NTA Dismisses NEET (UG) 2026 Candidates' Claims on OMR Sheets

NTA Responds to NEET (UG) 2026 Allegations

New Delhi, July 20: The National Testing Agency (NTA) has refuted various allegations made by NEET (UG) 2026 candidates regarding their OMR answer sheets and results. The agency clarified that the images circulating on social media were digitally altered and did not align with their official records.

In a series of updates on X, the NTA confirmed that it had reviewed the records of several candidates, including Avaneesh Srivastava, Abhay Yadav, Lakshya Singh, and Arya Singh, and concluded that the scores announced by the agency were accurate.

Specifically addressing Avaneesh Srivastava (Application No. 260411198880, Roll No. 2001805051), the NTA stated: “The authentic OMR of the candidate is on file and was also sent to him via email during the OMR Response Key challenge period.”

The agency emphasized that the original OMR included the candidate’s correct personal information, signature, thumbprint, and the signatures of the invigilators.

Furthermore, the NTA asserted: “The image being shared is not an OMR sheet issued by NTA. The identity included in that image (‘Ajeet Singh, son of Shri Lakhan Singh and Smt. Reena Singh’) does not match any registered candidate for NEET (UG) 2026.”

According to the NTA, the viral image was “a digitally recreated version of the candidate’s genuine OMR sheet,” where identity fields had been altered using AI or OCR-based tools. The agency confirmed that Avaneesh Srivastava’s score of 337 marks was verified and unchanged.

In another update regarding Abhay Yadav (Application No. 260411367191), the NTA dismissed the candidate’s public assertion that only five questions were unanswered and that he deserved 634 marks.

“The candidate claimed publicly that only 5 questions were left unattempted and that the result should be 634 marks. This claim is not supported by the records. Out of 180 questions, 44 were left unattempted. The OMR and the calculation sheet on file are consistent with each other,” the agency stated.

The NTA confirmed that Abhay Yadav’s score of 164 marks was verified and accurate.

Addressing claims made by Lakshya Singh (Application No. 260412053016), the NTA indicated that the circulated OMR sheet had been digitally manipulated.

“The image being circulated shows response markings that are absent on the genuine sheet. Additional bubbles have been digitally shaded to create a forged OMR sheet,” the agency noted.

The NTA reported that Lakshya Singh had attempted 54 out of 180 questions, answering 34 correctly and 20 incorrectly, while leaving 126 questions unattempted. His verified score was 116 marks.

The agency also rejected allegations from Arya Singh (Application No. 260410434102), stating that the circulated OMR image had been altered.

“The image being shared is a digitally modified version of the same sheet. The recorded time of signature of one of the invigilators has been changed from 3:45 PM on the genuine sheet to 2:45 PM on the altered image. There are several other signs of digital alteration on the forged OMR sheet,” the NTA explained.

The NTA confirmed that Arya Singh’s score of 167 marks was also verified and remained unchanged.

In a broader statement addressing the ongoing controversy, the agency remarked: “Regarding OMR-related claims for NEET (UG) 2026 circulating on social media, it should be noted that the genuine OMR of every concerned candidate is on record with NTA… The images being circulated as the ‘correct’ OMR are digitally fabricated and not documents issued by NTA.”

The agency cautioned that “Creating or distributing a forged OMR answer sheet is an offense under the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024,” warning that legal action could be taken against those involved in generating or sharing such fraudulent documents.