NEET-UG candidates in Tamil Nadu upset over exam cancellation

Subscribed with another email? Logout and Login with that one. Account subscription benefits alongside Premium Stories, Editorials, Opinions and more. Unlock these with Subscription The View From India Looking at World Affairs from the Indian perspective. First Day First Show News and reviews from the world of cinema and streaming. Today's Cache Your download of the top 5 technology stories of the day. Science For All The weekly newsletter from science writers takes the jargon out of science and puts the fun in! Data Point Decoding the headlines with facts, figures, and numbers THEdge At the cutting edge of education and careers Health Matters Ramya Kannan writes to you on getting to good health, and staying there Gender Agenda Stories from beyond the binary. The Hindu On Books Books of the week, reviews, excerpts, new titles and features. Updated - May 12, 2026 05:27 pm IST - CHENNAI Students and parents at a NEET exam centre in Chennai | Photo Credit: R. Ragu The cancellation of the May 3, 2026, National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Undergraduate) exam has caused distress among candidates in Tamil Nadu. Students pointed out that this is the second such instance in three years. Varsha R., a candidate who had appeared for the NEET exam for the third time, expressed her complete disappointment. “How could the NTA [National Testing Agency] be so careless? How can we trust them to conduct this exam correctly again? We sacrificed our college years, our youth, and many comforts to prepare for this exam and become doctors. We had just started to relax and regain a sense of normalcy; now, the stress and anxiety are back,” she said. The NTA cancelled the exam amid allegations of a paper leak, with the Union government directing the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to conduct a comprehensive inquiry into the “irregularities.” This decision follows a probe by the Rajasthan Special Operations Group (SOG) into the leak. The alleged irregularities centre on a ‘guess paper’ circulated before the exam that reportedly contained questions which closely matched the actual paper. Ponmana Selvan R., a government school student who appeared for the exam for the first time, has decided to pivot to engineering. He had balanced his NEET preparation with his Board exams. “I had so much fear regarding the exam. I can’t face it again. The centre is also far from my house, and there is no one to take me or guide me. I’d rather not go through it again. I’d rather give up on my dream of becoming a doctor,” he said. The uncertainty surrounding the release of new dates and procedures has also caused a stir among candidates. Saranya V. also expressed shock and disappointment over the cancellation. “A similar instance in 2024 created so much panic among us; we were traumatised by the uncertainty and anxiety surrounding it. However, the NTA raised the cut-off then. We have now gotten used to this sort of treatment. Many of us have started preparing already,” said Saranya, who has appeared for the exam three times. Educationist and founder of AhaGuru Education Technology, Balaji Sampath, said that the cancellation was a massive shock and added significant stress to students, given the uncertainty surrounding the next exam. “If they had at least released the new exam date while announcing the cancellation, it would have helped manage the stress. Many students would have only just started relaxing after the exam,” he said. Noting that the NTA needs to tighten controls for such a high-stakes exam, taken by over 22 lakh candidates annually, he suggested that a two-level exam structure is necessary. He argued this would deter cheating and prevent paper leaks. “There also needs to be multiple sets of question papers so that if any one paper is leaked, only that set would be singled out,” he added. Tamil Nadu / test/examination / entrance examination / education Copyright© 2026, THG PUBLISHING PVT LTD. or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. Terms & conditions | Institutional Subscriber Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments. We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.

NEET-UG candidates in Tamil Nadu upset over exam cancellation

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NEET-UG candidates in Tamil Nadu upset over exam cancellation

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