Re-NEET 2026: NTA cancels NEET UG 2026 and orders re-exam

The National Testing Agency has cancelled the NEET UG 2026 held on 3 May 2026 , and the Government of India has referred the matter to the Central Bureau of Investigation for a comprehensive probe.

NTA’s press release on 12 May 2026 said the exam will be re-conducted on dates to be notified separately on official NTA portals. About 22.79 lakh candidates who sat for the paper across 551 Indian cities and 14 cities abroad are affected.

Re-NEET 2026: What NTA has said

NTA confirmed an entirely new question paper will be prepared for Re-NEET 2026 and that the provisional answer key released on 6 May 2026 is now void. The objection window and any earlier answer-key process related to the May 3 exam have been cancelled.

The agency said existing application data, candidature status and the exam cities chosen on May 3 will be carried forward. There will be no fresh registration for the re-exam and no additional exam fee for candidates. Fees already paid, including objection fees of Rs. 200 per question , will be refunded as per NTA’s notice.

Re-NEET 2026: Investigation, scale and arrests

Authorities cited findings from the Rajasthan Special Operations Group that a circulated “guess paper” had nearly 140 matching questions with the actual NEET paper. Law enforcement agencies have questioned approximately 15 individuals so far and several arrests have been reported in related investigations.

The Government’s referral to the CBI aims to probe whether an organised network was behind the leak and to trace the leak’s origin and distribution chain. NTA has said it will fully cooperate and hand over material and records to investigators.

Re-NEET 2026: Immediate impact on counselling and timelines

The cancellation and re-test mean the MCC counselling calendar will shift. Officials expect the counselling timeline to move by about 4–6 weeks , delaying AIQ and state quota processes. NTA will publish the revised schedule and admit-card re-issuance procedure on its official portals.

Candidates are advised to retain their May 3 application numbers, login details and admit cards until the re-issued documents arrive. NTA will announce the Re-NEET 2026 exam dates and detailed guidelines on neet.nta.nic.in and nta.ac.in.

Short, factual updates will continue from official NTA channels; students should rely only on those notices for dates, fee refunds and admit-card instructions.