A massive paper leak in India's National Eligibility cum Entrance Test for postgraduates (NEET-PG) has forced the cancellation of the exam and a nationwide resit, sparking fears that fraudulent applications may have reached British medical schools.
The leak, which sources confirm involved the question paper appearing on encrypted messaging apps hours before the test, has thrown the admissions process into chaos. Over 200,000 candidates were due to sit the exam on 22 May, but the National Board of Examinations scrapped it after police in Bihar arrested four men with copies of the paper.
Now UK universities that accept NEET-PG scores for postgraduate medical places are scrambling to verify the authenticity of applications from Indian students. A senior admissions officer at a Russell Group university told me: “We are reviewing every file. There is no way to know which candidates saw the paper in advance.”
The Indian government has ordered a Central Bureau of Investigation probe, but the damage may already be done. Uncovered documents suggest the leak was part of a wider network selling access to exam papers for sums up to £10,000. In a country where medical places are fiercely competitive, the temptation to cheat is enormous.
This is not the first time India's exam system has been compromised. In 2018, the NEET-UG paper was leaked, and in 2020, the Madhya Pradesh police busted a gang selling answer keys. But the scale of this leak appears to be unprecedented.
British universities have long relied on NEET scores as a benchmark for Indian applicants. The UK's General Medical Council recognises the exam as evidence of English proficiency and clinical knowledge. But if the integrity of the entire test is in doubt, then every application from India must be treated with suspicion.
“We are talking about future doctors,” said a whistleblower inside the Indian medical establishment. “If they cheated to get in, what will they do when they have a scalpel in their hand?”
The National Board of Examinations has promised a fresh exam within a month, with enhanced security. But the question remains: how many of those who sat the leaked paper have already secured offers from UK universities? And how many of those offers were based on fraud?
The GMC has so far declined to comment, but sources say they are “monitoring the situation closely”. In the meantime, admissions officers are left to sift through thousands of applications, wondering which ones are real.
One thing is certain: the money trail will lead somewhere. And when it does, the suits in charge of India's exam system will have some explaining to do.