NTA Announces Extended Exam Window and Additional Rough-Work Space for NEET-UG 2026

The NTA on June 12, 2026, issued a public notice announcing a set of student-friendly reforms for the NEET UG 2026 re-examination to be held on June 21. The exam window has been extended to 195 minutes, running from 2:00 PM to 5:15 PM, with the extra 15 minutes specifically allocated to cover mandatory administrative formalities such as attendance signing and invigilation procedures that candidates previously felt ate into their working time. The number of rough-work pages in the question booklet has been doubled from two to four, and their placement has been revised: two pages now appear at the beginning of the booklet immediately after the instruction page, with two remaining at the end, a change the NTA noted is particularly beneficial for left-handed candidates who make up approximately 10% of all test-takers. These changes apply to both English and regional-language versions of the question paper. The re-examination comes after the original May 3 exam, taken by approximately 22.79 lakh candidates across 551 cities in India and 14 abroad, was cancelled on May 12 following reports of a question paper leak flagged by Rajasthan Police; the case has since been handed to the CBI. Security for the re-test has been significantly enhanced, with the Indian Air Force ferrying question papers, CRPF and CISF personnel assisting in their delivery to centres, and Cabinet Secretary T V Somanathan warning of strict legal consequences for anyone attempting to disrupt or tamper with the examination.