Daijiworld Media Network – Mangaluru

Mangaluru, Jul 18: The National Testing Agency (NTA) has announced the results of the NEET UG 2026 re-test, with over 11.20 lac candidates qualifying across the country.

Students who studied at educational institutions in Dakshina Kannada (DK) district have once again delivered an impressive performance. Although the number of top-ranked students has declined slightly compared to last year, the region has created a new record with a significantly higher number of students scoring above 600 marks.

A total of 5,570 students from Dakshina Kannada registered for the examination this year, of whom 4,343 appeared. Karnataka continues to be the state with the highest number of MBBS seats in the country. For the 2026–27 academic year, the National Medical Commission (NMC) has increased MBBS seats across India, with Karnataka receiving a significant share. This is expected to improve admission opportunities for students in the state.

According to education experts, while the number of students scoring above 600 has increased considerably this year compared to last year, the number of students securing top ranks has declined. Last year, the region had more students in the top ranks, they noted.

Experts attribute the decline in top rankings to several factors. One of the primary reasons, they said, was that the NTA had scheduled the re-test following the question paper leak in the first NEET examination. However, many educational institutions were unable to focus adequately on preparing students during the re-test period.

They pointed out that the commencement of PUC classes during the same period made it difficult to conduct dedicated coaching sessions for NEET aspirants. In addition, many students were reluctant to undergo another round of intensive preparation for the re-test. According to experts, these factors were reflected in the overall ranking performance.