‘No value for our hard work?’: NEET-UG aspirants react to cancellation amid paper leak allegations

"I stayed in a closed room studying for NEET, hoping this would be my final attempt," says a NEET aspirant Pushependra Kumar, who appeared for the examination for the fifth time this year.

Just a few days after the exam, NEET-UG 2026 was cancelled over paper leak allegations, reopening old wounds for repeat candidates who say they are once again being forced to pay the price for a system they no longer trust.

The National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test Undergraduate (NEET-UG), one of India’s largest entrance examinations, was conducted this year for over 22.79 lakh students seeking admission into medical colleges across the country. 

However, following widespread allegations of paper leaks and circulation of question papers online before the exam, authorities announced the cancellation of the examination and ordered a re-test.

For many aspirants, the decision has created a complicated mix of relief and frustration. Relief, because students believe a paper leak compromises fairness. Devastation, because it means restarting months, sometimes years, of intense preparation all over again.

“We study 14-15 hours a day”

“Students work extremely hard for this exam. We study for 14 to 15 hours every day. This year, I was confident that I would get admission into a government college. But now they have gone and cancelled the exam,” Pushpendra added.

The emotional toll, he says, is immense. “All my friends are upset because they now have to begin preparation again and go through the same pressure once more. It is not easy for students to handle that level of pressure. Mental health has obviously been affected.”

For aspirants, preparation for NEET often consumes entire years of their lives. Coaching schedules stretch from early morning to late night, social lives disappear, and repeated attempts become common in the hope of securing a government medical seat.

“I have seen students not leave their houses for weeks or even months, not even to get their admit cards printed, just so their preparation is not affected even for a minute,” he says.

A familiar story

For students like Pushependra, the outrage is intensified by the fact that this is not the first time NEET has been surrounded by controversy. In 2024 too, allegations of question paper leaks, inflated marks, and irregularities had triggered protests and court cases across the country. The issue eventually reached the Supreme Court, where petitioners sought cancellation and re-conduct of the examination.

“This happens every year. In 2024, I filed a case regarding the paper leak allegations,” Pushependra says, adding, “We even approached the court. While the Supreme Court acknowledged that there had been a leak, it refused to cancel the exam, saying it was not on a mass level.”

The Supreme Court, while hearing the 2024 matter, had observed that there was evidence suggesting a leak had occurred, particularly in Bihar, but said there was insufficient evidence to establish a systemic nationwide breach serious enough to warrant cancelling the entire examination. The court had also expressed concern over the impact of a re-examination on lakhs of honest students.

But for aspirants, the distinction between a “mass-level” leak and a localised one offers little comfort.

“The same thing happened this year as well, the paper was circulated online. How can they question whether it was on a mass level or not? Despite all that, NTA has not brought any reforms. They are still just as incompetent as they were before. They are making the same blunders once again,” he added.

“What is the value of our hard work?”

Another aspirant, Praharsh, says he supports the cancellation despite knowing it would mean reliving the pressure of preparation all over again.

“Every year, allegations of paper leaks surface and the cut-off shoots up,” he says, adding, “While it is inconvenient, I still wanted the paper to be cancelled. If it was not cancelled, the people involved in the leak would only become more confident.”

He says the fear among students is no longer limited to one examination cycle.

“Even if I decide to take a drop year and appear for the exam again, what are the chances that it will not be leaked again?” he asks.

The distrust surrounding the examination system, students say, has become impossible to ignore.

“NTA assured us again and again that security measures were in place, and still this happened,” says Pushependra, “The paper is being sold for Rs 30,000. You can imagine the mental pressure on students who have been preparing for four or five years just to clear this exam. Meanwhile, another student can simply buy their future for Rs 30,000. Then what is the value of our hard work?”

Praharsh echoes the same frustration. “When you realise a paper leak has happened, no matter how hard we try, we cannot compete with people who had access to the paper beforehand.”

Years lost to one examination

For repeat aspirants, the cancellation has reopened wounds they thought were finally behind them.

“In 2024, it was my third attempt. This year, it was my fifth attempt,” says Pushependra. He describes the last year as one entirely consumed by preparation.

“For the last year, I quit everything else. I did not visit anyone or go out. I stayed in a closed room studying for NEET, hoping this would be my final attempt,” he says. “Now, when I hear that the paper has been leaked, it has devastated me. I feel like abandoning my preparation because what is the meaning of all this?”

Despite the exhaustion, students say they feel trapped within a system they no longer fully trust.

“There is always a sense of distrust,” says Praharsh. “But this is our career and we have to build it, so we cannot really go against the system either. Whether it is right or wrong, as students we have no choice but to go along with the system.”

The controversy has once again triggered demands for structural reforms in the conduct of India’s largest entrance examination. The cancellation has also triggered protests and strong opposition from students, associations and opposition parties.