A technical glitch during the CUET (UG) 2026 examination on Saturday affected candidates at several centres, prompting the National Testing Agency (NTA) to announce a one-time opportunity for some students to retake the test.According to the NTA, more than 3,700 candidates who had completed biometric registration but left their examination centres before the test could restart will be allowed to appear for a rescheduled examination.The issue delayed the start of Shift 1 at some centres. The agency said that after the problem was resolved, most candidates were able to complete their examination. However, 3,765 students chose to leave before the exam resumed.“Most candidates were able to complete their exam once it resumed. We understand that 3,765 candidates who were present and had completed biometric registration chose to leave before the exam could restart,” the NTA said on X.“For these candidates, NTA will hold a rescheduled examination as a one-time measure,” it added.The agency said details of the fresh examination date will be announced separately. It also apologised for the disruption and said the technical service provider, TCS iON, has been asked to conduct a root-cause analysis and submit a report immediately.“We know this was stressful, and we’re sorry for the anxiety it caused,” the NTA said.Earlier in the day, the NTA said the technical issue had been resolved and candidates were being given full compensatory time. Morning shift candidates were allowed to complete the full duration of the paper, while the afternoon session began later than scheduled.The revised reporting time for the afternoon session was 2.30 pm, and the examination started at 4 pm instead of 3 pm.TCS CEO and Managing Director K Krithivasan said a “brief technical issue” caused a delay of around two hours in the morning shift. “The issue was promptly identified and resolved by our technical teams and the examination has since resumed without any impact to the sanctity of the exam. We regret the inconvenience,” the company said.Meanwhile, several students and parents took to social media to complain about long waiting hours and a lack of communication at some centres.One user wrote, “CUET 2026 students forced to wait 3-4 hours due to technical glitches. No proper communication, no arrangements, students and parents suffering in extreme heat.”Another user claimed that students and parents had reached a Delhi examination centre early in the morning, only to find that the test had not started hours later.CUET-UG is the national-level entrance examination for admission to undergraduate programmes in central, state and several private universities. Conducted by the NTA, the exam has faced operational challenges in previous years as well, including delays, technical problems, centre changes and rescheduled tests.
