NEET re-test begins at 2 pm TODAY: NTA faces credibility test as 22.8 lakh students appear

The National Testing Agency (NTA) is conducting the NEET UG 2026 re-test on June 21 for approximately 22.8 lakh candidates across India and overseas centres. The examination comes after the original test held on May 3 was cancelled following allegations of a paper leak, triggering nationwide protests, political criticism and legal challenges.

According to NTA data, female candidates outnumber male candidates, with around 13.3 lakh women and 9.5 lakh men appearing for the examination. Most candidates belong to the 17-20 age group, accounting for nearly 81% of registrations. Another 17% are between 21 and 24 years old, while 4,133 candidates are above the age of 35.

Uttar Pradesh leads candidate registrations

Uttar Pradesh has the highest number of candidates, with approximately 3.6 lakh aspirants appearing for the examination. Maharashtra follows with around 2.2 lakh candidates.

Rajasthan has emerged as a major medical coaching centre, registering more than two lakh candidates and ranking third nationally. Bihar has around 1.6 lakh candidates, highlighting the intense competition for medical seats in northern India.

Among southern states, Karnataka has registered around 1.5 lakh candidates, Tamil Nadu about 1.4 lakh, Kerala approximately 1.1 lakh and Telangana more than 73,000 candidates.

Together, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Bihar, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu account for nearly half of all candidates appearing for the re-test.

English remains the dominant examination language

Language-wise, English continues to dominate. Nearly 18.1 lakh candidates, close to four out of every five aspirants, have chosen to write the examination in English.

Hindi is the second most preferred language with around 3.5 lakh candidates. Among regional languages, Gujarati has the highest number of registrations at nearly 50,000, followed by Bengali with 38,577 candidates and Tamil with 29,845.

Other languages including Marathi, Telugu, Malayalam, Punjabi, Kannada and Odia account for relatively smaller numbers of candidates.

Massive security operation across the country

The NTA has put in place extensive security arrangements to prevent any irregularities during the examination.

The re-test is being conducted at 5,440 centres across 551 Indian cities and 14 overseas centres. More than 95,000 examination rooms have been equipped with CCTV surveillance.

Authorities have installed 1,38,560 CCTV cameras, with live monitoring taking place at national, state and ministry levels. To prevent electronic malpractice, 51,311 signal jammers have been deployed across centres.

Candidate verification has also been strengthened. Nearly 38,795 frisking personnel and 48,448 biometric verification staff have been deployed, with face authentication systems supporting biometric checks.

Each examination centre has a dedicated Centre Systems Officer to monitor surveillance feeds and address technical issues. Around 6,700 observers and more than 100 virtual observers are overseeing the examination process.

AI monitoring and nationwide coordination

The NTA said CCTV footage will also be analysed using artificial intelligence tools capable of identifying unusual activities or anomalies.

Security arrangements involve state police forces, paramilitary personnel, the Indian Air Force, the Department of Posts and district administrations. Around 40 to 50 security personnel have been deployed at each examination centre on average.

A nationwide mock drill was conducted on Saturday to test CCTV systems, jammers, biometric verification equipment and other security mechanisms before examination day.

Student-friendly facilities provided

Authorities have coordinated with state governments to provide drinking water, ORS packets, ambulances and shaded waiting areas for parents and guardians.

Additional measures include wall clocks in every examination room, extra rough-work pages and provisions to assist left-handed candidates. The examination window has also been extended slightly to compensate for additional time required during security and verification procedures.

Background of the controversy

The re-test follows the cancellation of the original NEET UG 2026 examination conducted on May 3 after allegations of a question paper leak surfaced. The controversy sparked widespread concern among students and parents and led to political demands for accountability, including calls for the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

The NTA has repeatedly stated that it is monitoring social media for misinformation and taking action against individuals spreading unverified claims related to paper leaks. The agency has urged students and parents to rely only on official communications.

Why it matters

NEET UG is India's single largest medical entrance examination and determines admission to undergraduate medical courses across the country. With more than 22 lakh aspirants competing for a limited number of medical seats, Sunday's re-test is crucial for the academic future of millions of students and will be closely watched as a test of the government's ability to restore confidence in the examination system.