NEET has faced repeated controversies. In 2024, a paper leak in Bihar triggered nationwide protests and a CBI probe. After results were declared on June 4, 67 candidates scored a perfect 720/720, and unusual marks like 718/719 surfaced. With the NEET marking scheme granting +4 for correct answers and -1 for incorrect ones, scores like 718 or 719 are impossible to achieve under normal circumstances. This led to serious suspicions of unfair evaluation. The NTA later said that it gave “grace marks” to 1,563 students for loss of exam time. The Supreme Court scrapped them and ordered a re-test for those candidates on June 23, 2024. The Court declined a nationwide re-test, saying there wasn’t evidence of a “systemic breach affecting the entire examination.”

NEET, or National Eligibility cum Entrance Test, is India’s single national-level entrance exam for admission to MBBS, BDS, and other undergraduate medical courses in government and private colleges. It is conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) and covers Physics, Chemistry, and Biology from Class 11-12 (NCERT syllabus). 200 questions, out of which 180 have to be attempted in 3 hours and 20 minutes.

It’s considered one of India’s toughest exams due to the intense competition. Over 2.2 million students compete for roughly 100,000 MBBS seats, with just a 2% selection rate for government colleges. Cutoffs are high, and even one wrong answer can drop your rank by thousands. The vast syllabus, negative marking, and time pressure make it a test of both knowledge and exam temperament.

This year, on May 3, the NEET Exam was conducted nationwide for medical aspirants under "full security protocol," including GPS-tracked paper transport, biometrics, AI-assisted CCTV, and 5G jammers!

But like almost every year, the process went wrong. Suspicion began around May 6-7, when students and coaching circles noticed that an alleged "guess paper" circulating online resembled the actual exam. The NTA received a complaint on May 7 that the guess paper contained questions from the actual exam. On May 8, 2026, central agencies got involved. The NTA referred the matter to match the actual paper. On May 12, the NTA officially cancelled NEET UG 2026. The cancellation was announced after finding that a 'guess paper' containing more than 100 questions similar to the NEET UG exam was circulated. Around 140 questions allegedly matched, and the material had reportedly circulated for nearly 42 hours before the exam. The case was turned over to the CBI.

This is not the first time it has happened. NEET has faced repeated controversies. In 2024, a paper leak in Bihar triggered nationwide protests and a CBI probe. After results were declared on June 4, 67 candidates scored a perfect 720/720, and unusual marks like 718/719 surfaced. With the NEET marking scheme granting +4 for correct answers and -1 for incorrect ones, scores like 718 or 719 are impossible to achieve under normal circumstances. This led to serious suspicions of unfair evaluation. The NTA later said that it gave “grace marks” to 1,563 students for loss of exam time. The Supreme Court scrapped them and ordered a re-test for those candidates on June 23, 2024. The Court declined a nationwide re-test, saying there wasn’t evidence of a “systemic breach affecting the entire examination.” Other issues in 2024 included 6 toppers from the same Haryana centre, arrests in Bihar/Gujarat/Maharashtra for leaks, and allegations that solved papers were sold for ₹30-50 lakh. The 2026 cancellation repeats concerns first flagged in 2024 about OMR leaks, printing facility breaches, and the coaching-politician nexus.

Lakhs of students who spend 2-3 years in coaching, with 12 or more hours a day preparing for one 3-hour exam. For them, repeated leaks and cancellations feel devastating. Many leave their hometowns and live in Kota or Sikar hostels away from family. They put boards, hobbies, and mental health on hold for NEET. When papers leak or results get tangled in grace mark disputes, genuine aspirants lose not just an attempt but an entire year of their prime youth. The uncertainty breaks trust: even scoring 700 or more doesn’t guarantee a seat if toppers emerge from compromised centres, and rural students without “guess paper” networks start the race far behind. Each cancellation also means fresh expenses for travel, re-exam fees, and extended coaching, which poorer families can’t easily absorb. Beyond marks, it’s the psychological toll of studying the same syllabus twice while watching peers move on.

The National Testing Agency’s credibility is questioned repeatedly. The 2026 paper leak led to the exam being cancelled on May 12, despite the NTA’s claims of “full security protocol” with GPS tracking, biometrics, and AI CCTV. Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan himself admitted a “breach in command chain” and called OMR the “root cause,” shifting NEET to CBT from next year. With arrests across Bihar, Gujarat, and Rajasthan, allegations of a coaching-politician nexus, and the agency relying on CBI probes for two years straight, students and parents are questioning whether the NTA can ensure a fair, tamper-proof exam at this scale.

In 2025, 12 questions were withdrawn from the JEE Main January session due to errors in the final answer key. A parliamentary committee said this “does not inspire confidence.”

In 2024, students alleged discrepancies in percentile calculations and uneven shifts. The NTA debarred 39 candidates for unfair means.

In 2012, a Russian national allegedly hacked JEE Main software through a Haryana centre, enabling remote “solvers” to write exams for candidates, resulting in 20 students being banned.

In 2020, an Assam topper scam candidate used a substitute to take JEE Mains and scored 99.8 percentile. Seven people were arrested, including a coaching owner and TCS employees.

The same happened with CUET-UG/PG. In 2025, there were technical glitches, out-of-syllabus questions, and registration failures. Nearly 350 candidates were affected in Delhi/J&K, and 50 centres were postponed. An Accountancy paper re-exam was ordered. Significant disruptions, centre cancellations, and rescheduling were observed in 2022 & 2025. In 2024, the results were delayed and criticized by a parliamentary committee.

The same pattern is observed with UGC-NET & CSIR-NET. In 2024, the UGC-NET June exam was cancelled after inputs from the Cyber Crime Unit that “integrity may have been compromised.” A CBI probe was ordered.

In 2024, NEET-PG had to be postponed following the directive from the parliamentary standing committee. In 2022, Kerala NEET aspirants alleged they were forced to remove bras during frisking. In 2020, a NEET-UG student died by suicide after the NTA wrongly reported 6 marks instead of 590. A December 2025 parliamentary committee report said that out of 14 major exams the NTA conducted in 2024, at least 5 faced “major issues,” including leaks, errors, and postponements.

The real problem isn’t just leaks; rather, it’s the system itself.

Why should only one exam decide everything? 22 lakh students get 3 hours and 20 minutes to determine their medical career. There is no weight for 12th marks, skills, aptitude, or even practicals. One bad day wipes out 2 years. The entrance exam culture is flourishing, benefiting coaching classes and not students. Students do not attend free college/practicals at all. Instead, they pay lacs of rupees to coaching centers and spend thousands on hostels, living expenses, and books. Then, if they are lucky enough to get access to a few questions, they spend a few more lacs on purchasing papers. In fact, what is the need to pass 12th science at all if NEET marks decide everything for medical students? The government should at least give an exemption to students so that parents save some money on 12th board and college fees, and further money on compromised exams.

Only 5% seat supply: Nearly 1.1 lakh MBBS seats for 22+ lakh aspirants? That too when there are not enough doctors for the population. The government college rate is less than 2%. This scarcity fuels ₹30-50 lakh rupees rate paper leaks. Security can’t fix 95% rejection.

OMR is broken: It is easy to leak, copy, and manipulate at centers. 120 “guess paper” matches can swing ranks by lakhs. We need to think of alternative exam strategies. And computer-based exams aren't the answer because they do not treat the root cause.

Coaching mafias win: Sikar’s success rate is 6 times more than the national average. Kids rehearse leaked questions in “mock tests.” Rural students without networks start behind.

No Plan B: Unlike engineering, medicine has only NEET. When it’s cancelled, 22 lakh students lose a year.

As a parent, my heart aches with the thought that my children have to go through this throat-cutting competition and broken system if they ever choose a medical career.

But, even with zero leaks, 95% fail because seats don’t exist. Leaks are the symptom. The disease is 22 lakh kids fighting for 1 lakh seats in one MCQ test.

Entrance exams like NEET/JEE created a massive ₹58,000 crore coaching industry. Aspiring students do not attend college but go to coaching centers. No practical course is offered. Students pass the 12th board somehow (mainly because exam centers are compromised). This is happening because of 3 things:

1. Scarcity of seats + Single exam: Parents panic and send kids to Kota, Sikar, Hyderabad at age 14-15.

2. Information asymmetry: Coaching hubs get “guess papers” and “mock tests” the day before exams. 2024 saw 6 toppers from one Haryana center.

3. No regulation on fees/ads: Institutes charge ₹2-5 lakh/year, run fake “topper” ads, and open 100s of franchise centers. Sikar’s NEET success rate is higher because entire towns are built around paper intel and rigorous coaching.

And who regulates coaching classes?

Technically, nobody!

Here’s the mess: The Education Ministry Issued “Guidelines for Coaching Centers 2024,” which are not legally binding. They ban enrollment under 16, misleading ads, and 100% advance fees. But there is no enforcement body! Consumer Protection Act can help take action against fake topper ads. The CCPA fined a few institutes ₹1-5 lakh, but that’s pocket change for the coaching mafia's ₹100cr ad budgets. NTA conducts the exam, but it has zero power over coaching centers. As a Result, Coaching centers self-regulate. They’re literally private businesses, not schools.

Also Read: Higher education: Is it competent enough? (Ujjwala Deshpande)

And then the big question. Who gets punished for playing with student lives? Seriously, no one! Who must be accountable? Maybe the NTA chief? Or the education minister? Gone are the days when ministers used to take responsibility and resign!

Here’s the pattern from past cases:

1. Paper leaks: CBI arrests middlemen, “solvers”, and center staff. 2024 NEET: 13 people arrested in Bihar, including 4 students who paid ₹30-50 lakh. 2021 JEE hack: Russian national + Haryana center owner booked. Masterminds running coaching networks usually escape.

2. Coaching owners: Almost never jailed. In 2024, a Bahadurgarh center run by “BJP youth wing chief’s wife” produced 6 toppers - the center was flagged, but no owner was arrested. Sikar networks were named in the 2026 leak, but no coaching baron has been charged yet.

3. NTA officials: At most, transferred. No senior official has been jailed for NEET/JEE lapses. A parliamentary committee slammed NTA in Dec 2025 for 5/14 exams having “major issues,” but no criminal liability was fixed.

4. Students: They suffer the most. Ironic, sad, bitter, but the truth. They are debarred for 3 years if caught cheating. But if the exam gets cancelled, 22 lakh kids lose time and confidence with zero compensation.

Why isn't real legal punishment dished out? The reason is that there is no law! No “Exam Malpractice Act” with strict liability for coaching centers. The Public Examinations Act 2024 came after NEET-2024 but hasn’t led to major convictions yet.

It is evident that there is a nexus of politicians + coaching + bureaucracy” links. Centers fund local leaders, and leaders protect centers. Leaks happen on WhatsApp/Telegram. By the time the CBI traces it, PDFs are deleted, and money is in cash/crypto. Proof and trace are lost by that time. Hence, the vicious cycle never stops.

Limited seats → high-stakes exam → desperate parents → ₹5 lakh coaching fees → coaching invests in paper intel → leak → few benefit, 21.9 lakh suffer → NTA cancels exam → coaching sells “re-NEET crash course” → cycle repeats.

Indian system must either massively increase seats or bring in very strict central laws that hold coaching classes accountable. Coaching class owners should be criminally liable for leaks, there should be a cap on their fees, and enrollment of under-16 students should be banned. There should be real jail time for them, for ruining valuable years of students, for financial malpractices and for manipulating the education system. But it does not seem likely, as the system keeps punishing the hardworking students and rewarding the people who game it.

Then there is the ₹350 Crore Question. NTA claims that it will not charge students again for Re-NEET. That is an admission. The ₹1,750 fee collected from each of the 24 lakh candidates, roughly ₹350 crore in total, was enough to conduct the exam twice. If so, why charge such a high fee in the first place? Does conducting one NEET exam actually cost ₹350 crore? If not, where does the surplus go? And this year, who bears the cost of the second exam? Taxpayers? Or is it simply absorbed from the windfall already collected from students and parents? A testing agency that cancels exams but keeps the money, owes the public an audit.

Here’s the next question: There is a lot of hype about education reforms, IKS, and NEP. But even with that, can a faulty exam system really attract global students? A clear answer in one word is a big No.

Global students want multiple entry routes, transparency, and seats. India offers one 3-hour 20-minute MCQ for lakhs of kids fighting for limited seats. 95% rejection, yearly leaks, cancellations, and coaching mafias deciding ranks via “guess papers” kill credibility. We can’t place our own students, let alone foreigners. No parent abroad will risk a system where exams get cancelled post-test and CBI probes drag on. In fact, many Indian students prefer foreign education.

Lastly, the core questions remain...

Who gives them the right to play with the students' lives?

When will it stop? Will it ever?

Who takes the responsibility?

- Snehalata Jadhav
snehalatajj@gmail.com
(The author is a professor at K.N. Bhise College of Arts and Commerce, Kurduwadi.)

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