With the NEET UG 2026 re-exam set for June 21, the National Testing Agency (NTA) is running a full-scale mock drill today across every designated exam centre in the country. The agency has faced significant controversy and legal proceedings in recent months, and this re-exam has become a direct test of its institutional credibility. Today's drill is designed to eliminate any possibility of a technical failure or administrative lapse before candidates arrive tomorrow afternoon.
What the Mock Drill Is Testing
NTA officials say the drill being conducted on Saturday covers every major operational checkpoint. Teams at each centre are reviewing the secure delivery process for question papers to centres, testing the functionality of signal jammers, verifying that biometric equipment is working correctly, and confirming live connectivity of CCTV cameras with central monitoring systems. The exercise also helps the various government and administrative agencies involved in running the exam to sharpen their coordination, so that tomorrow's candidate experience is orderly and smooth from the moment they arrive at the gate.
NTA Headquarters Under Heavy Guard, Control Room Goes Live
The NTA's headquarters in Delhi has been placed under reinforced security. In light of recent student protests and controversies, extra police personnel have been deployed outside the building and barricades have been erected to restrict access. A central control room has been activated inside the headquarters that will carry out live monitoring of every exam centre across India simultaneously, allowing officials to detect and respond to any disruption or irregularity in real time and prevent any external interference with the examination process.
Exam Window Is 2:00 PM to 5:15 PM, No Entry for Late Arrivals
The re-exam will be conducted in pen-and-paper, offline mode. The examination window is fixed from 2:00 PM to 5:15 PM. NTA has already issued clear instructions asking all candidates to reach their centre strictly by the reporting time mentioned on their admit card. Security screening and frisking will be considerably more stringent than usual this time around, and no candidate who arrives after the gate-closing time will be permitted to enter the examination hall under any circumstances.
The Scale: Over 22.79 Lakh Candidates Across the Globe
The scope of this re-exam is enormous. Over 22.79 lakh candidates are registered to appear for NEET UG 2026. Inside India, exam centres have been set up in 551 cities. Beyond India's borders, 14 foreign cities are also hosting centres for this exam. At overseas locations, Indian embassies and local administrations are working together to ensure that the same standards of security and transparent monitoring are upheld as at domestic centres.
