Centre Changed Just Hours Before Re-test
Nagpur: An 18-year-old NEET aspirant, Abdullah Mohammad Talib, who was mistakenly allotted an examination centre in Abu Dhabi, was reassigned a centre in his hometown on Saturday, just a day before the re-test. The National Testing Agency (NTA) expedited the correction after the Times of India first reported the error, dispatching a fresh hall ticket with Ajni Kendriya Vidyalaya, Nagpur, as the centre.
Family Relieved but Student in Shock
While the family expressed relief, Abdullah remained confined to his room, still recovering from the shock. According to a family source, he was administered sedatives to calm down. “He cried all night and refused to appear in the exam. We are trying to convince him. After the new hall ticket came, he appeared to be in a better frame of mind. We hope he sits for the retest,” said his father, Mohammad Talib, a retired animal husbandry officer.
Family Disputes NTA's Claim
The NTA claimed that Abdullah had chosen Abu Dhabi as his preferred exam city, but the family contested this. “Our application still reflects Nagpur, Bhandara and Wardha as preferred examination cities. My son doesn’t even have a passport, why should we even think of Abu Dhabi. We have records of the submitted form that clearly show these choices to negate NTA’s claim,” Talib told TOI. He added that the change was made on Saturday.
Abdullah, a meritorious student who scored 83% in his SSC, was expecting a 570+ score in the May 3 NEET exam, which was cancelled due to a paper leak. His elder brother is an aircraft engineer abroad, and his sister works in the corporate sector. On May 3, he was allotted Saraswati Vidyalaya, Nagpur, which they retained in the new application.
National Media Attention Adds Stress
The case drew national media attention, with television channels and news agencies visiting their residence at Abhab Colony in Jafar Nagar. A relative said the continuous presence of TV crews and requests for interviews added to their stress just a day before the exam. Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi questioned the NTA on social media, and political outfits in Maharashtra also reached out to the family.
NTA's Explanation
After the correction, the NTA stated that its web activity records indicate the city change was made through the candidate’s own registered login during the open correction window, with a consistent single-user access pattern. “Despite the Abu Dhabi centre being chosen by the candidate, NTA received an informal request on the evening of June 19 (just 48 hours before the exam) to change the centre to Nagpur. NTA personnel immediately initiated the change and contacted the candidate’s father on June 19 evening itself to help them complete the formal process,” the agency said in a post on X. It added that on three occasions, the centre was changed to Abu Dhabi using the candidate’s credentials, and twice it was previewed that the centre was Abu Dhabi. Despite this, NTA accepted the request and changed the centre.
Correction Window Used by 3.2 Lakh Candidates
After rescheduling NEET (UG) 2026 to June 21, the NTA reopened the examination-city correction window to assist candidates. Around 3.2 lakh candidates used the correction window, and the NTA allotted the preferred examination city to over 99.5% of them, the post stated.
