After a NEET aspirant alleged a serious sequencing error, the Supreme Court passed an interim order on August 5 for the manual re-evaluation of the NEET-UG 2025 paper of the candidate. The candidate claimed his question paper was not in a proper pattern; rather than a straightforward configuration from 1-180, the questions were divided into different sections: 1-27, 54–81, 28–53, 118–151, 82–117, and 152–180.
This mismatch with the OMR sheet’s correct order resulted in a reduction of marks and rank. Despite requesting a fresh copy during the exam, the candidate was denied. Appearing before Justices BV Nagarathna and KV Viswanathan, ASG Archana Pathak Dave described the situation as a “rarest of rare” case, citing only nine such reports among 25 lakh candidates across India.
Justice Nagarathna stressed that even if the error was genuine, the process must ensure fairness: “He may not get a seat, but he will have the satisfaction that the highest court looked into it.” The Court directed that the paper be manually checked and results submitted by August 12, 2025.
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NEET Improper Sequence Case: Overview
An examinee in the medical exam found their NEET-UG 2025 question paper to be scrambled, blocks of questions had been shuffled (1-27, 54-81, 28- 53, 118-151, 82-117 and 152-180), which did not follow the normal layout of the OMR sheet (1-180). This non-conformance could have led to errors in marking and time mismanagement.
A two-judge bench comprising Justice B. V. Nagarathna and Justice K. V. Viswanathan ordered that the National Testing Agency complete the manual evaluation of the assessment in one week. It was observed that the immediate manual assessment was necessary to maintain fairness and accuracy in the evaluation process. During the hearing exercise, Additional Solicitor General Archana Pathak Dave confirmed the error arose from the improper stapling process when preparing the examination paper.
| Detail | Information |
| Exam | NEET-UG 2025 |
| Issue | Incorrect sequence in the question paper |
| Cause | Stapling error |
| SC Directive | Manual re-evaluation |
| Order Date | August 5, 2025 |
| Evaluation Deadline | Within one week |
Manual Stapling Led to the Sequencing Error
The NTA (National Testing Agency) stated that the anomalous arrangement of questions was caused by incorrect stapling during the manual assembly of the candidate’s question paper. This error disrupted the sequence of questions, causing a mismatch between the printed paper and the said OMR sheet. Labeling it a “rarest of rare” event, the NTA pointed out that such incidents occur very infrequently in NEET history.
During the Supreme Court hearing, the bench expressed concerns about semi-skilled or semi-literate individuals handling the most critical tasks; a small mistake can greatly affect marks, ranking, and career prospects for an aspirant. The Court reminded everyone about the importance of checks and multi-layered verification for checking the papers, paper arrangement, sequence, and so on.
Key Facts of the NEET 2025 Wrong Sequence Case:
- Error: Incorrect stapling during booklet assembly.
- Impact: Sequence mismatch with OMR sheet.
- NTA: Termed it “rarest of rare.”
- Supreme Court: Stressed oversight, automation, and stricter quality checks.
NEET 2025 Wrong Sequence Case: Hon’ble SC Intervention
The NEET-UG 2025 wrong-sequence controversy reached the Supreme Court, where Justices B. V. Nagarathna and K. V. Viswanathan heard the matter. The dispute arose after a candidate claimed that an improperly stapled question booklet led to a mismatch between the question numbers and the Optical Mark Recognition (OMR) sheet, resulting in reduced marks and an affected rank.
Court’s Directives on NEET 2025 Sequence Anomaly
The bench issued clear instructions to ensure fairness:
- The candidate’s OMR sheet will be manually re-evaluated.
- Evaluation must be completed within one week.
- Results of the manual check will be officially recorded.
- The process should be subject to strict procedural oversight.
- The outcome will be communicated directly to the candidate.
Justice Nagarathna observed that the aspirant “will have the satisfaction of getting his papers manually checked,” underscoring that procedural justice is vital even if the result or admission chances remain unchanged.
Key Orders Summary
| Directive of the Body | Time | Purpose & Outcome |
| Manual re-evaluation of OMR by the SC | 1 week | Ensure fair scoring and provide accurate marks |
| Official Result Documentation by SC Registry | Right After Evaluation | Maintain a legal record and keep the evidence for the case |
| Oversight During Evaluation by NTA under SC guidance | During Re-check | Eliminate recurrence and promote transparency |
| Candidate Notification by NTA | Post-evaluation | Disclose outcome and offer transparency to candidates |
| Procedural Compliance Check by the Hon’ble SC | During the Case | Ensure fairness and maintain judicial integrity |
Other Reported Issues in NEET-UG 2025
While this sequencing case stands out due to its rarity, students have raised multiple other concerns this year, including:
- Layout inconsistencies in certain paper codes.
- Out-of-syllabus questions in a few versions.
- Misprinted diagrams or incomplete content in some question papers.
In June 2025, several test-takers formally reported such errors, yet the National Testing Agency (NTA) has not issued public clarifications for all grievances.
Implications of Incorrect Sequence in NEET 2025
The case regarding inconsistency and negligence in ensuring proper sequencing is a major concern, given the critical nature of the NEET examination. With the concerns raised against the paper sequencing error in NEET 2025, it is imperative for the students to know the implications of such an error on the career trajectory of the candidate. The table below highlights the major implications of the incorrect sequence of NEET questions and improper page arrangement.
| Implications of Incorrect Sequence in NEET 2025 | |
| Impact on the Candidate | Details |
| Mental Pressure | The fault in the sequence may create mental pressure while writing the exam |
| Challenge | Students may challenge the authorities and raise a complaint against the management for the anomaly caused. |
| Corrective Measure | When complaints are raised and the law of the country is strong, corrective measures may be taken to improve the situation. |
| Alertness and Reporting | It is crucial to stay alert during the NEET exam and report any mismatch or discrepancy found in the paper to the invigilator in charge immediately. |
Practical Steps for Students if Faced With Similar Errors
Students appearing for the NEET exam in the future must note that errors may arise, and it is always better to have a fair understanding of what to do when NEET 2025 errors arise. When errors arise in the NEET 2025 exam, such as improper sequencing, it is best to first check the paper sequence thoroughly.
Here are a few points to help you provide a practical guide on what steps to take if faced with similar errors.
- Before starting to write your paper, properly check the sequence of the questions.
- In case a mismatch is found in the sequence, notify or inform the invigilator immediately.
- Despite issues in the sequence, make sure to correctly mark the answers in your OMR sheet against the right question.
FAQs
The sequence of the NEET 2025 questions was wrong for one particular candidate. Due to a stapling error, the candidate faced issues while filling out the OMR sheet.
The Hon’ble SC ordered a manual evaluation of the answer sheet of the NEET applicant. The time allotted for the evaluation was 1 week. The Hon’ble SC also asked for a comprehensive report of the aforementioned evaluation.
The answer to this question depends on different factors such as the time taken to understand the questions, OMR sheet marking mistakes, mental pressure, and so on. NEET scores may be affected by the 2025 improper question sequencing.
