What happened with the NEET-UG 2026 exam?

NEET-UG is India's national entrance exam for medical courses such as MBBS and BDS. In 2026, more than 22 lakh students registered for it.

Before the exam was held in May, evidence emerged that questions had been leaked and traded on Telegram. After investigations, education authorities ordered a re-examination for the roughly 22 lakh candidates who had taken the original paper.

Why it caused such anger:

• It came after earlier controversies, including the NEET-UG 2024 leak case, raising doubts about the reliability of national entrance exams.
• Students had spent years and huge sums of money on coaching, and many faced stress and uncertainty.
• There were reports of students dying by suicide amid exam pressure and the leak controversy.

The leak sparked the Cockroach Janta Party protests, described in our answer on the CJP, and led to the resignation of the education minister. Parliament also passed a tougher law, explained in the 2026 anti-paper leak amendment.

If you or someone you know is struggling with exam stress, free counselling is available through Tele-MANAS at 14416, as noted in our mental health answer.