Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Friday announced that the NEET-UG re-exam will be conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) on June 21. He also confirmed that from next year onward, the examination will shift to Computer-Based Test (CBT) mode to improve transparency and strengthen the exam system.

Pradhan assured students that strict action had been taken to prevent any repeat of malpractice and said the government’s highest priority was protecting students’ future and hard work. He admitted that question papers had been leaked under the pretext of “guess papers,” prompting the government to cancel the exam after verification between May 8 and May 11 confirmed the breach.

The decision to cancel the exam was made on May 12 to ensure deserving candidates were not affected by what he described as a conspiracy by education mafias. He reiterated the government’s zero-tolerance policy toward exam irregularities and noted that the recommendations of the Radhakrishnan Committee had already been implemented following issues in previous years.

Pradhan defended the NTA, stating that the agency remains fully accountable and continues to conduct examinations for nearly one crore students annually. He stressed that the issue should be seen as a challenge in the examination process rather than the failure of a single institution. The minister also announced several relief measures for students, including a refund of previously paid examination fees and zero charges for the upcoming re-exam. He added that students would be allowed to select their preferred examination city once again, considering many candidates may have already left their earlier exam locations.

To make the process smoother, the NTA will extend the exam duration by 15 minutes, changing the timing from 2 pm–5 pm to 2 pm–5:15 pm, allowing extra time for attendance and related formalities. Pradhan further said the central government would coordinate with state governments to ease transportation issues for students. Admit cards for the re-examination will be issued by June 14, and the NTA is expected to release a detailed public notice with complete information soon.