NTA releases NEET-UG final answer key, result to be out shortly
New Delhi, July 16
The National Testing Agency on Thursday released the NEET-UG 2026 final answer key, paving the way for early declaration of the final result to fill more than 1.36 lakh medical seats in colleges across the country.
In a post on social media platform X, the NTA on Thursday evening said, "The NEET-UG 2026 Final Answer Key has been released. Visit the official portal to check the Final Answer Key."
More than 22 lakh candidates appear for NEET-UG every year, with the academic session 2026-27 intake of more than 1.36 lakh medical students.
After releasing the scanned images of OMR sheets of candidates who appeared in the NEET UG 2026 re-exam on June 21, the NTA had closed the window to challenge OMR responses on Wednesday.
Students had to pay Rs 200 per challenge. The Rs 200 fee would be refunded if a student's challenge is upheld, the NTA said.
The window to challenge the provisional answer key for the re-exam had closed earlier on June 28.
Earlier this month, the NTA started the NEET-UG 2026 fee refund process after urging the students to update their bank account details on the official portal.
On June 21, as the NEET-UG 2026 retest was conducted without major glitches, the NTA had credited the whole-of-government effort and thanked seven lakh officials involved in the mega exercise.
"Team NTA. Team Bharat. One exam, delivered together," the NTA said in a post on X, reaffirming its commitment to uphold the sanctity of the medical admission test whose previous round on May 3 was forced to be cancelled due to irregularities.
The NTA highlighted the effort put in on June 21, showcasing the whole-of-government effort, the scale of it and the care for 10,000 differently-abled candidates that went into the successful conduct of the exam.
In a message on X, the NTA said, "Around 7 lakh officials -- police teams, observers and examination staff -- were mobilised across India to conduct this examination, and it was done in a record 37 days."
"NTA is especially grateful to the experts from academic institutions across the country who gave their personal time to help prepare multiple sets of question papers," it added.
"More than 20 lakh aspirants. One exam. A country's administrative machinery -- ministerial, bureaucratic, police, district and local -- aligned behind a single day, so that each candidate could simply sit down and write," it said.
"To every candidate who wrote on 21 June -- well done. And to everyone who made it possible: thank you. Team NTA. Team Bharat. One exam, delivered together," the NTA added.
— IANS
Reader Comments
The amount of government machinery involved is impressive but the whole chaos caused by irregularities was avoidable. Students shouldn't have to suffer for system failures. Let's see if this time they get it right.
Finally some good news! My sister has been stressed since the re-exam. The Rs 200 challenge fee is fine but hope refunds come quickly. भारत माता की जय! 🇮🇳
As someone who works in education policy, it's encouraging to see such large-scale coordination. But transparency issues need to be addressed permanently, not just patched up after controversies. Kudos to the officials though.
I'm one of those who appeared for the retest on 21 June. The exam centre was well-organized, no issues. But the stress of not knowing what result to trust is real. Hope the final answer key brings clarity and fairness. 🤞
"Team NTA. Team Bharat. One exam, delivered together" – nice slogan but actions speak louder. Let's hope this time there are no more scandals. My cousin burnt 2 years preparing and still unsure about her marks. Unfair for genuine students!
Good to see the answer key out. But does anyone else think the fee for challenging OMR responses (Rs 200) is a bit steep for
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.