NEW DELHI: Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan announced major reforms in the conduct of NEET UG. He stated that the exam will be conducted in Computer Based Test (CBT) mode from next year to curb malpractice and strengthen transparency. The announcement was made in the wake of the recent paper leak controversy that led to the cancellation of the medical entrance examination. Addressing the media, Pradhan said the government is committed to protecting students’ interests and will not allow any kind of irregularities in competitive examinations to recur. He said the Centre had taken a “difficult but necessary” decision in the interest of fairness after it became clear that questions had circulated through unofficial channels disguised as guess papers.
CBT mode to improve security
He said, the root cause of all this is OMR, which will shift to computer-based testing from next year. CBT offers stronger safeguards compared to OMR-based exams and can help reduce risks of paper leaks and manipulation.
🚨 BREAKING!
Government announces NEET will shift to a computer-based test format from next year.
The move aims to address the root issues linked to paper leaks, OMR manipulation and exam transparency concerns. pic.twitter.com/3QM8XyFTVV
— The Analyzer (News Updates🗞️) (@Indian_Analyzer) May 15, 2026
According to him, the verification process began on May 8 and continued for several days before the government concluded that the integrity of the exam had been compromised, leading to its cancellation of NEET 2026 on May 12. He confirmed that the case has been handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), expressing confidence that those responsible (inside or outside the examination system) will be identified and acted against. He reiterated that the government is following a strict zero-tolerance policy and has already implemented earlier recommendations of the Radhakrishnan Committee to improve the NEET exam security.
Flexibility for candidates
In a relief for students, Union Education Minister Pradhan announced that examination fees for the cancelled NEET will be refunded. Candidates appearing for the Re-Neet will not be charged again. To reduce inconvenience, the NTA will allow candidates to reselect their preferred examination cities. A detailed advisory will be issued shortly. It will give students a window of one week to make changes, as many may have shifted locations after the earlier exam.
Additionally, the duration of the re-exam will be extended by 15 minutes, with the test now scheduled to end at 5:15 pm instead of 5:00 pm. Hence, total exam time will be 3 hours 15 minutes.
