Dear NTA, the least you can do is say 'Sorry'

In a sharply worded letter to the National Testing Agency, an 18-year-old NEET 2026 aspirant recounts months of sacrifice and the shock of a re-NEET after reports of a paper leak, reflecting the anger and broken trust many candidates feel.

In Short

• The candidate said years of sacrifice were upended by renewed uncertainty
• Strict frisking outside centres contrasted sharply with claims of robust safeguards
• Girls were reportedly subjected to invasive checks in searing exam-day heat

I'm 18 years old. I appeared for NEET 2026 this year. I started preparing for this exam in Class 12. No social media, no talking to friends, no parties... I didn't even meet my siblings properly. I gave up so much... for what? Yes, just to become a doctor. To build my career.

As the exam approached, my anxiety grew, which was probably normal. Then, about 10–12 days before the exam, I read the NTA's "threatening" notice: "This is not a school exam; it's a national-level filtration exam."

To be honest, it wasn't a school exam at all... because at least papers wouldn't be leaked there. But telling kids, "We're ten steps ahead of you," is a shame. Yes, you were indeed ten steps ahead in checking us outside the centre. There were multiple layers of security there. But perhaps they weren't there before the exam was conducted.

When I reached the centre, I found out we couldn't even have a transparent bottle inside. No problem. We'll do anything for our dreams. Still, the situation was miserable in this heat. Those scenes of checking outside the centre still float before my eyes.

In the name of checking for cheating, girls were made to open their hair, with staff spreading it with their fingers to check it, even cutting their T-shirts and pants if there were pockets. All this happened in front of me. It felt as if we were the ones who leaked the paper. Still, this time I was confident that the paper wouldn't leak. So many big promises and warnings were given that I had faith.

But in reality, our fight isn't just against the NEET questions, but against the entire system, which bends to no one can yet crumble because of the slightest conspiracy. And it didn't end there; the NTA began facing questions on its Twitter account. We tolerated it all because we were confident that nothing would happen this time. But that confidence didn't last long.

This so-called "ten steps ahead" system has left us nowhere.

Okay, I'll study away from everyone once again. I'll face that awkward situation again during the search. We know everything. But are you even sorry at all? After all this, just saying that the paper was leaked on a large scale, so there will be a re-NEET, don't you think we students deserve at least an apology?

You never imagined how many dreams I and other aspirants like me had. After the exam, we were happy to finally spend time with our siblings. But just two days later, we learnt that the exam would be held again. All our joy was swept away like a house in a flood.

Let me tell you, that day my younger sister, who is only 11 years old, told me, "Don't have so much hope; no one is taking our future seriously in India."

What should I answer her?

Should I say that the system is with us?

That system which whispers in your ears that our fight is with it?

That system of which I myself have become a victim?

Now I understand where insecurity comes from. When my younger siblings say they don't feel like studying in India, how can I proudly say, "We are proud to be in this country?" Today, I find myself wondering: if these borders and restrictions didn't exist, would I even want to stay in this country?

Probably not, because the rules are strict only on paper; on the ground, our trust is shattered every time. Perhaps I, too, would choose to live in a world where hard work is valued, not those whose success comes not from answering the NEET question paper, but from leaked papers.

Regards,
Yours,
A disappointed aspirant.

- Ends