Over 2 million aspirants appear for NEET-UG 2025
The National Testing Agency (NTA) conducted the exam across 5,453 examination centres in 548 cities in India and at 14 international locations.
Held in a single shift from 2pm to 5pm, the pen-and-paper exam required 20.8 million candidates to attempt 180 compulsory questions from physics, chemistry, and biology.
NTA had put in place strict monitoring and checks at the test centres following last year's cancellation of the University Grants Commission-National Eligibility Test (UGC-NET) over integrity concerns. Two other exams—CSIR-UGC NET and NEET-PG — were also scrapped pre-emptively.
NTA officials said that conduct of the exam involved coordination between district administrations, state authorities, and multiple central ministries. The NTA adopted a 'whole-of-government' approach, integrating real-time monitoring through a Centralised Control Room established under the ministry of education, they said. 'The integrated system allowed seamless coordination between agencies to address any on-ground challenges swiftly,' an NTA official said.
Drills were conducted on May 3 to test readiness, including the mobile signal phone jammers, biometric authentication devices, and frisking protocols. District administrations were directed to ensure safe transportation of question papers, deploy local police personnel, and secure exam centres, most of which were located in government or government-aided institutions.
Authorities also ensured provisions for drinking water, uninterrupted power supply, portable toilets, and first-aid services. 'Special attention was given to mitigating heat-related stress, given the afternoon timing,' the official added.
To counter misinformation and malpractice, the NTA launched a Suspicious Claims Reporting Portal on April 26, which received over 2,300 reports. A majority flagged fraudulent social media channels, particularly on Telegram and Instagram, spreading false claims about paper leaks.
'We identified over 160 Telegram channels and 30 Instagram handles involved in circulating fake content. These were escalated to the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) for takedowns and legal action,' the agency said.
Union education ministry had held meetings with district magistrates (DMs) and superintendents of police (SPs) to enforce the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024, which mandates strict penalties for malpractices.
Despite these measures, isolated incidents marred the examination.
In Rajasthan, the Special Operations Group arrested three individuals for allegedly attempting to extort ₹40 lakh from a candidate by promising access to the question paper. In Bhubaneswar, four members of an interstate gang were apprehended for defrauding medical aspirants under the guise of securing admissions. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has taken over probes into both the cases.
Controversies also reported over dress code enforcement.
In Tamil Nadu's Tiruppur, two female candidates were barred from entering their centre due to metal buttons on their dress. A police officer assisted one of the students in purchasing new clothes from a nearby shop. However, the incident triggered political backlash, with AIADMK spokesperson Kovai Sathyan condemning the DMK-led state government: 'This high-handedness in the name of dress code is condemnable. The DMK promised to abolish NEET but is now harassing students with unreasonable guidelines.'
Congress leader Karti Chidambaram criticised NTA on social media, calling the regulations 'most ridiculous and absurd' and sharing a video of officials cutting buttons from students' clothes.
In Karnataka's Kalaburagi, members of the Brahmin community protested outside an exam centre after students were asked to remove their sacred threads before entering. While authorities cited protocol to prevent cheating, protesters demanded accountability, calling the actions culturally insensitive.
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