The National Testing Agency (NTA) has extended the NEET‑UG 2026 exam duration by 15 minutes and introduced layout changes aimed at easing exam‑day procedures for candidates. The re‑exam on June 21 will now run for 195 minutes — from 2:00 pm to 5:15 pm — the agency said in a public notice on June 12.

The adjusted timing accommodates mandatory pre‑exam formalities such as attendance signing and invigilation checks, NTA officials said, adding that the change is intended to protect candidates’ actual writing time from being consumed by administrative procedures. The move follows feedback from students and is part of a package of candidate‑friendly measures introduced ahead of the re‑examination.

One visible change: the number of rough‑work pages has doubled. Candidates will receive four rough‑work pages in the question‑paper booklet instead of two. The NTA said the extra space will help students perform calculations, draw diagrams and prepare working notes more comfortably during the high‑stakes test.

The agency has also revised the booklet layout to assist left‑handed students. Two rough‑work pages will now appear immediately after the instruction page, while the remaining two will be at the end of the booklet — a departure from the earlier format where all rough pages were placed at the back. NTA said the layout change will be implemented across English and regional language papers.

“These are small but meaningful changes aimed at improving the examination experience,” the notice said, noting that the updates were made after reviewing feedback and operational considerations. NTA asserted that the measures do not compromise security or fairness and urged candidates to follow instructions on the admit card and information bulletin.

The timing revision also aligns with recent security measures around NEET‑UG 2026. Following last month’s cancellation of the exam due to alleged paper leaks, authorities tightened controls, including a temporary restriction on Telegram during the re‑exam period and enhanced cybercrime probes into channels allegedly trading in exam material.

Candidates and coaching groups welcomed the extra writing time and additional rough pages, calling them practical changes that could reduce last‑minute scramble. “Fifteen minutes more and extra space for rough work will help many students manage calculations without losing time,” said a NEET aspirant, requesting anonymity.

Examination managers said logistics will be adjusted accordingly: exam centres will stagger entry and invigilation procedures within the extended window to ensure orderly conduct. Centres must also brief staff and invigilators on the new booklet format and distribution protocol, the NTA notice added.

Experts in assessment design said such small administrative improvements can make a difference in candidates’ performance, especially in a long, high‑pressure test. But they cautioned that operational discipline at exam centres remains critical; extended time will be beneficial only if all centres uniformly implement the timing and layout changes.

NTA reiterated that students should rely only on official channels — the NEET portal and NTA’s verified handles — for updates, and cooperate with centre staff to ensure smooth conduct. The agency also reminded candidates to reach out to helplines listed in their admit cards for any last‑minute clarifications.

With the re‑exam scheduled for June 21, NTA said it will continue issuing advisories and operational instructions to centres in the coming days to ensure the changes are implemented uniformly across the country.

The Centre has ordered a temporary ban on access to Telegram in India until June 22 and directed the platform to disable its message‑edit feature in the country until June 30, officials said on Tuesday. The move comes days before the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET‑UG) re‑examination on June 21, which was called after a paper‑leak controversy.

The National Testing Agency (NTA) said the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) issued the order under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, 2000. According to the NTA, the edit facility on Telegram was being misused to create forged evidence of paper leaks — users were editing old messages to insert question papers or PDFs and later claiming that leaks had occurred before exams.

“The step aims to curb circulation of fabricated evidence and ensure fairness of the re‑examination,” an NTA statement said, adding that the restriction on Telegram’s access will remain in effect through June 22 and the edit feature will be disabled until June 30. The agency acknowledged the inconvenience to ordinary users but called the measures “necessary” for exam integrity.

The NTA said it had exhausted other options before the ban, including requests to remove objectionable content and coordination with law‑enforcement agencies. The Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), working with police teams in Bihar, Gujarat and Rajasthan, has already taken action against several Telegram channels, groups and bots linked to exam malpractice and extortion.

Investigations have revealed organised activity on channels using names such as “Paper Leaked NEET”, “Re‑NEET 2026”, “Private Mafia” and variations claiming to supply papers. The Ahmedabad Cyber Crime Branch has detained members of an interstate cyber‑fraud gang, and the probe has reportedly uncovered around eight Telegram channels, roughly 1.5 crore rupees in transactions and about 1,000 mobile numbers connected to the operation.

The NTA warned students against trusting unverified information on social media and urged them to rely only on official sources: the NEET portal (neet.nta.nic.in) and NTA’s verified handles. “Information related to the exam should only be taken from official channels,” the agency said.

The ban is narrowly timed to cover the re‑exam period; access will be restored after June 22, the NTA added. The temporary disabling of message editing will remain longer to prevent retrospective manipulation of threads that could be used to manufacture false evidence.

Separately, the NTA has altered the NEET‑UG re‑exam format. The duration has been extended from 180 minutes to 195 minutes, and additional space for rough work has been provided on the answer sheet, the agency confirmed. These changes come as part of efforts to accommodate logistics and ensure students are not disadvantaged.

Student groups and legal experts said they expect pushback from users and civil‑liberties advocates over a country‑wide block of an app used by millions. Some noted that blocking platforms is a blunt tool, while others accepted targeted restrictions if backed by clear evidence of criminal misuse. The government has framed the action as a limited, evidence‑driven intervention aimed at preventing large‑scale fraud that could again derail a national exam.

Law‑enforcement agencies are continuing investigations into alleged extortion and paper‑leak networks. The I4C and state police units have been asked to follow leads and identify financial trails, administrators said. Meanwhile, the NTA reiterated that students should avoid rumours and check only official updates about exam timing, centres and protocols.