In a major glitch, Nagpur NEET-UG aspirant Abdullah Mohammad Talib was mistakenly allotted an exam centre in Abu Dhabi, UAE, just a day before the June 21 re-test. Following swift intervention by public representatives, the National Testing Agency (NTA) rectified the error that assigned an Abu Dhabi examination centre to a NEET-UG 2026 re-examination candidate from Nagpur.
The incident came to light just a day before the NEET-UG re-examination scheduled for June 21, when 18-year-old medical aspirant Abdullah Mohammad Talib downloaded his admit card and discovered that he had been allotted a test centre at Abu Dhabi Indian School in the United Arab Emirates.
According to the student and his family, Abdullah had selected Nagpur, Wardha and Bhandara as his preferred examination cities and had never opted for an overseas centre. The family said the situation caused significant distress, particularly because the student does not possess a passport, making international travel impossible at such short notice, reported India Today.
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Following complaints from the family and interventions by public representatives, the NTA acknowledged that the issue resulted from a technical glitch in its centre-allotment system. NTA Director General Abhishek Singh assured that immediate steps would be taken to ensure the student did not miss the examination.
The agency subsequently contacted the family and issued a revised admit card, allotting Abdullah a centre in Nagpur. The NTA said its priority was to ensure that the candidate could appear for the examination without disruption.
At the same time, the agency has launched an internal investigation into the incident. Officials are examining the automated centre-allocation process and exploring possible causes behind the cross-border allotment, according to the India Today.
The episode has renewed scrutiny of the NTA's examination management systems, particularly as the NEET-UG 2026 re-test is being conducted after the original examination was cancelled due to a confirmed paper leak. More than 22 lakh candidates are expected to appear for the re-examination.
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