NEET UG 2026 Toppers Score 715, Qualifiers Drop to 11.21 Lakh

The exam, held May 9, was cancelled three days later after paper-leak allegations. The CBI is investigating. The NTA said it re-engineered the process to keep the admission calendar on track, running stages in parallel rather than sequentially.

Uttar Pradesh produced the most qualifiers, over 1.7 lakh. Maharashtra followed with 1.25 lakh, Rajasthan with over 1.19 lakh. The top 17 candidates, all above 705, came from eight states.

Following the controversy, the government said NEET-UG will shift from pen-and-paper to computer-based testing. The NTA did not give a timeline for the switch.

Among social categories, 5.12 lakh OBC-NCL candidates qualified, 2.91 lakh from general category, 1.59 lakh SC, 95,026 from Gen-EWS, and 63,716 from ST communities. The pool included 3,666 persons with benchmark disabilities.