NEET UG Retest Underway: 22.79 Lakh Candidates Appear Across 551 Cities
The National Testing Agency (NTA) is conducting the NEET UG 2026 retest today, with over 22.79 lakh candidates appearing at 551 cities in India and 14 cities abroad. The examination started at 2 pm and will conclude at 5:15 pm, with candidates with disabilities (PwD/PwBD) eligible for compensatory time until 6:20 pm.
The reporting window for candidates was from 11 am to 1:30 pm. The NTA stated that no candidate would be allowed entry after the gates closed at 1:30 pm. Candidates were seen queuing outside examination centres for frisking and verification procedures.
The NTA advised candidates to verify the exact address of their centre from the admit card, as map applications may show incorrect locations for some venues. Candidates must carry a printed copy of the admit card, one original valid photo identity card, and two passport-size photographs for the attendance sheet.
Candidates wearing customary or religious attire, as well as those in full sleeves or woollens, were asked to report early for thorough frisking. The NTA also prohibited items such as mobile phones, smart watches, Bluetooth devices, calculators, wallets, jewellery, metallic accessories, and food packets inside the examination hall.
For students facing stress or anxiety, the NTA provided official helplines, including Tele-MANAS (14416), a 24x7 national mental health helpline.
The NTA implemented a multi-layered security framework, including end-to-end secure handling of confidential materials, GPS-enabled vehicles with police escort, CCTV surveillance at all centres linked to centralised control rooms, mandatory frisking with high-sensitivity metal detectors, Aadhaar-based biometric authentication, and real-time monitoring from centralised systems. The agency is also monitoring social media to curb misinformation and prevent malpractice, and has filed complaints with cyber-crime authorities, including I4C/MHA and the CBI.
The NTA urged candidates to rely only on official communication from neet.nta.nic.in and to report any suspicious messages to the NTA or cyber-crime authorities.
