From the streets of Delhi to a narrow lane in Loni, Ghaziabad, NDTV reached a small library where students had once again resumed their studies after the cancellation of the NEET-UG examination. These are NEET aspirants who had barely recovered from the shock of the cancelled exam before returning to their books.
Among them was 20-year-old Harsh Dubey, who took a drop year to prepare for NEET. His father, a farmer from Kannauj district in Uttar Pradesh, was the first to inform him about the cancellation of the exam.
“Abhi toh padhai ki hai, koi nahi… ek baar phir se revision kar lena,” his father told him over the phone.
Harsh says that was his father’s way of motivating him despite knowing how emotionally exhausting the situation was.
Harsh and his younger brother Dushyant live in a rented room in Loni, barely ten minutes away from the library where they spend nearly the entire day studying. Both are preparing through self-study.
Harsh says this is not the first time he has witnessed controversy around NEET.
“In 2024, I also appeared for NEET and scored good marks. There were allegations of paper leaks that year too, but the exam was not cancelled. Because of that, the cutoff went extremely high. Had this year’s exam not been cancelled, the same thing would have happened again,” he said.
His brother Dushyant questions why honest students continue to suffer every year.
“We study honestly throughout the year, but because of the mistakes of others, 22 lakh students are being forced to face the consequences,” he said.
He further added, “Every year NTA claims there are multiple layers of security, but eventually the paper gets leaked. What kind of security is this? Why is there no accountability? Every time, students are the ones who suffer.”
The National Testing Agency (NTA) cancelled the NEET-UG examination on May 12 after widespread backlash over alleged paper leaks. Rajasthan Police’s Special Operations Group (SOG) detained several people in connection with the leak allegations.
Following this, NTA Director General Abhishek Singh announced the cancellation and said a re-examination would be conducted soon.
Speaking to NDTV, Singh said, “It’s embarrassing, but we want a fair examination.”
He added that the agency remains fully committed to conducting a fair and transparent exam for students across the country. Singh admitted that cancelling the exam after reports of a paper leak was embarrassing for the agency, but said tough decisions were necessary to maintain the credibility of the examination process.
Another aspirant, Aditya Kumar, said this was his first attempt and his exam had gone well.
“Now the exam has been cancelled. Everyone at home is tense, but I have started studying again. My parents are supportive,” he said.
Samridhi, another NEET aspirant currently studying in Class 12, told NDTV that after repeated incidents of paper leaks over the past few years, there was always a fear that this year’s exam could also be compromised.
She said her exam had gone well and that the paper was relatively easy this time. However, with the announcement of Re-NEET, students are now anxious about whether the next paper could become more difficult.
According to her, parents are also worried and uncertain about what will happen next. Many students who had planned to return home after the exam have now decided to stay back and resume their preparation.
Harsh says his father sends Rs 10,000 every month for the two brothers to continue their studies and pay library expenses. For a farmer’s family, he says, the amount is significant. But now, because of the re-exam, those expenses will continue for several more months.
Students have also placed a few demands before NTA ahead of the re-examination:
- Untrained invigilators should not be deployed, as many students lost time during formalities in the previous exam.
- Students should be provided with more rough sheets during the examination.
- Questions in the re-exam must strictly remain within the syllabus.
- Students should receive the full three hours to attempt the paper. Biometric verification and signatures should be completed before the exam begins instead of during the test.
For many aspirants, NEET preparation is not just an exam routine but a way of life. Students like Harsh study nearly 10 hours every day – from 8 am to 2 pm and then again from 3 pm to 10 pm.
After spending one or even two years preparing for a single examination, students say the cancellation feels emotionally and financially devastating.
Yet, amid all the frustration and uncertainty, they continue to ask one question: When will paper leaks stop?
