The result of the re-National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET-UG) will be declared by July 20, a senior National Testing Agency (NTA) official confirmed.
The remarks came even as the agency works to address around 10,000 challenges filed by candidates against the provisional answer key, news agency ANI reported.
According to the report, the official said the NTA has not fixed an exact date but is working on a war footing to release the results at the earliest, and assured that the academic year for MBBS students would not be delayed as a result of the re-examination.
The re-NEET was held on June 21 after the original May 3 exam, taken by over 20 lakh students, was cancelled following an alleged paper leak.
"We would not like to give out any date as of now, but the result will be out by July 20. Normally, the results are announced within 45 days of the examination, but this time, as we have conducted the exam in 37 days, we will announce the results much earlier," the official told the agency in a telephonic interview.
NTA released the provisional answer key on June 25, giving candidates until June 28 to raise objections, during which around 10,000 challenges were received.
The official said each challenge is being scanned individually, along with the supporting evidence submitted by candidates, before a response is issued. A fee of Rs 200 is charged per question challenged, which is refunded if the challenge is found valid.
While the official maintained that the academic session would begin on schedule, the agency reported there was no clarity yet on the counselling process, which typically takes over a month to complete.
Once results are declared, the Medical Counselling Committee releases the schedule for the 15% All India Quota covering AIIMS, JIPMER and central and deemed universities, while individual states announce separate schedules for the remaining 85% tate quota seats.
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Last year, the MCC had released the NEET-UG 2025 counselling schedule about a week after the result, with Round 1 registration opening eight days later.
The official noted that in a typical NEET year, the first-year MBBS session usually begins in August or September depending on how quickly counselling concludes, and said this year's session would also start on time.
The counselling process involves candidates registering online, paying fees, and locking college and course preferences, with seats allotted based on NEET rank, category, reservation norms and availability, followed by multiple rounds including a mop-up and stray vacancy round.
States such as Tamil Nadu have already begun preparatory admission processes, with their Medical Selection Committee opening applications pending the NEET result.
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