Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Friday announced that the NEET UG exam will move to online mode from the next academic year, a step aimed at preventing a repeat of the 2026 paper leak that has left lakhs of students in limbo.
Addressing a press conference, Pradhan said: “One important point I wanted to mention is that from next year, the root issue will be addressed. The NEET examination will be conducted as a computer-based test instead of (on) OMR sheets.”
He added: “Today, we are announcing a new date. The fresh examination will be held a little over a month from now. Our approach will remain the same: zero tolerance toward malpractice. This is a long battle against exam mafias and anti-social elements.
“In this era of technology, new challenges are emerging. Various social media handles are spreading misleading information and trying to create confusion. There are also attempts to openly challenge and disrupt the re-examination process. Keeping all this in mind, the government immediately handed the matter to the Central Bureau of Investigation… I have full faith in the CBI and the agencies working with it. The government, all departments, and the top leadership are taking this very seriously. They have taken full responsibility and are closely monitoring the situation. To those creating fear and disturbances, I want to say through you: stay away from the upcoming examination process. Otherwise, they will have to face punishment.”
Pradhan added that the admit cards for NEET UG 2026 will be issued by June 14 for the re-examination scheduled on June 21.
On the paper leak issue, he said the NEET UG 2026 exam was held on May 3, but red flags emerged four days later when reports surfaced about a so-called “guess paper”. A whistleblower’s complaints were subsequently shared with central agencies, which later confirmed that the paper had indeed been leaked.
“Once it became clear that the sanctity of the exam had been compromised, we decided there could be no compromise with students’ future,” he said, referring to the government’s decision to cancel the examination on May 12.
The minister also recalled that earlier controversies over examination irregularities had led to the formation of the Radhakrishnan Committee, and asserted that the Centre continues to maintain a zero-tolerance stance against exam malpractice.