National Testing Agency

Best of BS Opinion: Why India must leave retrospective taxes behind

From retrospective taxation and quality reforms to polymer notes, exam glitches and middle-class stress, today's opinion pages examine key policy challenges

CUET-UG: NTA to hold re-test for over 3,700 students after glitch

More than 3,700 CUET (UG) 2026 candidates who left their examination centres after a technical glitch delayed the start of Shift 1 of the test on Saturday will be given a one-time opportunity to reappear for the entrance exam for undergraduate admissions, the National Testing Agency said. Following the disruption, examination timings were revised at the affected centres and "most candidates (about 95 per cent) were able to complete their exam once it resumed", the National Testing Agency (NTA) said. "Most candidates were able to complete their exam once it resumed. We understand that 3,765 candidates who were present and had completed biometric registration chose to leave before the exam could restart," the NTA said on X. "For these candidates, NTA will hold a rescheduled examination as a one-time measure," it added. The new date and details will be announced separately, the agency said. It also said that the technical service provider, TCS iON, "has been asked to conduct a root-c

CUET-UG delayed at some centres due to technical issue, timing revised: NTA

The CUET-UG 2026 for admissions into undergraduate degree programmes across India was delayed at some centres on Saturday due to a technical glitch, the National Testing Agency said. The issue has since been resolved and the examination is being conducted with full compensatory time so that no candidate is disadvantaged, the National Testing Agency (NTA) said. "TCS has reported that a technical glitch at their end delayed the commencement of CUET UG 2026 at some centres on Saturday. The issue has since been resolved, and the exam is being conducted with full compensatory time so that no candidate is disadvantaged," the NTA said on X. "Afternoon session timing (revised): Reporting/entry from 2:30 pm; examination begins at 4:00 pm instead of 3:00 pm," the NTA said. Morning session candidates are being given the full duration of the paper and are allowed to exit only after completion of the test. "NTA sincerely regrets the inconvenience caused to students and parents," the agency ...

NEET-UG to be conducted in CBT mode from 2027: NTA to Supreme Court

The National Testing Agency on Friday told the Supreme Court that it is all set to conduct NEET-UG in the computer-based test (CBT) mode from next year instead of the pen and paper mode after consulting the Centre. The National Testing Agency (NTA), responsible for conducting the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET), made the statement before the apex court, which is hearing a batch of petitions related to the sensational paper "leak" this year that led to the cancellation of the May 3 exam. In an affidavit filed before a bench of Justices P S Narasimha and Alok Aradhe, the NTA said a high-level committee of experts (HLCE) has recommended transition of NEET-UG to the CBT mode. It said that among the major NTA examinations, only NEET (UG) 2026 was conducted in the pen and paper (PPT) mode, primarily according to the scheme of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the National Medical Commission. It said all other major NTA examinations are already conducted in the C

NEET uncertainty drives surge in engineering admissions in Tamil Nadu

Amid uncertainty over this year's NEET exam following alleged irregularities and the subsequent cancelleation of the test, medical aspirants are turning to engineering courses, with enrolment for Tamil Nadu engineering admissions crossing 2.5 lakh. Tamil Nadu Engineering Admissions (TNEA) is a completely online, single-window counseling process conducted by Anna University for admission to undergraduate B.E. and B.Tech. courses in the State, based solely on Class 12 marks without an entrance exam. According to sources in the Directorate of Technical Education (DOTE), the online registration has started from May 3. "Within a span of 26 days, the number of applications have crossed 2.5 lakh and it is expected to touch three lakh", a senior official from DOTE said on Friday. Noting that NEET irregularities have delayed medical counselling, he said, "due to this, there is a notable shift with many medical aspirants choosing engineering admissions". He added that the delay in medical .

NEET fee refund deadline extended till June 22; 1.3 mn update bank details

The National Testing Agency has extended till June 22 the deadline for submitting bank account details for refund of examination fee for candidates of NEET-UG 2026, which was cancelled and would be held afresh amid allegations of paper leak. While announcing the re-examination of NEET-UG 2026 on June 21, the NTA had said no examination fee would be charged from candidates for the fresh test. The NTA had also said fees already paid by students will be refunded. In continuation of the public notices dated May 12 and May 22, the NTA had provided a facility on the NEET (UG)-2026 registration portal for submission of preferred bank account details for processing of fee refund from May 22 to May 26 (till 11:50 PM). In a notice shared on X on Wednesday, the NTA said so far around 13 lakh candidates have updated their bank account details. The agency said the extension has been granted to facilitate candidates who are yet to submit their details. The agency said, "In order to facilitate .

NTA announces revised CUET-UG 2026 schedule; exams on May 31, June 6 and 7

The National Testing Agency has released revised examination dates and admit cards for the Common University Entrance Test 2026 for admissions in undergraduate programmes that were rescheduled from May 28 owing to Eid-ul-Azha. According to the National Testing Agency (NTA), the examinations will now be conducted on May 31, June 6 and June 7. The NTA said that admit cards for candidates appearing for the test on May 31 have been released and they can be downloaded from the official website cuet.nta.nic.in. The admit cards for June 6 and 7 will be released soon, the agency said. "Stay updated by checking the official website regularly," the NTA said. The Common University Entrance Test-UG (CUET-UG) was introduced in 2022 to standardise admissions across Central, state, and select private universities in the country. Replacing multiple entrance tests, CUET-UG aims to provide a uniform assessment platform to evaluate candidates on language skills, domain-specific subjects and genera

Neet-UG 2026: NTA extends deadline for fee refund submission to June 22

The previous deadline was May 27 (11:50 PM), which was extended by nearly a month, giving applicants more time to request their refunds

CUET UG 2026 exam postponed due to Bakrid, revised dates to be out soon

The NTA said the decision was taken after considering the Department of Personnel and Training's office note on the revised Bakrid holiday date

NTA opens portal for NEET-UG 2026 fee refunds after exam cancellation

The National Testing Agency (NTA) on Friday opened a dedicated portal for NEET-UG 2026 candidates to submit their bank account details for refund of examination fees after the entrance exam was cancelled earlier this month. In a public notice, the agency said candidates can log in to the NEET-UG 2026 registration portal using their credentials and access the refund link to submit preferred bank account details for processing of fee refunds. "In continuation of the Public Notice dated 12.05.2026 regarding refund of examination fee for NEET (UG)-2026 candidates, the National Testing Agency hereby informs all candidates that a dedicated facility has been made available on the NEET (UG)-2026 registration portal for submission of preferred bank account details for processing of fee refund," the notice said. "The facility for submission of bank account details shall remain live from 22 May 2026 to 27 May 2026 (up to 11:50 PM)," the notice said. Candidates have been asked to provide detai

NEET UG re-exam 2026: NTA fee refund portal goes live, guidelines issued

The Education Ministry and NTA announced that the NEET UG 2026 re-exam will be conducted on June 21 from 2 pm to 5:15 pm. Students are also permitted to change their exam city till May 21

NTA strengthens leadership with appointment of DG, ADG level officers

This move comes after NEET-UG 2026, conducted on May 3, was cancelled by the NTA on May 12 following allegations of a coordinated paper leak

Centre appoints 4 officials in NTA amid NEET-UG paper leak controversy

The Centre on Saturday appointed two each joint secretaries and joint directors in the National Testing Agency (NTA), which is under the heat over the NEET-UG paper leak. Anuja Bapat, a 1998-batch officer of Indian Statistical Service, and Ruchita Vij, a 2004-batch officer of Indian Revenue Service (Customs and Indirect Taxes), will be new joint secretaries in the NTA for five years, an order issued by the Personnel Ministry said. Akash Jain, an Indian Revenue Service (Income Tax) officer, and Aditya Rajendra Bhojgadhiya, and Indian Audit and Accounts Service officer, have been named joint directors in the NTA, the ministry said in a separate order. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered a case and formed teams to probe the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test- Undergraduate (NEET-UG) paper leak that resulted in the cancellation of the exam held on May 3. Nearly 23 lakh candidates had registered for the test, which was administered by the NTA across the country.

Plea seeking dissolution of NTA moved in SC after NEET-UG 2026 paper leak

Plea seeks a writ directing the Centre to dissolve the NTA and replace it with a statutory national testing body created through legislation passed by Parliament

Neet (UG) to be computer-based from 2027: Education minister Pradhan

The Centre announced a June 21 retest for NEET-UG 2026 and said the medical entrance examination will shift to a computer-based format from next year

GPS, AI CCTV, watermarks: Why tech safeguards failed to protect NEET

Despite GPS tracking, AI-enabled CCTV surveillance and watermarking of question papers, the latest NEET-UG paper leak has exposed the limits of technology in securing India's high-stakes examinations.

Govt plans computer-based NEET paper amid exam malpractice concerns

The Centre said the NEET examination will shift to a computer-based format from next year as it intensifies efforts to curb malpractices and strengthen exam processes

NTA schedules NEET-UG re-exam for June 21 amid probe into paper leak

Medical entrance exam NEET-UG, which was cancelled following allegations of irregularities in the examination process, will be re-conducted on June 21, the National Testing Agency (NTA) announced on Friday. The exam was earlier conducted on May 3. The NTA had on Tuesday announced the cancellation of NEET-UG and said the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) would carry out a comprehensive inquiry into the alleged irregularities linked to the exam. "The National Testing Agency, with the approval of the Government of India, has scheduled the re-examination of NEET (UG) 2026 on Sunday, 21 June 2026," a senior official said. The announcement came after a high-level meeting was held late on Thursday evening at the residence of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to review preparations for conducting the exam afresh.

NEET-UG re-exam: High-level meeting held at Dharmendra Pradhan's residence

A high-level meeting was held at the residence of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to review preparations for the fresh conduct of NEET (UG) examination, official sources said. Held late on Thursday evening, the meeting involved detailed discussions on various aspects related to the conduct of the medical entrance exam, they said. The meeting was attended by Secretary (Higher Education) Vineet Joshi, Secretary (School Education) Sanjay Kumar, Director General of the National Testing Agency (NTA) Abhishek Singh, CBSE Chairperson Rahul Singh, and the commissioners of the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS) and Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti (NVS), along with other senior officials. This comes after the NTA on Tuesday announced the cancellation of the May 3 examination following allegations of irregularities linked to the test. The cancellation of the exam has left over 22 lakh medical aspirants in a state of uncertainty. The fresh dates have not yet been announced. However, NTA

NTA credibility crisis: Why India's testing agency keeps failing students

Paper leaks, exam cancellations, technical glitches, and delayed reforms have deepened concerns over transparency, accountability, and fairness in India's entrance exam system