NEET 2026 re-exam attendance drops from 95 percent to 75 percent in Tamil Nadu

Chennai: A significant number of medical aspirants skipped the NEET UG 2026 re-examination conducted on Sunday, with attendance across several districts in Tamil Nadu falling to around 75 percent, much lower than the over 95 percent attendance recorded during the original examination held on May 3.

The re-examination was conducted after the National Testing Agency (NTA) cancelled the May 3 NEET-UG exam following allegations of a question paper leak. The earlier examination had witnessed a national attendance rate of 96.92%.

As per a TNIE media report, the decline in attendance was observed across multiple districts. In the 43 examination centres under the Chennai City region, 17,273 out of 22,115 registered candidates appeared for the examination, recording an attendance rate of 78.1%.

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Similarly, in Kancheepuram, 1,624 of the 2,123 registered candidates took the test, while Chengalpattu reported an attendance of 75.1%, with 4,811 candidates appearing out of 6,405 registered aspirants. Tiruvallur also recorded a similar trend, with 2,465 of 3,253 candidates appearing for the examination, resulting in a 75.8% attendance rate.

In Madurai, 8,565 aspirants were registered across 14 centres. Of these, 6,384 candidates appeared, while 2,181 remained absent, marking nearly 75% attendance. Officials said around 25% of candidates were absent.

To ensure smooth conduct of the examination, more than 100 observers were deployed in Madurai, and the Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) operated special bus services for candidates.

Speaking to TNIE, NEET coordinator for government coaching S Vennila Devi said, "Around 500 aspirants who had attended free government coaching wrote the examination, including 350 from government schools and the rest from aided schools."

School Education Director and State NEET Nodal Officer S Kannappan said, "Attendance in districts hovered around 75%, though the overall state figure was not yet available."

It has been reported that many candidates had already secured admission in alternative courses, while others reportedly chose not to reappear due to stress, uncertainty, and fatigue following the cancellation of the earlier examination.

Students who appeared for the test described Physics as the most challenging section. Biology was considered relatively easy, while Chemistry was rated as moderate. Overall, many candidates felt the re-examination paper was slightly tougher than the NEET-UG exam conducted on May 3.

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