Mutual defects are subject to computer based testing at Jaipur exam center

The development has raised new questions about the reliability of the energy and technology infrastructure at the centers conducting high-level national exams. File | Photo credit: The Hindu

A computerized examination center in Jaipur’s Sitapura area came under control on Monday (31 Aug 2026) after technical issues disrupted the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) recruitment examination, a day after an internal power failure at the same facility forced the cancellation of the NEET-PG 2026 examination for 2,445 candidates.

The development has raised new questions about the reliability of the energy and technology infrastructure at the centers conducting high-level national exams.

The National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) had earlier said that the NEET-PG 2026 examination was successfully conducted for an overwhelming majority of candidates on Sunday (29 August 2026). More than 2.65 lakh candidates appeared in 1,111 centers across the country.

However, the exam could not be completed at two iON Digital Zone centers in Sitapura, Jaipur – test center numbers 41682 and 41683 – due to internal power failure.

NBEMS has scheduled a fresh exam for 2,445 affected candidates on September 5 at 3 PM in Jaipur.

But the problem resurfaced on Monday (August 31). The same iON Digital Zone facility was used for AIIMS Common Recruitment Examination-5 (CRE-5). The institute has canceled CRE-5 at two examination centers in Jaipur following disruption due to internal power supply problems, a source at AIIMS Delhi said.

The test was conducted across the country on Monday (August 31), the source said. At the two affected centers – RJ0101 and RJ0102 at iON Digital Zone in Sitapura, Jaipur, run by Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) – the test started at 9:00 am as scheduled.

However, the disruption subsequently affected the course of the examination, prompting AIIMS to cancel the test at two centres. The decision, according to the institute, was taken in the interest of the concerned candidates and to ensure a fair, transparent and equitable recruitment process.

Around 2000 candidates were registered in both centres. Of these, 1342 candidates appeared in RJ0101 and 436 in RJ0102.

AIIMS has scheduled a re-examination of the affected candidates on 7 September 2026.

The institute has also directed TCS, which runs the exam centers, to submit a detailed report on the incident. TCS was instructed to preserve system logs, CCTV footage and control room communications to facilitate a comprehensive assessment of the breach.

The NEET-PG 2026 examination was successfully conducted for over 2.63 lakh candidates across 1,111 centers in the country on Sunday (August 29), Venguswamy Ramaswamy, head of business unit iON, TCS said in a statement.

AIIMS CRE-5 was conducted on Monday (August 31) for over 21,000 candidates at 58 centres. A team of experts from suppliers responsible for electrical maintenance worked to quickly resolve the issue. Further, all possible measures have been put in place to avoid recurrence of such issues in future, the TCS statement added.

“We deeply regret the inconvenience this has caused to candidates taking the NEET-PG 2026 and AIIMS CRE examination at the center and are working with the relevant authorities to ensure that the candidates are able to complete these examinations at the earliest,” the statement said.

Published – 31 Aug 2026 23:13 IST