Anxious aspirants call NEET UG paper leak ‘demotivating’, say ‘years of exam prep’ toppled

Abhishek Verma, an aspirant from Lucknow, called the news ‘demotivating’, saying restarting the final phase of preparation would be mentally draining.

The decision to cancel the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (UG) 2026 examination came as a major setback for many students after months — and in some cases years — of preparation. Aspirants said they were now burdened with uncertainty over the re-examination and anxious about whether they would be able to perform similarly again.

Jiya, a student from Bhilwara preparing in Rajasthan’s coaching hub Kota, said the decision felt devastating after two years of hard work. (PTI)

The National Testing Agency (NTA) on Tuesday cancelled the NEET (UG) 2026 exam held on May 3 amid allegations of paper leak, with the government asking the CBI to carry out a comprehensive inquiry into the “irregularities”. The examination for students seeking admission to undergraduate courses in medical colleges will now be held afresh on dates to be notified separately.

‘Demotivating’

Abhishek Verma, an aspirant from Lucknow, said he was expecting around 620 marks out of 720 based on the provisional answer key released by the NTA on May 6 and hoped to secure admission in a government medical college. “Based on the provisional answer keys, I was scoring 620 marks out of 720 and I would have got a government medical college for studying MBBS. Now I have to study again for the examination and score similar or more marks as the paper might be tougher than the one held on May 3,” he said.

Calling the development “demotivating”, Verma said restarting the final phase of preparation would be mentally draining. “It is not justified to cancel the exam as hardworking students like us will suffer despite no fault of ours. NTA and other agencies must fix accountability so that we do not suffer injustice,” he added.

‘Students like me…’

Another aspirant from Lucknow, Shashank Maurya, said the cancellation added to the stress of serious candidates who have appeared multiple times for the highly competitive examination. “It was my fifth NEET attempt. Despite scoring marks good enough to get into a government medical college, students like me often lose out because solver gangs help others get papers in advance, enabling them to secure seats unfairly,” he alleged.

“The re-exam could will create problems for students like me who have to study again with full focus without any surety that we will be able to score similarly,” he said.

Jiya, a student from Bhilwara preparing in Rajasthan’s coaching hub Kota, said the decision felt devastating after two years of hard work.

Meanwhile members of the National Students’ Union of India and Students’ Federation of India held protests in Delhi on Tuesday, raising slogans against the alleged paper leak and demanding accountability from the Union education ministry and the NTA.