The National Testing Agency (NTA) today conducted the re-examination for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test, Undergraduate (NEET UG) 2026 today (June 21). The re-exam was held from 2 pm to 5:15 pm (IST) in pen-and-paper mode. Candidates with disabilities (PwD/PwBD) eligible for compensatory time will be permitted to write the examination up to 6:20 pm.
NEET UG was held across 551 Indian cities and 14 overseas locations. This year, 22.79 lakh candidates appeared for the medical entrance exam.
A first-time NEET aspirant Nibha Kumari told Kritika Tiwari of Times Now that “a few questions in the Biology section appeared to be repeated from the May 3 exam.” She further added that “many questions were straightforward and could be solved using the elimination method, which worked in students’ favour. The Chemistry section also included a few fill-in-the-blank questions. Overall, she described the paper as moderate in difficulty.”
Nitya Khari, a student from Greater Noida believes that “compared to the previous NEET paper, Biology was much easier this time, and Chemistry ranged from moderate to difficult.” She added that Physics felt tough to her. “The paper also seemed slightly less lengthy than the previous one. Overall, I would rate the difficulty level as moderate to easy,” she added.
Talking about security arrangements, she admitted that the arrangement “were significantly stricter this year. There was a heavy police presence at the college entrance gate, where officials checked admit cards and other required documents. Inside the centre, candidates underwent screening with metal detectors twice. There was also biometric verification, followed by an additional round of Aadhaar card verification.”
While some students felt that the May 3 exam was easier, a student from Chennai told Times Now stated that Biology was good and Chemistry was moderate.
“The arrangements were good, and teachers were supportive. The exam was tough but went well… We prepare a lot for the exams, and paper leaks happening are unfortunate. It impacts the students,” a student from Srinagar told Times Now.
A similar reaction was seen in Bengaluru where a student told Times Now, “This time, the exam was easier than the last time… I am satisfied with the security measures that were undertaken today.”
Some students also said that the re-NEET exam’s question paper was similar to the paper they saw last year. “Question paper resembled that of 2025. We felt happy seeing the Biology section but Physics and Chemistry felt unsolvable, lengthy and tough. This exam was much harder than May 3 attempt, and I don’t think I will be able to qualify,” a Delhi student said.
While the exam has concluded, students are still worried about the sanctity of the exam. A candidate expressed disappointment over the repeated uncertainty surrounding the examination process. “We prepared sincerely for the exam, but after everything that has happened, we no longer know what to expect. Even after working so hard, the NTA has not been able to conduct the examination properly,” she said.
Ujjwal Singh, Founding CEO, Infinity Learn by Sri Chaitanya stated that “compared to NEET 2025, the paper appears relatively more accessible, while being slightly more challenging than the original NEET 2026 examination conducted in May. If this trend is reflected across the broader student base, we expect the cutoff range to settle somewhere between NEET 2025 and NEET 2026 (May).”
Students who appeared for the exam now await the answer key, followed by the result. In an exclusive conversation with Times Now, NTA Director General, Abhishek Singh, hinted that the result might release within a month now. “Hopefully, but let NTA start the evaluation process, then NTA will give a date. we did the exam in 37 days. So we compressed the whole time exam cycle. So results also would be done faster than what one would expect,” he said.
Why was NEET UG 2026 reconducted?
The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test, Undergraduate (NEET UG) 2026 was first conducted on May 3 as scheduled. However, following reports of paper leak and an internal investigation, the National Testing Agency (NTA) cancelled the exam on May 12. Following this, on May 15 the Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan announced that the re-examination for NEET UG will be conducted on June 21 (Sunday).
NEET UG is a national-level medical entrance examination in India, which is conducted for students seeking admission to undergraduate medical, dental, and AYUSH courses in government and private institutions.