'I attempted 165 questions, not 41': NEET candidate alleges discrepancies in NTA OMR sheet

A National Eligibility cum Entrance Test Undergraduate (NEET UG) aspirant from Karnataka, Bindushree Jagdish Pawar, has alleged serious discrepancies in the OMR sheet released by the National Testing Agency (NTA). She claims that it does not reflect the answers she marked during the examination. The candidate, from Haveri district, has urged the government and the testing agency to release what she describes as her "original OMR sheet". MCC NEET UG counselling LIVE updates.

Speaking to ANI, Pawar claimed that the OMR sheet published by the NTA on July 16 shows she attempted only 41 questions out of 180 in the examination. Based on the released OMR, she was awarded a score of -11 marks. However, the candidate claims that she had attempted 165 questions in examination and an evaluation based on the final answer key would have fetched her 668 marks.

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"On July 16, NTA published what it claims as my original OMR sheet, showing that I attempted only 41 questions. In reality, I attempted 165 out of 180 questions, which earns me 668 marks according to the final answer key. Instead, they have shown that I attempted just 41 questions and declared a score of -11. There are clearly many loopholes and discrepancies in this OMR sheet. My only request to the government is to give me my original OMR sheet," Pawar said.

Throughout the conversation with ANI, she maintained that the document uploaded by NTA does not correspond to responses she marked on day of examination.

Pawar's statement has fueled debate on social media, with several users calling for an independent verification of the OMR sheet. However, the NTA has not issued any public response specifically addressing Pawar's allegations.

NTA warns against AI-generated marksheets

The allegations come amid continuing scrutiny of the NEET-UG examination process. However, NTA recently warned NEET-UG 2026 candidates against submitting fake or AI-generated Optical Mark Recognition (OMR) sheets for scrutiny , stating that such complaints could invite legal action. In a post on X, the agency said it is closely examining all representations and has found several fake or AI-generated OMR sheets being submitted. NTA urged students and parents to submit only original OMR sheets for verification. The warning comes amid multiple allegations of discrepancies in uploaded OMR sheets.