NEET-UG: NTA warns against fake, AI-generated OMR sheets; legal action may follow

The National Testing Agency (NTA) has issued an advisory to NEET-UG 2026 candidates and their parents, warning them not to submit fake or AI-generated OMR sheets when raising complaints about score discrepancies. File | Photo Credit: Ragu R. The National Testing Agency (NTA) has issued an advisory to NEET-UG 2026 candidates and their parents, warning them not to submit fake or AI-generated OMR sheets when raising complaints about score discrepancies.The warning comes after the NTA reviewed several complaints regarding differences between candidates' expected and declared NEET 2026 scores. During the verification process, the agency found that many of the OMR sheets submitted with complaints appeared to be fake or created using artificial intelligence (AI)."NTA is closely monitoring and scrutinising all complaints. In the wake of many OMR sheets submitted for scrutiny turning out to be fake/AI-generated, students and parents are advised to submit only original OMRs for scrutiny. Any fake/AI-generated OMR may invite legal action against the complainant," the agency said in an advisory.The results for the medical entrance were announced on July 16, with 11.21 lakh candidates qualifying the exam.The NTA cancelled the May 3 exam on May 12 amid allegations of a paper leak; the CBI is investigating the matter, and the exam was re-conducted on June 21.Following the controversy over the paper leak and alleged irregularities in the exam process, the Centre announced that the exam will now be conducted as a computer-based test (CBT) instead of pen-and-paper mode.Detailed deliberations have been ongoing for several years between the education and health ministries on whether to conduct NEET-UG in pen-and-paper or online mode.The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test-Undergraduate (NEET-UG) is the country's largest undergraduate entrance exam, with nearly 25 lakh candidates registering annually.The NTA conducts the test every year for admission into medical colleges, where 108,000 seats are available for the MBBS course. Of these, approximately 56,000 are in government hospitals and about 52,000 are in private colleges. Undergraduate courses in dentistry, Ayurveda, Unani and Siddha also utilise NEET results for admissions. Published - July 19, 2026 03:46 pm IST