The cancellation of the NEET-UG 2026 held on 3 May by the National Testing Agency (NTA) is not an anomaly. It is the predictable outcome of years of systemic negligence. Nine days later, on May 12, the NTA scrapped the entire exercise after evidence emerged of a “guess paper” matching a significant portion of the actual questions in sequence and options.

A re-examination is now scheduled for 21 June 2026, with admit cards to be distributed from 14 June, revised shift timings, centre choice facility, extra time and no additional fee. From 2027, the education minister declared at a press conference, the exam will shift to computer-based testing.

But procedural corrections alone cannot disguise the scale of the crisis.

This is now part of a disturbing pattern. NEET and other major examinations have repeatedly faced allegations of leaks and irregularities over the past decade. Each year,........

© National Herald