NEET UG 2026: NTA releases OMR sheets and recorded responses; challenge window open till 15 July
The National Testing Agency (NTA) has put the scanned OMR answer sheets and recorded responses for NEET (UG) 2026 online, and opened a short window for candidates to challenge their recorded responses. The window runs from 13 July to 15 July 2026 and closes at 11:00 AM on 15 July. The scanned sheets and responses are available at neet.nta.nic.in.
This covers the NEET (UG) 2026 re-exam that NTA held on 21 June 2026, from 2:00 PM to 5:15 PM. A scanned copy of each candidate’s OMR answer sheet has also gone to the email address registered during the NEET 2026 application. We had flagged when these would appear in our earlier note on the Re-NEET 2026 OMR and response sheet.
What the OMR sheet is
OMR stands for Optical Mark Recognition. In NEET, you answer on a printed OMR sheet by darkening one bubble per question with a blue or black ballpoint pen. A scanning machine reads those darkened bubbles and turns them into your recorded responses, which is the answer set NTA evaluates against the answer key. The scanned image NTA has now displayed is a photograph of your own filled sheet, and the recorded responses are what the machine read from it. This challenge window lets you check that the two agree, because a faint, partial or stray mark can be read wrongly.
What you can challenge, and what you cannot
This window is only for the recorded responses, meaning the answers the scanning machine read from your OMR sheet. If a recorded option does not match what you actually darkened on the physical sheet, you can flag it. The same applies to a wrongly captured data field such as Roll Number, Booklet Number or Set Code.
The answer key challenge is a separate process, and NTA says it is already concluded. That window closed earlier, as we covered when the re-exam provisional answer key was released. No challenge to the answer keys will be accepted now.
Fee
The fee is ₹200 for each response you challenge. The notice’s annexure states this amount is refunded if your challenge is verified as correct, while the summary table describes it as non-refundable, so treat the fee as at risk until NTA clarifies. Payment is online only, through Net Banking, Debit or Credit Card, or UPI, and must reach NTA by 11:00 AM on 15 July 2026. A challenge without a completed payment will not be processed.
How to raise a challenge
- Go to neet.nta.nic.in and log in with your Application Number and password.
- Complete the two-factor authentication by entering the OTP sent to your registered mobile number and email.
- Open “View/Challenge OMR Sheet & Recorded Responses” and compare your scanned sheet against the options the machine read, question by question.
- Select each question where the recorded option is wrong and tick your claimed answer.
- Pay ₹200 per challenge, submit, then download and print the acknowledgement page for your records.
Points to keep in mind
- Only a circle fully darkened with a blue or black ballpoint pen counts as a valid response. A faint or partial mark can be read differently by the scanner.
- Review the scanned image carefully before you pay, since the fee is charged per challenge.
- Raising a challenge on a doctored or tampered scanned image is treated as Unfair Means, and can lead to debarment or legal action.
What comes next
Once the recorded responses are settled, the re-exam result is the next milestone; we track the likely timing in our note on the NEET UG 2026 result date. As soon as you have a score in hand, you can estimate your standing with the NEET rank predictor, look up last year’s closing ranks on the college cutoffs pages, and map out a plan with the AI counsellor.
For any clarification, NTA has listed 011-40759000 and 011-69227700, and the email [email protected]. Candidates should rely on neet.nta.nic.in and nta.ac.in for updates.
Source: NTA Public Notice dated 13 July 2026, “Display of Scanned Images of OMR Answer Sheet and Recorded Response for National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (UG)-2026”.