How was NEET 2025 exam? Biometric failures, delays threaten students’ MBBS dreams

NEW DELHI: For over 22 lakh aspirants, the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test - Undergraduate (NEET UG 2025) is more than just an exam – it is a gateway to their dream of becoming doctors. Despite the ministry of education (MoE) implementing strict measures and tightening security, students at several exam centres across the country faced delays, mismanagement, and widespread distress. NEET UG 2025 LIVE

NEET UG 2025, the single largest MBBS and BDS entrance exam, was conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) from 2 pm to 5 pm in around 5,000 exam centres across 550 cities in India and abroad. The education ministry introduced multi-layered frisking and police-escorted question papers to avoid a repeat of last year’s controversies and paper leaks.

But on Sunday, what should have been a fair and focused exam turned into a nightmare for several aspirants due to biometric failures, inadequate staff, and other mismanagement issues. Some students waiting in long queues reportedly fainted while standing in the scorching sun for hours.

The chaos at NEET exam centres not only affected the sancity of the national-level test, but also the year-long preparation of many.

Also read NEET 2025 over! What rank gets you MBBS in India’s top 20 government medical colleges

Chaos at NEET UG 2025 exam centres

Shefali Agarwal from Dabri told Careers360: “The exam centre delayed the entry. I had 300-400 kids in front of me but the staff were taking time to register our photos and fingerprints as their tabs [tablet PCs] were not working. I literally fainted inside, it was so hot. They hadn't made arrangements. The exam can be offline but it must be managed properly.”

She rated the Physics section in the NEET question paper 2025 as ‘hard’. “The questions were out-of-the-box and lengthy — they'd take time to read. Chemistry and Biology were easy. I just found Physics difficult," she added.

Due to the delay in the verification process, students did not receive their question paper 10 minutes before, but just 5 minutes before the exam time. Despite the intense security arrangements, several students and parents reported delays and mismanagement.

"There was a shortage of staff over here and so, the biometric verification took a lot of time. The students stood out in the sun for close to one-and-a-half hours. Once they realised that the exam time was approaching, they allowed the candidates to go inside without biometric checking. I want to know if they'll do the verification inside the exam hall and if so, whether they'll get extra time," a parent at a Sainik Vihar centre in Delhi to Careers360.

Two students – Neetu and Abhishek – who were also allotted the PM Shri Kendriya Vidyalaya centre at Sainik Vihar were not allowed to enter and ended up missing their exam. Disappointed with the management, Abhishek said the NTA should have issued a form for special cases, such as delays caused due to traffic and other factors. Both aspirants blamed e-rickshaw drivers and the difficulty in finding the exam centre as reasons for their delay.

“Had they not argued and let us in, we would have been able to write the exam, as many students were still standing for biometric when we were talking to the officials,” he said.