NEET-UG 2026 cancelled amid paper leak allegations, re-exam likely in June

New Delhi: Faced with NEET-UG 2026 paper leak reports, National Testing Authority on Tuesday cancelled the May 3 exam and said it would re-conduct the exam soon for nearly 23 lakh students who appeared for it earlier this month. A re-test is likely in early June, sources indicated.

While NEET-UG exam faced allegations of paper leaks earlier too, the government didn't opt for cancellation. The last time such a move was made in 2015 when the Supreme Court cancelled the CBSE-conducted All India Pre-Medical Test (AIPMT) amid a leak racket backed by bluetooth devices. In 2024, even amid strong paper leak allegations, a limited re-test was allowed for just 1,563 students, who were awarded grace marks for loss of time - no full re-test was held as a 'systemic leak' could not be proven in the court.

Also Read: NEET-UG cancelled due to paper leak: How a PG in Rajasthan created a mess for 22 lakh medical students


On the 2026 exam, however, NTA said that based on 'inputs' received on May 7, along with the investigative findings shared by the law enforcement agencies, it was "established that the present examination process could not be allowed to stand".

NTA said the decision to cancel the exam was taken in the "interest of students and in recognition of the trust on which the national examination system rests". The cancellation was done as "the alternative would have caused greater and more lasting damage to that trust". NTA, with the Government of India's approval, has decided to "cancel the NEET (UG) 2026 examination conducted on May 3, 2026, and to re-conduct the examination on dates that will be notified separately", an NTA press statement said.

NTA said it is conscious that re-conduct will cause significant inconvenience to candidates and will not take the consequences lightly. Students will continue to go for re-test with the same registration data, candidature, and examination centres as opted for in the May 2026 cycle and no additional examination fee will be levied. Fees already paid will be refunded to students and the exam will be re-conducted using NTA's internal resources, it said.

The Centre has referred the 'guess paper' leak case that emerged from Sikar in Rajasthan, to CBI for a "comprehensive inquiry".

Also Read: NEET UG 2026 exam cancelled: Why the exam has been cancelled, re-exam date and what's next?

Four days after the May 3 exam, NTA on May 7 received inputs concerning "alleged malpractice around the examination" and escalated it to central agencies on May 8.

NTA DG Abhishek Singh said a whistleblower had alerted about the leak of a PDF on some phones on May 1 and 2, and the cancellation is in keeping with NTA's "zero tolerance" policy to paper leaks.

Vishal Bansal, additional director general of the Rajasthan Police's special operations group, said a 'guess paper' was found in circulation on social media platforms ahead of May 3 exam. This guess paper had 410 questions, of which it is alleged that roughly 120 questions actually appeared in the Chemistry section of the exam, Bansal said.

The 'guess paper' allegedly aimed at ensuring prior access to questions worth 600 marks in the 720-mark exam paper. Reports from the state suggest that the 'guess paper' circulated in PDF format over Telegram involved an organised paper mafia, which may have interstate linkages running between coaching centres to counselling agents. There is already a spotlight on an MBBS counsellor from Sikar. It is suspected that the guess paper was sold at varying prices from ₹30,000 to ₹28 lakh and was in circulation for over 15 days before the May 3 exam.