NEET-UG 2026 cancelled! 22 lakh students in limbo after paper leak, CBI probe ordered

India's most competitive medical entrance test has been scrapped. The National Testing Agency has officially pulled the plug on NEET-UG 2026, taken by more than 22 lakh students on May 3, announcing that the examination will be held again from scratch, with the Central Bureau of Investigation now tasked with getting to the bottom of the alleged leak that triggered the decision.

The sequence of events that led here moved quickly. Four days after the exam concluded, the NTA received information suggesting foul play and immediately escalated it to central agencies for an independent assessment. What those agencies found was enough to make the outcome inevitable; the exam, as conducted, could not be allowed to stand.

The reason behind the cancellation

Following a review of findings shared by law enforcement, the NTA concluded that the sanctity of the May 3 examination had been compromised. The agency stated that setting aside the results was the only course of action that could preserve the transparency and credibility that a national-level examination demands. Continuing with a tainted process, it argued, would have inflicted far deeper and longer-lasting damage on public confidence than starting over.

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What the CBI will investigate

The central government has brought in the CBI to conduct a thorough investigation into how the alleged guess paper, which reportedly contained all 90 Biology and all 45 Chemistry questions from the actual exam, made its way to students before the test began.

Investigators will examine whether the breach was the work of an organised network and trace its path from the suspected source, believed to be a printing facility in Jaipur, through its reported spread across six locations: Sikar, Jhunjhunu, Nagaur, Dehradun, Jaipur, and Kerala. Approximately 15 individuals have already been taken in for questioning. The NTA has pledged to hand over all relevant data, documentation, and technical records to support the inquiry.

Relief measures for affected students

The NTA has taken steps to ensure that students do not bear the administrative burden of the cancellation. There will be no new registration process, all existing applicant data will be automatically carried over to the re-examination. Exam centres previously assigned to candidates will continue to apply; no new fees will be levied, and any amount already paid will be returned. New hall tickets will be dispatched before the rescheduled exam, the date for which will be communicated through official channels in due course.

While the agency expressed regret over the disruption caused to students and their families, it maintained that permitting a compromised examination to determine the futures of lakhs of medical aspirants would have been the greater injustice.

Advice for students in the interim

Students are urged to avoid unverified information circulating on social media and to rely exclusively on official NTA communications for updates. As a fresh examination date is expected to be announced shortly, aspirants would do well to treat preparation as ongoing and stay ready.