no extra fees will be taken for the re-examination. This effectively makes the exam free of cost for students. The admit cards for the NEET UG 2026 re-exam will be issued by June 14, he added.
The NTA will allow students to choose their preferred exam city one week before the examination. Transportation facilities will also be arranged as far as possible, keeping weather conditions in mind, he further said.
Pradhan on NEET Paper Leak
Pradhan said that the NEET UG 2026 examination was conducted on May 3, but concerns regarding a "guess paper" were raised on May 7 following which complaints were forwarded to the central government agencies including the CBI. He said that within a few days, authorities confirmed that the paper had been leaked.
Pradhan invoked the formation of the Radhakrishnan committee adding that the government takes a zero-tolerance approach towards such malpractices.
"Our approach will remain zero tolerance towards malpractices and anti-social elements. With advancements in technology, such challenges are emerging, but we will not allow any compromise with students' future," he said.
The education minister added that the CBI is conducting a thorough probe to get to the root of the issue and identify where the breach in the examination system took place.
