The National Testing Agency (NTA) on Friday unveiled several changes for NEET-UG 2026 aimed at improving the examination experience for candidates. The revisions include extra writing time, additional rough-work pages and a redesigned question booklet format.
According to a notification issued on June 12, the duration of the examination has been increased from 180 minutes to 195 minutes. The pen-and-paper test will now be conducted from 2 pm to 5:15 pm.
NTA said the revised schedule takes into account mandatory procedures such as attendance verification and invigilation formalities, ensuring that candidates receive the complete allotted time for attempting the examination without losing minutes to administrative processes.
The move comes after Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan had announced on May 15 that candidates appearing for the NEET-UG re-examination on June 21 would be given an additional 15 minutes.
The agency has also expanded the space available for rough work. Candidates will now receive four rough-work pages in the question booklet instead of two, giving them more room for calculations, diagrams and other workings during the test.
As part of the redesign, two rough-work pages will now be placed immediately after the instruction section at the beginning of the booklet, while the remaining two pages will continue to appear at the end. Earlier, all rough-work pages were located only at the back of the booklet.
NTA noted that the change was introduced after feedback from candidates, particularly left-handed students, who found the earlier arrangement less convenient.
The updated booklet design has been implemented across both English and regional language versions of the examination.
Highlighting the rationale behind the changes, the agency said even minor improvements in exam design can significantly enhance the candidate experience during a high-stakes test. It added that the modifications are intended to improve comfort and convenience while maintaining fairness, security and transparency.
NTA said the revisions were introduced after reviewing suggestions and feedback received from students over the years.
NEET-UG serves as the single entrance examination for admission to MBBS and other undergraduate medical programmes across the country.
The agency had cancelled NEET-UG 2026 on May 12, nine days after nearly 2.27 million candidates appeared for the exam on May 3. Investigators later found that the question paper had allegedly reached the phones of some candidates as early as May 1. A fresh examination is scheduled to be conducted on June 21.
