Nagpur student faces NEET exam centre error in Abu Dhabi

A student from Nagpur, Maharashtra, preparing for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET), was incorrectly assigned an examination centre in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, despite having chosen Nagpur as his preferred test city. This issue emerged on June 20, just one day before the rescheduled medical entrance examination on June 21, causing uncertainty for the candidate and his family.

The candidate had initially been allocated Saraswati Vidyalaya in Nagpur for the original NEET examination. However, after the exam was postponed due to a paper leak controversy, he downloaded the revised admit card only to find that his exam centre had been shifted to the Abu Dhabi Indian School in the UAE.

The family stated that the student had selected Nagpur as his first choice during the application process, with Wardha and Bhandara as subsequent preferences. They were taken aback to see an overseas centre listed. Mohammad Talib, the student’s father, said, “We are completely unable to send our child abroad for the exam. He does not even have a passport, and there is no time left to make travel arrangements.”

The family has filed a complaint with the National Testing Agency (NTA) helpline, which acknowledged the mistake and assured that a corrected admit card would be issued following verification.

Former Maharashtra Education Minister Dr. Anees Ahmed criticised the error as a serious lapse by the testing agency and called on the NTA to rectify the situation promptly by reassigning the student to a centre in Nagpur or a nearby location. This incident has provoked renewed concerns about the NTA’s examination management.

Meanwhile, the NTA has implemented extensive security and logistical measures for the smooth and transparent conduct of the NEET-UG 2026 re-examination. These include the transportation of confidential examination materials in GPS-equipped vehicles with police escorts, CCTV surveillance, Aadhaar-based biometric authentication, and real-time monitoring at exam centres. Over 200,000 personnel—including city coordinators, observers, centre superintendents, invigilators, district administration officials, and police—have been mobilised to oversee the examination.

The NTA has advised candidates to arrive at their centres between 11 am and 1:30 pm, noting that entry gates will close at 1:30 pm. The examination will take place from 2 pm to 5:15 pm in pen-and-paper mode across 551 cities in India and 14 international locations. More than 2.279 million candidates are expected to sit for the test on June 21.