JEE Main, NEET, CUET 2026: Claim on removal of exam city goes viral; what we know so far

Multiple reports claiming that students appearing for national-level entrance exams such as JEE Main 2026, NEET UG, and CUET will not be allowed to select their exam city have been circulated widely. However, there is no official confirmation from the National Testing Agency (NTA) or the ministry of education (MoE) regarding the shift in exam policy. JEE Main 2026 Registration LIVE

The report regarding the removal of exam city selection comes after the NTA activated the demo link for JEE Main 2026 registration. It claimed that the decision was taken to ensure greater transparency in the entrance exam, and prevent cheating and malpractices.

JEE, NEET, CUET 2026: Viral claim

Days after the NTA announced that the JEE Main registration 2026 will begin in October, it activated the demo link on October 7. Immediately after, a couple of media reports stated that the NTA has removed the exam city option for national-level entrance exams.

Candidates will no longer be able to select their preferred exam cities, the report said, calling it a major policy shift. Previously, applicants had the option to select four exam cities of their choice in the order of preference.

The exam centres will now be allotted based on the permanent address provided on the Aadhaar card, the report stated.

What did high-level committee recommend?

The viral claim seems to have stemmed from the high-level committee’s recommendation. A seven-member committee was set up by the MoE as per the direction of the Supreme Court, after multiple national-level exams were marred with irregularities last year.

The panel made several suggestions to curb paper leak, impersonation, cheating, and malpractices. Among them, one recommendation was to revise the exam city allocation policy to assign a nearby centre based on the details submitted by the applicants.

The high-level committee suggested a revision in the exam centre allocation policy in a manner that candidates are allotted a test centre within their district of current or permanent residence. It also called for detection of aberrations and strange patterns of centre selection through data analytics.

The tweak in policy was recommended after several candidates complained about far-off exam centres and others inexplicably opting for certain compromised exam centres.

Also read How to fill JEE Main 2026 application form? Session 1 registration begins at jeemain.nta.nic.in soon

Exam city option removed for JEE Main 2026?

No. The NTA has not announced the omission of JEE Main city selection option as of now. The confusion or speculation comes especially after the NTA’s latest update asking candidates to update details in their Aadhaar card, including address among other personal information, ahead of the JEE Main registration.

However, the NTA official notice does not explicitly mention that the city option is removed. On the contrary, the reports claimed that the "centre allocated will be strictly based on address given on ID proof".

The JEE Main demo link 2026 for registration provided a dedicated option for candidates to view the exam city.

JEE Main 2026 exam city option. (Source: NTA official)

Notably, the high-level panel also asked NTA to convert KVs, JNVs, and similar schools with good infrastructure into exam centres for the conduct of JEE, NEET, and CUET exams.

As per the latest update, the panel is reviewing the mismatch in the difficulty level between entrance tests and Class 12 exams to curb the growing dependency on the coaching centres.

Candidates are advised to wait for official confirmation from the NTA.