New Delhi: The National Testing Agency (NTA) has announced a set of candidate-friendly changes for NEET (UG) 2026 re-examination scheduled to be held on June 21.
In a notice issued on Friday, the NTA has stated that the measures aim to make the examination “fair, secure and responsive to the needs of candidates,” while improving exam-day comfort and clarity.
The exam duration has been been revised to 195 minutes, based on feedback from previous years. It will start at 2 pm and continue till 5.15 pm.
This includes mandatory pre-exam formalities such as signing attendance sheets and invigilation procedures, the NTA has claimed. The aim is to ensure candidates do not lose usable writing time due to administrative steps and can fully focus on attempting the paper, as reported by India Today.
Candidates will also get more space for rough work in the question paper booklet. They will now get four rough-work pages instead of two, giving them additional room for calculations, diagrams and working notes during the examination, the NTA has said.
An important change has also been in the structure of the question paper booklet. Earlier, rough-work pages were placed only at the end of the booklet. Now, two rough-work pages will appear immediately after the instruction page, while the remaining two will stay at the end.
This revision has been done in response to candidate feedback, the NTA announced. The revised format will be available in both English and regional language question papers.
This change particularly helps candidates, including left-handed students, who found the earlier layout less convenient, the agency stated. It also said the updated design is meant to improve usability without affecting exam security or fairness standards.
Even small design improvements can positively impact performance in a high-stakes exam like NEET UG, the NTA believes. It added that these steps are aimed at making the examination process more “comfortable and candidate-friendly” while maintaining strict standards of fairness and security.
Candidates have been advised to carefully read the instructions in their admit cards and information bulletin and cooperate with exam staff for smooth conduct of the examination.
Candidates or their parents my call the NTA helpline number, +91-11-40759000 for assistance or send queries to neetug2026@nta.ac.in.
