NEW DELHI: With over 2.2 million candidates set to appear for the NEET-UG 2026 re-examination on June 21, authorities will conduct a full-day nationwide drill on Saturday to test security arrangements and coordination mechanisms ahead of the high-stakes test, officials said.
The exercise, scheduled from 9am to 8pm, will simulate the entire examination cycle — from the dispatch of question papers and centre-level handling to the collection of answer sheets and their secure transportation after the exam. More than 250,000 personnel are expected to participate in the drill across the country.
“It is a routine practice before large-scale NTA examinations. The nationwide mock drill is aimed at assessing preparedness, coordination among agencies and the effectiveness of security measures ahead of the examination,” a senior education ministry official said.
According to officials, the exercise will involve district administrations, police forces, escort teams and personnel from the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs), which will oversee the custody and security of confidential examination material. More than 5,000 examination centres will remain under CCTV surveillance and security watch during the actual examination.
The National Testing Agency (NTA) will conduct the NEET-UG re-examination in a single shift from 2pm to 5.15pm on June 21 in pen-and-paper mode across 551 cities in India and 14 cities abroad. Qualifying NEET-UG is mandatory for admission to MBBS and other undergraduate medical courses.
Over 200,000 personnel have been mobilised for the examination, including 674 city coordinators, 6,669 observers, centre superintendents and invigilators, besides district administration officials, police personnel and escort teams. The Indian Air Force (IAF) and CAPFs have also been roped in to assist in the secure transportation and safeguarding of question papers and answer sheets.
NEET-UG 2026, originally conducted on May 3, was cancelled on May 12 following allegations of a paper leak and claims of overlap between a purportedly circulated guess paper and the actual question paper. More than 2.2 million candidates had appeared for the examination.
