NTA cancelled the NEET Exam 2026 on May 9. The candidates felt cheated with the news of paper leak. The NTA announced the NEET re-exam to rebuild the trust in the exam process and conduct the exam fairly again.
NEET is the biggest offline exam across the globe which is conducted in a single shift. The National Testing Agency is one of the premiere exam conducting body and it is very unfortunate that the NEET exam paper got leaked and resulted in the cancellation of NEET 2026.
The frustration of the candidates peaked with the news of the paper leak. All the efforts and exam preparation were wasted on it.
This has initiated various queries in the minds of candidates and the educationists across the nation. There is a plea filed in the Supreme Court to abolish the NTA and appoint another body that can conduct the NEET exam without failing.
Also Read: What can change in NEET Re-Exam 2026
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Number of Candidates Appearing in the NEET exam
Over 22 lakh candidates appeared in the NEET 2026 exam. As we know in India, it is a family affair as the dream of becoming a Doctor is a collective dream of the family. So over 66 lakh person were affected, lakhs of rupees waisted in travelling and lodging but above all the emotional and psychological shock came with the cancellation of NEET exam.
The candidates should note that the NEET is one of the largest exams in the whole world. It has been conducted successfully in previous years. But this year is different.
| Year |
Number of Registered Candidates |
Number of Appeared Candidates |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 |
2276069 |
2209318 |
| 2024 |
2406079 |
2333297 |
| 2023 |
2087462 |
2038596 |
| 2022 |
1872343 |
1764571 |
| 2021 |
1614777 |
1544273 |
It is a kind of mini city established around the NEET exam centres on the day of the examination. NEET Re-exam 2026 is the only way to reinstate the trust of a transparent exam process in the eyes of Indian society.
Also Read: NEET 2026 Cancelled-Effort Wasted?
Also Read: How to Prepare for NEET Re-Exam 2026
Commonly asked questions
The NEET cut off score generally changes every year, based on the exam difficulty level. The NEET 2025 cut off score was reduced from that of 2024. Have a look at the cut off scores of NEET 2025 exam below-
Category | NEET 2025 Cutoff percentile | NEET 2025 Cutoff score |
|---|---|---|
UR/EWS | 50th | 686-144 |
OBC, SC, ST | 40th | 143-113 |
UR/EWS-PwD | 45th | 143-127 |
OBC/SC/St-PwD | 40th | 126-113 |
The AIIMS accepts NEET scores for admission to the MBBS. Students need to obtain the NEET cut off percentile and scores to get shortlisted for counselling in AIIMS MBBS course. The NEET 2025 cutoff scores for generally category was 686-144. So, a general category student with 550 marks cannot take admissions to AIIMS.
The NEET counselling registration fee varies for different candidate categories. For the AIQ seats and Central Universities, the fee for the General category candidates is INR 1,000 and for the SC, ST, OBC and PwD category candidates, the fee is INR 500. For participating in the NEET counselling process for Deemed Universities, the registration fee for all category candidates is INR 5,000. The registration fee is non-refundable. On the other hand, candidates will have to pay the tuition fee which is refundable. The amount for the General category candidates for the AIQ seats and Central Universities is INR 10,000. For the reserved category candidates, the amount is INR 5,000. For Deemed Universities, the tuition fee to be paid by all category candidates is INR 2,00,000. Those who would not be allotted a seat after the NEET counselling process will be refunded the tuition fee after the conclusion of the counselling rounds.
There will be no sectional qualifying criterion for NEET 2025. NTA releases overall qualifying marks or cutoff marks for each category. The overall marks will be considered while preparing the rank list for NEET. But to ensure a good score, candidates must ensure a high number of attempts with full accuracy. A skewed performance might hamper the overall marks obtained in NEET.
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Paper Leak Cases in Major Exams
In India, no exam is immune to paper leaks. The bigger exams attract wealthier clients for the leaked papers. Apart from NEET, the exams such as the UGC NET 2024, UPTET 2021, SSC CGL 2017 were also cancelled due to paper leak.
None of the exam given above are small in any sense. In SSC CGL, a comparative number of candidates appear every year.
Also Read: How Students Responded to NEET Paper Leak
Irrespective of the mode of exam, the paper gets leaked because personal interest supersedes national interest. Some of the notorious players play with the loopholes of the system and sometimes the money offered is so large that the cutting-edge personnel get attracted towards it and are overpowered by greed.
We cannot term it as a scam, but we can say it is a failure at some nodal points in the whole chain of command. The investigation will tell from where (from which point) the paper got leaked, but yes, it is resulting in a crisis.
Also Read: How will NEET Re Exam will impact the Admissions
The NEET exam is also highlighted more in the media because the Doctor is one of the most respected professionals in Indian society and anything related to the selection process of Doctors gets public scrutiny instantly. Secondly, the JEE Exam and the NEET exam is connected with the nation building because such candidates will serve the society and will become the role models for the upcoming generations.
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Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered Yesterday
Yes
try until last round don't loose hopes
K
Beginner-Level 1
Answered 2 days ago
The rank of 2000 can help get admission into the VISTAS Institute for candidates falling in the General AI category. As per the approximate cutoff rank for the first round for the MBBS course, it comes out to be around 1302633. Hence, there is a possibility of getting admitted into the institute on
N
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 days ago
The VELS University MBBS cutoff 2026 for the General AI category is 1302633 in the first round. Hence, candidates need to secure a rank of at least 1302633 in the first round to be considered eligible for admission. Students should know that the cutoff data given above is expected. It is not the off
N
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 days ago
The Rajasthan NEET UG Counselling 2026 is expected to start on August 13. The complete schedule and important dates for the Rajasthan NEET Counselling will be released soon.
R
Contributor-Level 6
Answered 2 days ago
With a score of 132 marks in NEET, you likely clear the basic qualifying percentile for BUMS but still not sufficient to get into Z V M Unani Medical College and Hospital.
At Z V M Unani Medical College and Hospital, the annual intake capacity for the BUMS program is 60 seats and for 4.5 years, the
A
Contributor-Level 8
Answered 2 days ago
Sorry, but you cannot get admission with 80 marks in NEET this year.
You can still pursue your dream of becoming a doctor by re-taking NEET.
A
Contributor-Level 8
Answered 3 days ago
The Assam NEET UG Registration will start anytime now. The candidates will get around 5 to 6 days to register.
R
Contributor-Level 6
Answered 3 days ago
The Assam NEET UG Counselling is expected to start on August 13, 2026. The candidates are advised to keep visiting this page to get the latest updates.
V
Contributor-Level 6
Answered 3 days ago
For BPT admission at GMC, NEET is not mandatory.
Sorry, but is not possible to get completely free admission.To get admission here, you must be passed 10+2 or equivalent with PCB and English.
A
Contributor-Level 8
Answered 3 days ago
Candidates need to fulfill the Haryana NEET eligibility conditions shared below:
- Candidate must be a citizen of India and should have qualified the NEET 2026
- Candidates who are bonafide residents of Haryana and whose parents have Haryana Residence Certificate can apply.
- For the Management Category, can
U
Contributor-Level 6