NTA clarifies student chose Abu Dhabi exam centre

New Delhi: The National Testing Agency (NTA) on Saturday rejected allegations that it had arbitrarily allotted an Abu Dhabi examination centre to a Nagpur student for the June 21 NEET-UG re-examination, asserting that the candidate had voluntarily selected the overseas centre and that it later shifted the centre to Nagpur within 48 hours of receiving an informal request.

"NTA's web activity records indicate that the city change was made through the candidate's own registered login during the correction window, with a consistent single-user access pattern," the agency said.

The NTA said that although the candidate had opted for Abu Dhabi, it received an informal request on the evening of June 19-just 48 hours before the examination-to change the centre to Nagpur. It immediately initiated the process and contacted the candidate's father the same evening to complete the formalities, citing its "Student First" approach.


The agency said around 3.2 lakh candidates used the correction window and that more than 99.5% were allotted their preferred examination city. It said the Abu Dhabi issue was resolved swiftly to ensure that the candidate did not miss the examination because of an administrative concern.

The controversy gained traction on social media on Saturday after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi accused the government of "exploiting an entire generation's money, time and mental peace" over the issue.

The NEET-UG 2026 re-examination will be held on June 21 with more than 22 lakh candidates expected to appear. The original examination, conducted on May 3, was cancelled following allegations of a question paper leak.