‘Surgeries, finances, familial pressure’: NEET retest has aspirants fighting on many fronts

Members of the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) detained by police as they stage a protest over the cancellation of the NEET-UG 2026 exam following allegations of paper leak and examination irregularities, in Chennai on Thursday, May 14, 2026. | The decision to conduct the examination again has left them in a state of uncertainty, exhaustion, and disrupted academic plans, said the students. Some said they would now be forced to resume preparation amid medical recovery, financial commitments, and conflicting admission test schedules.‘Sold all books’When Deepanshu Goyal* from West Bengal appeared for this year’s NEET on May 3, it was his second attempt that came just before a road accident that left him with serious ligament damage requiring a major surgery. Hoping for an adequate recovery period, he had scheduled the surgery after his exam in Delhi.“I had sold all study material and ended my living arrangement in the city ahead of what I believed would be the final days of my preparation.” He is currently under observation at a hospital in the Capital.Diksha Dheeraj’s* sister, a second-time NEET examinee, had also planned a procedure after the test. She underwent an appendectomy on May 8, five days after the exam, said Ms. Dheeraj. “We had scheduled the surgery after the exam so she could recover before the start of counselling. Now she has to restart preparation even as she is yet to recover physically,” Ms. Dheeraj said, adding that the uncertainty has intensified her sister’s anxiety about losing another year.Rudra Vyas*, 18, from Varanasi, who had been preparing for NEET in Delhi, asked how authorities would prevent the question paper from leaking again before June 21.Clash of datesThe retest date clashes with the UPSSSC Pharmacist (Bheshajik) Mains exam, scheduled under Preliminary Eligibility Test 2025, some aspirants pointed out.For 19-year-old Pradeep Kumar*, the announcements over the past week have brought financial insecurity along with academic uncertainty. Mr. Kumar, who has cleared JEE Mains, says he might not have the time to prepare all over again as the JEE counselling is held around mid-June every year.“I will have to juggle NEET studies with the counselling process. Even as I sift through college applications, and I am at risk of losing the ₹35,000 I had paid as JEE seat acceptance fee, which is not a small amount for me,” he said.For some, however, the dream of clearing NEET ended on May 15 when the National Testing Agency announced the cancellation of the May 3 exam.‘End of dreams’Riya Javeed*, 19, from Kashmir, may never have the chance to appear for NEET again. She said she had travelled to Delhi to prepare and take the medical entrance exam despite her parents’ reluctance.“My parents wanted me to settle down and get married in Kashmir. They only allowed me to come to Delhi a month before the exam to stay with my cousin and prepare,” she said, adding, “Now, I’m not sure if I’ll be allowed to return to Delhi for the retest.”Naveen Sharma* from Noida said the final weeks before the examination were mentally exhausting. “You get really saturated, and I’ll have to brace for that again,” said the 18-year-old student. He asked why the exam could not be held online this year.Earlier in the day, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said NEET will shift to a computer-based test from next year to ensure transparency.(*Name changed on request)(With inputs from Mahima Rao) Published - May 15, 2026 10:49 pm IST