New Delhi : The National Testing Agency (NTA) on Monday released the scanned images of answer sheets of medical entrance exam NEET-UG to give an opportunity to candidates to challenge responses, officials said.
The crucial exam was re-conducted on June 21 after the initial exam was cancelled following allegations of paper leak.
“NTA has uploaded scanned images of OMR sheets and responses on its website and they have also been emailed to registered email addresses of candidates, who have an opportunity to challenge responses till July 15,” a senior NTA official said.
Candidates will be charged Rs 200 for each response challenge. NEET UG attracts nearly 25 lakh candidates annually, making it the largest undergraduate entrance test in India.
NEET UG serves as the gateway to around 1.08 lakh MBBS seats. Of these, nearly 56,000 seats are available in government medical colleges, while approximately 52,000 seats are offered by private medical institutions.
Apart from MBBS admissions, NEET UG scores are also used for admission to several other undergraduate healthcare programmes, including Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) as well as courses in Ayurveda, Unani and Siddha offered by recognised institutions across India.
The NTA official further clarified that a panel of subject experts will verify all challenges submitted by the candidates. If a challenge is found to be correct, the answer key will be revised accordingly, and a final answer key will be published based on which the results will be compiled. No individual candidate will be informed about the acceptance or rejection of their challenge.
The re-examination on June 21 was conducted under unprecedented security measures, including advanced biometric verification and AI-based CCTV monitoring, to ensure absolute transparency. The move came after massive nationwide protests and legal interventions following the initial exam’s cancellation, which had left lakhs of medical aspirants in a state of deep anxiety over their academic future.
With the challenge window closing on July 15, the NTA is expected to fast-track the evaluation process to release the final results and merit lists by the end of the month. This will pave the way for the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) and state authorities to begin the admission process for the academic session, minimizing further delays in the medical education calendar.
