National Testing Agency (NTA) on Saturday issued a clarification after reports that a Nagpur candidate appearing for the NEET-UG 2026 re-examination was allotted a test centre in Abu Dhabi because of a technical error.In the statement, the agency said the claim of a system-generated error was not supported by its records. According to NTA, the city change to Abu Dhabi was made through the candidate’s own registered login during the examination-city correction window that was reopened after the exam was rescheduled.NTA said its web activity records showed that the city change was made using the candidate’s credentials and followed a “consistent single-user access pattern”. It further stated that the examination centre being in Abu Dhabi was viewed twice after the change was made.“NTA has observed that on 3 occasions, one – the centre was changed to Abu Dhabi using candidate’s credentials and twice it was previewed that the centre is Abu Dhabi,” the agency said.The clarification comes after reports about Nagpur candidate Abdullah Mohammad Talib, whose admit card reportedly showed Abu Dhabi Indian School in the UAE as his examination venue. The family had alleged that they never selected Abu Dhabi while filling out the application form and described the allotment as a shock.The candidate’s father, Mohammad Talib, had told ANI that the family contacted the NTA helpline after seeing the admit card and requested that a centre be allotted in Nagpur. He also said his son does not have a passport and was distressed after learning about the overseas centre allocation.NTA said it received an informal request on the evening of June 19, about 48 hours before the examination, seeking a change from Abu Dhabi to Nagpur. The agency said its officials immediately began the process and contacted the candidate’s father the same evening to help complete the required formalities.“Despite that NTA has accorded to aspirant’s request and the change of centre was actioned,” the agency said.The testing agency added that its priority was to ensure that no candidate misses the examination because of an administrative issue.
