NEET UG 2026 Re-Exam: NTA Denies Centre Mix-Up, Says Nagpur Candidate Picked Abu Dhabi Himself
The National Testing Agency (NTA) will hold the NEET UG 2026 re-examination on June 21, even as it moved to clarify a centre-allotment controversy involving a candidate from Nagpur.
As first reported by India Today, a student named Abdullah was allotted an examination centre in Abu Dhabi for the re-test, despite having sat for the original exam in Nagpur. The mix-up caused distress for the candidate and his family just a day before the exam.
NTA said it received an informal request on the evening of June 19 less than 48 hours before the exam asking for the centre to be changed back to Nagpur, and that officials contacted the candidate’s father the same evening to begin the correction process.
On the Abu Dhabi allotment itself, the agency said its records show the change was made through the candidate’s own registered login during the open correction window, with the city previewed and confirmed twice from a single, consistent user account.
NTA Director General Abhishek Singh told India Today the immediate issue had been resolved, but that the agency is now investigating how the error occurred. Singh said one line of inquiry is whether the candidate’s login credentials were compromised, noting that some candidates fail to adequately secure their account passwords — a gap that can lead to unauthorised changes.
What candidates should check before exam day
The episode is a reminder that NTA’s correction windows allow direct edits to exam city and centre preference using a candidate’s login meaning any access to that account, authorised or not, can alter exam logistics with little room to reverse course close to the test date. Candidates and parents are advised to:
- Change account passwords immediately after registration and avoid sharing login credentials, including with coaching centres or cyber cafés used during the application process.
- Double-check the allotted exam city and centre on the admit card as soon as it is released, not just at the time of application.
- Report any discrepancy to NTA through official helpline channels well before the 48-hour window, since last-minute changes as this case shows are harder to process smoothly.
NTA has not yet released findings from its internal investigation into the incident.