India conducts NEET re-test for 2.2 million candidates

On June 21, India held a re‑test of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) after the original May 3 exam was cancelled following allegations of a paper leak. The re‑test, administered from 2:00 pm to 5:15 pm, saw roughly 22 lakh (2.2 million) students across the country write the exam for undergraduate medical and allied‑health courses.

Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan addressed the candidates, expressing confidence in the National Testing Agency, state governments and the education system, and encouraging students to attempt the paper without fear. After the exam, participants and education experts described the overall difficulty as average: biology was considered easy, chemistry average, and physics harder with longer questions that required more time. Some reports noted that the Rajasthan region had received exam papers ahead of schedule, prompting the earlier cancellation.

The NEET re‑test is a single‑time national exam that determines eligibility for medical, dental, ayurveda, homeopathy and other health‑related undergraduate programmes.