Cancellation of NEET: ‘Extremely frustrating’, say students

Bengaluru

“It is heart-breaking to hear that the exam has been cancelled. Now, I have to restart my preparations for the examination all over again,” said Angel Tiwari, one of the toppers of the II PUC Examinations 2026 from Bengaluru, who appeared for the NEET UG-2026 entrance examination held on May 3.

The cancellation of the test by the National Testing Agency follows reports that the question paper had leaked the day before the exam. Students who appeared for the examination said they had spent months preparing through rigorous study schedules and long hours of practice, only to now face the prospect of rewriting the test due to the alleged lapse.

“I had written the exam very well and had high hopes for the result, but now I have to appear for it again,” Angel added. Harishmitha, another NEET aspirant from Bengaluru, said that following the announcement of the re examination, her coaching centre informed students that classes would resume in preparation for the test. 

“It is extremely frustrating. After preparing continuously for days, I thought the challenge of writing the exam was finally over. But now we have to go through the entire process all over again,” she said. She added that many students are anxious that the question paper for the re-examination could be made more difficult in the wake of the controversy, ultimately affecting only the aspirants.

“They had assured us last year that such incidents would not happen with NEET again. This is an examination taken by lakhs of students across the country, not just a small group, and yet strict preventive measures are still not being implemented properly,” Harishmitha pointed out. However, some students saw the re-examination as an opportunity to improve their scores.

“At first, I was shocked when I heard the news because it is such a major decision. But I will write the exam again, as I can try to perform better and secure a higher score this time,” said Purvi Giriyan, another NEET aspirant. Purvi said her parents were equally shocked by the development, as they had already begun explor ing medical colleges and planning the next steps in the admission process. “This will delay everything further and make the whole process more difficult for my family as well,” she said.