NEET-UG 2025 held peacefully nationwide amid tight security and mock drills

Thousands of aspiring medical students appeared for the NEET-UG 2025 exam on May 4 at more than 5,400 centers across India, where authorities enforced strict security and monitoring measures.

The nationwide test saw over 22.7 lakh registrations, with official attendance numbers expected soon.

To ensure seamless execution, mock drills were held a day earlier at all exam venues—mostly government and government-aided schools, colleges, and universities.

These drills tested the efficiency of biometric systems, signal jammers, and manpower availability for frisking.

Although the exam was conducted without major disruptions, a protest erupted outside a center in Kalaburagi, Karnataka, where Brahmin community members demanded accountability after students were reportedly asked to remove their 'janivara' before entering the hall.

In separate incidents, Rajasthan’s Special Operations Group detained three men for allegedly attempting to extort ₹40 lakh from a candidate with a fake promise of leaking the question paper.

Meanwhile, in Bhubaneswar, police arrested four members of an interstate gang for taking money from aspirants in exchange for false promises of medical college admission.

"There were three layers of monitoring today at the district, state, and central levels. To ensure smooth and secure conduct of the exam, mock drills were conducted at all centers. These drills helped in testing readiness in terms of the functionality of mobile signal jammers, the availability of adequate manpower for frisking, and biometric authentication procedures," said an official.

The National Testing Agency (NTA), operating under the Union education ministry, introduced multiple safeguards this year, such as police-escorted transport of question papers, intense frisking protocols, and surveillance of coaching centers to curb cheating networks.

These efforts followed allegations of paper leaks and irregularities in last year’s NEET-UG, which had cast doubts on the exam’s credibility.

As part of its digital crackdown, the NTA flagged 106 Telegram and 16 Instagram channels for spreading misinformation and false paper leak claims.

The agency’s complaint portal received more than 1,500 such reports.

In response, NTA urged the platforms to remove the misleading content swiftly to prevent panic among students.

The education ministry also worked closely with district magistrates and senior police officials across states and Union territories to ensure smooth exam management.

With the NTA already under scrutiny due to previous exam irregularities, the government formed a panel to enforce transparent and fair testing standards.

Following compromised integrity in previous exams, like UGC-NET and PhD entrance tests, and the last-minute cancellation of CSIR-UGC- NET and NEET-PG, all these exams are now under investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation.