Ahead of the re-examination of NEET-UG 2026, the National Testing Agency (NTA) will conduct a mock drill across the country on Saturday. To ensure that the examination is conducted in a safe and transparent manner, multi-layered security arrangements have been made with the help of police, district administration and central agencies.
More than 22.79 lakh candidates will appear in this examination to be held on June 21. More than 5,000 examination centers have been set up in 551 cities of India and 14 cities abroad. According to NTA, more than 2 lakh employees, 674 city coordinators and 6,669 invigilators have been deployed to conduct the examination. The exam will be conducted in pen-and-paper mode from 2:00 pm to 5:15 pm. Qualified candidates of PwD and PwBD categories will be given additional time, allowing them to appear for the exam till 6:20 pm.
**Why was NEET re-examination necessary?**
The NEET-UG exam was originally scheduled to be held on May 3, 2026 across the country. After the exam, allegations of question papers being leaked in several states and some candidates having already received the papers came to light. After indications of irregularities were found during investigation, NTA canceled the examination on May 12. After this, it was decided to conduct the examination again based on the review of the Central Government and the investigating agencies.
**NTA’s clarification: No need to download the admit card again**
The National Testing Agency (NTA) has clarified that candidates who have already downloaded the new admit card for the NEET-UG exam to be held on June 21 are not required to download it again.
The agency said the messages sent through SMS, email and WhatsApp are mainly for students who have not yet downloaded their new admit cards.
According to NTA, the admit cards issued on May 3 are no longer valid, as many students have been allotted new exam centers in their preferred cities. The agency said that the new admit card issued for the June 21 exam will be available to download and print; Candidates will be able to appear in the examination on the basis of this admit card.
**GPS tracking for vehicles carrying exam papers**
NTA has announced that security and operational arrangements will be tested through a mock drill on the Saturday before the exam. District administration, police and escort teams have been entrusted with the responsibility of safely delivering the examination question papers and other confidential material to the examination centres.
Center superintendents and invigilators will be present at all the centres. Many levels of security arrangements have been made for the examination. Confidential question papers and other materials will be kept under strict sealing rules. The vehicles carrying the examination material will be fitted with GPS tracking and will also be provided with police escort. All the examination centers will be under CCTV surveillance and will be monitored live from a centralized control room.
**Things to keep in mind for the candidates before leaving home for the examination**
NTA said that in view of the heat and large number of candidates, arrangements like power backup, adequate lighting, fans, wall clock, drinking water, toilets and medical assistance have been made at all the examination centres.
According to NTA, candidates can carry transparent water bottles. Candidates suffering from diabetes will be allowed to bring sugar tablets and fruits like banana, apple or orange.
However, candidates wearing religious or traditional clothes, or full-sleeved or woolen clothes are advised to arrive early to allow time for the security check process.
**Appeal to avoid rumours; Keep an eye on social media**
NTA said that social media platforms are being continuously monitored to prevent the spread of rumors and misinformation. The agency has lodged complaints with 14C/MHA, CBI and other cyber-crime agencies and action is being taken against suspicious activities.
NTA has appealed to the candidates to rely only on official information and not pay attention to paper leaks or rumors related to the examination. Instructions have been issued to report suspicious messages and channels to NTA or cyber-crime agencies. The agency has advised students to remain calm, confident in their preparation and use mental health helplines like Tele-Manas (14416) if needed.
Preparations of states for NEET re-exam…
Delhi: Candidates will be able to travel free in DTC and cluster buses; This facility will be available for both inbound and outbound journeys. ‘Cooling zones’ will be created for parents outside the examination centres, where ORS drinks, drinking water and lemonade will be provided.
Madhya Pradesh: Railways will run special trains connecting Indore, Bhopal and Ratlam on June 20.
Telangana: Students will be able to travel for free in state government RTC buses by showing their NEET hall ticket.
Maharashtra: All 1,820 local trains in Mumbai will run as per their full schedule; There will be no ‘Mega Block’ schedule on any Central Railway route.
Despite the ban on Telegram, an attempt was made to sell fake NEET exam papers from Bhilwara, Rajasthan. Police have detained a student in this case. The accused was using Telegram through a US-based Virtual Private Network (VPN); The name of his Telegram channel is ‘Paper Mafia’.
