In a bold shift in India’s national entrance examination system, the National Testing Agency (NTA) has released a notification that from the academic year 2026-27 onwards, the facility of the exam city choice will not be given to NEET-UG as well as JEE Main and CUET-UG test-takers.
Rather, the examination center will be allotted to the candidate by default from the Aadhaar-registered location.
Why NTA Is Making This Shift
The decision comes after years of concern regarding malpractices during examination, impersonation, and discriminatory centre allotment of candidates.
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Through the Aadhaar address linking of centre allotment, the NTA expects:
- Impersonation and misusing city preference facility to end
- Fairness in allotting candidates to centres in their vicinity of registered location
- Reducing logistical chaos through city-concentration of examinees
- Improving transparency and the integrity of country-level tests
The reform is part of a broader initiative to deliver transparent and secure exams in India, a senior NTA official stated.
Join NEET News 2025 What Students Need to Do
Since the exam centers would now be Aadhaar-enabled, the candidates will have to do the following in advance:
- Update Aadhaar Address – Make sure that your Aadhaar card contains your current and correct residential address.
- Personal Details Matching – Your name, date of birth, and spelling must be identical in Aadhaar and Class 10 documents.
- Category Certificate Verification – For candidates who fall under SC/ST/OBC/EWS/PwD categories, the certificates will be matched with Aadhaar and school documents.
- No Change Post-Submission – No request for centre change will be done after the application form has been submitted.
These are mandatory procedures to prevent rejection or disqualification at verification.
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Implementation Timeline
Aadhaar-based exam center allotment will be rolled out with JEE Main 2026 (January session) and will later be extended to NEET-UG 2026 and CUET-UG 2026. Procedural guidelines like address updation provisions or migrant student exceptions will be made available in due course.
More equity is the idea on which the new scheme has been implemented, although those who pursue their studies away from home may have to travel a longer distance for their exam centers if their Aadhaar address is different.
The Road Ahead
This move is one of the most significant reforms in India’s national exam system. Although it may prove to be inconvenient in the short run, it will enhance exam security and centre manipulation will become challenging for operators.
Whether the NTA is successful with this reform will depend on public sensitization, proper implementation, and efficient grievance redressal mechanism.
Overall, Aadhaar-based center allocation reflects a leaning towards digital accountability, equity, and level access in the nation’s most competitive examinations.
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