India's aspiring doctors heartbroken by exam paper leak

Nearly 2.28 million candidates will now have to reappear in a test to secure a place in India's top medical colleges. NEET 2026: India's aspiring doctors heartbroken by exam paper leak Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. Aspirants looking seat plan before appearing in the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) UG 2026 exam conducted by National Testing Agency (NTA) at an examination centre, Magadh Mahila College on May 3, 2026 in Patna, India. India's aspiring doctors heartbroken by exam paper leak Aspirants undergo a strict security check before entering the medical college exam centre Security personnel screens a candidate before entering the exam center to appear for NEET exam 2025 at Govt. Sarvodaya Girls/Boys Sr. Secondary School West Vinod Nagar, on May 4, 2025 in New Delhi, India. For the past two years, Manas Sharma's life revolved around one goal - cracking the tough exam that would get him admission to a medical college in India so he could become a doctor. But the exam - the National Eligibility Entrance Test (Undergraduate), known as NEET-UG - has been at the centre of a controversy this year following allegations that the question paper was leaked. On Tuesday, the federal government's National Testing Agency (NTA), which conducts the exam, cancelled the test that took place on 3 May because of an investigation into the allegations. On Tuesday, the federal government's National Testing Agency (NTA), which conducts the exam, the test that took place on 3 May because of an investigation into the allegations. The agency also said that a new date for a retest would be announced next week. "It just left me shocked," says Sharma, who sat the exam on 3 May. "Since October, I have been studying 12 hours a day - not watching films or even hanging out with friends. That's what it takes to get into a good medical college," Delhi-based Sharma said. He was expecting to score 615 marks out of 720 - an assessment that he said was based on unofficial answer keys released by private coaching centres after the exam. A score like that, he said, could have gotten him admission in one of the top medical colleges in India. Sharma is not the only one left shocked and anxious by the exam's cancellation. Nearly 2.28 million candidates sat the exam on 3 May at more than 5,000 centres across India. The NTA's announcement has left most of them devastated. Students often spend months preparing for the crucial exam An elderly woman and a young man wearing glasses sit together indoors, holding NEET/JEE preparation books and reading from them. Admission to medical colleges in India is mainly based on the NEET-UG exam. India has a highly competitive system, with millions of candidates writing the exam each year for a limited number of undergraduate medical seats in government colleges and some prestigious private colleges. In many Indian cities, students attend private coaching centres to prepare for competitive entrance exams. The classes are held separately from school lessons and can add several more hours of studying each day, especially on weekends. "Becoming a doctor has always been the plan for me," says Sumi (who goes only by her first name), a 20-year-old aspirant from the northeastern state of Assam. When she heard that the exam was cancelled, her first thought was that it could not be true. "Now I have made a new schedule and started preparing again," she told the BBC, adding that the stress caused by the announcement has affected her focus. Anamika, a 22-year-old medical aspirant from the eastern state of Bihar, said this was her sixth attempt at the NEET-UG exam. "You can understand how important this exam was to me from the fact that this was my sixth attempt," she told the BBC. "My whole life became just college and library. I gave up family functions, friends - everything." She said she had earlier studied at a coaching institute in Kota, a city in Rajasthan state known for its competitive exam centres, before the Covid pandemic disrupted it. After several unsuccessful attempts, her parents encouraged her to join a nursing course while still preparing for NEET. Anamika said this year's exam was "excellent" and that she had expected around 640 marks - a score that could have secured her a place in some top medical colleges. "I thought this time it was finally certain," she said. But after struggling with stress following the cancellation, she said she had now accepted the situation and resumed preparing again. Some, however, believe that the cancellation was necessary. "The NTA has taken a good decision because what happened was an injustice to hardworking candidates," an aspiring doctor told ANI news agency. "Those who cheated should not get admission in medical colleges." Some say they would welcome a re-examination to improve their scores. Sharma is one of them. He said he was looking at the situation as an opportunity. "I can't lose hope. I look forward to increasing my score if a retest happens." Manas Sharma has spent the last two years preparing for the NEET exam A young man wearing a blue checkered shirt looks into the camera. The cancellation has renewed scrutiny of India's examination system, which has faced repeated allegations of leaks and irregularities in recent years. The NEET itself faced a major controversy in 2024 after allegations of paper leaks, fraud and irregularities. The claims triggered nationwide protests after thousands of candidates received unusually high scores. after allegations of paper leaks, fraud and irregularities. The claims triggered nationwide protests after thousands of candidates received unusually high scores. "The repeated occurrence of such incidents is not only an administrative failure but also a direct blow to the morale of millions of hardworking students," Garima Shukla, spokesperson for the Federation of Resident Doctors' Association, told ANI news agency. "If the credibility of the examination system is questioned, it will impact not only students but the reputation of the entire healthcare system." Indian media reports suggest investigators believe the alleged leak may have originated in Rajasthan, days before the exam was held. The Central Bureau of Investigation, a federal investigation agency, has started a probe. "But what is the guarantee that another paper leak won't happen?" asked Tejaswini Vijay, a candidate who appeared for the exam after having preparing for two years. "The authorities could have cancelled the exam only in states where they found paper leaks. That would have been better. Not everyone can deal with such level of stress," she told ANI. Follow BBC News India on Instagram, YouTube, X and Facebook. Nearly 2.28 million students had appeared for the highly competitive medical entrance test last week. Himanta Biswa Sarma is seen as one of the architects of BJP's rapid growth in India's northeast. Senator Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa, a former national police chief, has sought refuge in the senate. Air India faces a leadership vacuum and mounting financial losses as it struggles to recover from the crash. India's welfare politics still matters, but voters increasingly want jobs, growth and dignity too. 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