NEET Date of Exam: 2026 Re-Exam Dates and 2027 Update

The NEET date of exam is fixed by the National Testing Agency (NTA) and announced in the public notice that opens applications. NEET UG 2026 was first held on 3 May 2026. NTA cancelled it on 12 May and held a re-exam on 21 June 2026. The result was declared on 16 July 2026.

Key Takeaways: NEET Date of Exam

• NTA, the national body that conducts NEET UG, announces the exam date in the public notice that opens the application form. For 2024, 2025 and 2026, that notice came out in early February, about three months before the exam.

• NEET UG was held on a Sunday in early May in 2023, 2024 and 2025. In 2022 it was held on 17 July.

• NEET UG 2026 took place on 3 May 2026. On 12 May, NTA cancelled that exam with the approval of the Government of India. The matter went to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), as stated in the NTA press release of 12 May 2026.

• The re-exam was held on Sunday, 21 June 2026, from 2:00 PM to 5:15 PM, in 551 cities in India and 14 abroad. No fresh registration or fee was needed.

• Close to 20 lakh candidates sat the re-exam and 11.21 lakh qualified, according to the NTA result press release of 16 July 2026.

• NEET UG is due to move to computer-based test (CBT) mode from 2027, as the Union Education Minister said on 15 May 2026. The 2027 date will be set in NTA's next application notice.

For everything else on the exam, from syllabus to counselling, see our NEET UG guide.

NEET date of exam 2026 at a glance

The timings above come from the NTA public notice of 8 February 2026 and the NTA public notice of 15 May 2026 on the re-examination. The candidate numbers come from the NTA press release of 19 June 2026 and the result press release.

NEET UG 2026 exam dates: the full timeline

Every later step of the 2026 cycle moved once the 3 May exam was cancelled. The table lists each official date in order.

The last three rows come from the NTA result press release of 16 July 2026. Our guide to the NEET answer key explains how the challenge window works.

How does NTA announce the NEET date of exam?

NTA announces the NEET date of exam in one document: the public notice that invites online applications. This notice gives the exam date, the timing, the fees and the application window. The information bulletin comes out at the same time. It is the full rulebook for that year's exam.

Two more official documents follow closer to the exam day:

• City intimation slip. This tells each candidate the city of their exam centre. In 2026 it came out two weeks before the re-exam. It is not the admit card.

• Admit card. This carries the exact centre address and reporting time. Our NEET admit card guide shows what to check on it, and the NEET centre guide covers the exam-day rules.

All three appear only on neet.nta.nic.in and nta.ac.in. The date in the application notice is the date that counts. In 2026 it changed only because the exam was cancelled.

What is the historical pattern of NEET UG exam dates?

Since 2023, NEET UG has been held on the first Sunday of May. The application notice has come out two to three months earlier. 2022 and 2026 are the two exceptions in the last five years.

Registered and appeared figures are from the NTA key data points of NEET (UG) over years, 2019 to 2026. For 2025, the date is from the NEET UG 2025 information bulletin, whose application window ran from 7 February to 7 March 2025.

Since 2024, the notice has come out in early February, about three months before the exam. A student planning for the next cycle can expect the date to be known by then.

Why was the NEET UG 2026 exam date changed?

The first NEET UG 2026 exam ran as scheduled on 3 May 2026. On the evening of 7 May, NTA received inputs about alleged malpractice around the exam. It passed these to central agencies the next morning, as set out in the NTA press release of 10 May 2026.

On 12 May 2026, NTA cancelled the 3 May exam with the approval of the Government of India. The Government referred the matter to the CBI for a full inquiry. NTA said the inputs and the findings of the law enforcement agencies left it no choice but to cancel. The details are in the NTA press release of 12 May 2026.

Three days later, NTA fixed the re-exam for 21 June 2026 in its public notice of 15 May 2026. That made the delay seven weeks from the original date.

What changed for candidates in the NEET UG 2026 re-exam?

The re-exam kept the same candidates and the same rules. A few practical points changed.

• No new registration. Registration data, candidature and chosen exam cities from the May cycle were carried forward.

• No second fee. NTA charged nothing for the re-exam. It also refunded the fee paid for the 3 May exam, as stated in the 12 May press release and the NTA refund notice of 14 July 2026.

• One chance to change city. Candidates whose address had changed could update it and their exam city choice from 15 to 21 May 2026.

• Longer timing on paper. The re-exam ran from 2:00 PM to 5:15 PM, which includes 15 minutes for formalities.

• Extra time for eligible candidates. Candidates with disabilities who qualified for compensatory time could write until 6:20 PM, according to the NTA press release of 19 June 2026.

For the full story of the re-exam result and what came next, read our NEET UG 2026 re-exam, result and counselling update.

Who can sit NEET UG and what does it cost?

The eligibility rules and fees below are from the NEET UG 2026 information bulletin. NTA publishes a fresh bulletin each year with the new exam date.

• Minimum age: 17 years on or before 31 December of the exam year.

• Upper age limit: none. The bulletin cites an NMC letter dated 9 March 2022.

• Subjects: Physics, Chemistry, Biology or Biotechnology, and English in Class 12 or an equivalent exam.

• Class 12 students awaiting results may apply. They must pass before the first round of counselling.

• Students planning MBBS abroad: Indian citizens and OCI cardholders must also qualify NEET UG.

Processing charges and GST are extra. Our guide to NEET attempt limits covers how many times a student can sit the exam.

What happened after the NEET UG 2026 exam date?

NTA declared the NEET UG 2026 result on 16 July 2026. Close to 20 lakh candidates appeared and 11.21 lakh qualified. The highest score was 715 out of 720. Our NEET UG 2026 result coverage has the full breakdown.

Counselling for the All India Quota in MBBS and BDS is run by the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) on mcc.nic.in. State quota seats are filled by each state's counselling authority. Our MCC NEET UG counselling guide explains each round, and the NEET counselling page tracks the current cycle.

What is known about the NEET UG 2027 exam date?

The one official statement on NEET UG 2027 concerns the mode, not the date. On 15 May 2026, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan spoke about the next cycle. He said NEET UG will be held in computer-based test (CBT) mode from next year, instead of the OMR-based mode. This was reported by the public broadcaster in News On AIR, 15 May 2026.

Mr Pradhan resigned as Education Minister on 25 July 2026. In his statement that day he repeated the CBT point, according to News On AIR, 25 July 2026. In a CBT, each question appears on a screen and the answer is chosen with a mouse.

The NEET UG 2027 date will be fixed in NTA's public notice inviting applications. For 2024, 2025 and 2026, that notice came out between 7 and 9 February. Our web story on the NEET UG 2027 computer-based test explains the switch in short. The NEET UG 2027 preparation guide sets out a study plan.

How to track the NEET date of exam each year

1. Follow the public notices on neet.nta.nic.in. The notice inviting applications carries the exam date, timing and fees.

2. Download the information bulletin as soon as it appears. It holds the eligibility rules and the NEET syllabus for that year.

3. Note the application and correction windows. In 2026 applications ran for about a month, and the correction window lasted only a few days.

4. Check the city intimation slip, then the admit card. The admit card gives the final centre and reporting time.

5. Keep the answer key and result dates in view. Counselling registration follows the result.

Conclusion

The NEET date of exam is whatever NTA prints in its application notice. Since 2023 that has been the first Sunday of May. 2026 broke the pattern: the 3 May exam was cancelled and re-held on 21 June, with the result on 16 July. For 2027, NEET UG is due to move to computer-based testing. The date will come in NTA's next application notice.

Frequently asked questions about the NEET date of exam

Sources

• NTA public notice: inviting applications for NEET (UG) 2026, 8 February 2026

• NTA public notice: extension of last date for NEET (UG) 2026 applications, 8 March 2026

• NTA: NEET (UG) 2026 information bulletin

• NTA press release on NEET (UG) 2026, 10 May 2026

• NTA press release: decision on the examination of 3 May 2026, 12 May 2026

• NTA public notice: conduct of re-examination for NEET (UG) 2026, 15 May 2026

• NTA public notice: advance city intimation for the 21 June 2026 exam, 7 June 2026

• NTA public notice: release of admit cards for the 21 June 2026 exam, 14 June 2026

• NTA press release: preparations for the NEET (UG) 2026 re-examination, 19 June 2026

• NTA notice: refund of fee for the exam held on 3 May 2026, 14 July 2026

• NTA press release: NEET (UG) 2026 result, 16 July 2026

• NTA: key data points of NEET (UG) over years, 2019 to 2026

• NTA: NEET (UG) 2025 information bulletin

• NTA public notice: inviting applications for NEET (UG) 2024, 9 February 2024

• NTA public notice: inviting applications for NEET (UG) 2023, 6 March 2023

• NTA public notice: inviting applications for NEET (UG) 2022, 6 April 2022

• News On AIR: NEET (UG) 2026 re-exam on 21 June and CBT mode from next year, 15 May 2026

• News On AIR: statement of the Education Minister, 25 July 2026

• NTA NEET UG official website

• Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) official website