NEET-UG 2026 Cancelled Over Paper Leak: Motion Education Founder Urges Calm, Suggests Shift to Computer-Based Format

In an interview with ANI, Vijay highlighted the massive scale at which the examination is conducted and said the government acted swiftly in the interest of students.

"This should not have happened, but we must also understand the sheer scale of the undertaking involved: conducting a pen-and-paper examination for over 20 lakh students, involving more than 2,00,000 personnel, spanning over 5,000 centres and approximately 550 cities. I commend the government for taking swift and decisive action in the best interests of the students," Vijay said.

He appealed to students to remain calm and continue their preparation with a positive mindset.

"I urge the students not to panic over this unfortunate incident. I also appeal to the parents not to panic. The NTA has stated that students do not need to fill out the application form again and that new examination dates and admit cards will be issued soon. Resume your preparation right from the beginning. I urge students to maintain a strong and positive mindset, which will help fulfil their dream of becoming doctors in the next attempt," he said.

He also stressed the need to prevent such incidents in future examinations. "We simply cannot afford to have such unfortunate incidents recur in the next examination," Vijay said.

Suggesting reforms in the examination process, the educator advocated shifting NEET to a computer-based format similar to JEE.

"If you look at the JEE, such incidents rarely occur because the examination is conducted in a computer-based format. We ought to transition NEET to a computer-based format as well, as this significantly reduces the chances of malpractice. In the current pen-and-paper format, the opportunities for cheating are simply too high," he said.

He said the vast network involved in conducting the examination made it difficult to eliminate leak possibilities entirely.

"A leak could originate from anywhere within this vast network. Determining who remains uncorrupted throughout this entire process is no easy feat. This is not merely an examination; today, one crore people have been deeply hurt," he added.

The NTA said fresh examination dates and the revised admit card schedule would be announced through official channels in the coming days.

NEET-UG, the single entrance examination for admission to MBBS, BDS and other undergraduate medical courses across India, was conducted on May 3 in pen-and-paper mode across over 5,400 centres in 551 cities in India and 14 cities abroad. Around 22.79 lakh students appeared for the examination.

- ANI