Nagpur NEET Aspirant gets centre in Abu Dhabi, NTA rectifies error after complaint

The National Testing Agency (NTA) has provided relief to a NEET aspirant from Nagpur who was mistakenly allotted an exam centre in Abu Dhabi. This technical error caused significant mental stress for the student and his family because the allotted centre was nearly 2,500 km away from his hometown. NTA changed the centre, and restored his chance to sit for the June 21 re-test.

Admit card sparks concern

The NTA provides examination centres outside India for Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) and foreign candidates. However, the issue came to light when Abdullah Mohammad Talib received an admit card showing an examination centre in Abu Dhabi despite applying for centres within Maharashtra. 

The NEET UG re-exam is scheduled to be held on June 21, and more than 22 lakh students are set to appear for the exam. However, Abdullah was in trouble because he did not have a passport and had no means of travelling abroad on such short notice.

The allotment of a foreign examination centre for the re-exam left both him and his family worried about whether he would be able to appear for the test or not.

Contacted NTA for resolution

According to reports, his family contacted the NTA helpline after discovering the error. NTA reportedly acknowledged the issue and assured them that it would be resolved.

In a post on X, NTA said,

 in response to the student’s complaint, an investigation is underway. After the necessary investigation, Abdullah will be provided a centre in Nagpur.

However, the Director General of the NTA Abhishek Singh assured that the process may take some time, but the student will not miss the re-exam. Abdullah had selected Nagpur, Wardha, and Bhandara as his preferred exam centres but was allotted a foreign centre instead, which was very surprising for him and his family.

With only a day remaining before the re-examination, the uncertainty had left the family anxious. They were worried about arranging a passport and other travel documents at short notice and had even started exploring travel options. However, after the NTA’s assurance and correction of the error, the family finally received some relief.