New Delhi-Several reports have been widely circulated claiming that students appearing for national-level entrance exams, including the National Eligibility and Entrance Test (NEET), will no longer be allowed to choose their exam city. However, there has been no official confirmation from the National Testing Agency (NTA) or the Ministry of Education regarding the change in exam policy. The reports regarding the removal of exam city selection came after theNTAactivated the demo link for JEE Main 2026 registration. They claim that this decision was taken to ensure greater transparency in the entrance exam and prevent cheating and malpractice. According to aCareer360Media news report, days after the NTA announced that JEE Main registration 2026 would begin in October, it activated the demo link on October 7. Soon after, some media reports suggested that the NTA had removed the exam city option for the national-level entrance exams. Calling this a major policy change, the reports say that candidates will no longer be able to select their preferred exam city. Previously, applicants had the option to choose four exam cities. The report states that exam centres will now be allocated based on the permanent address provided on the Aadhaar card. "In a move set to reshape the way students appear for national-level entrance exams, the National Testing Agency (NTA) has announced major changes to exam centre allocation. Beginning with the 2026-27 academic session, candidates appearing for exams like JEE Main, NEET-UG, and CUET-UG will no longer be able to choose their preferred test cities. Instead, exam centres will be assigned strictly based on the address listed on the candidate's Aadhaar card, a decision aimed at enhancing transparency and curbing malpractice," reportsIndiaToday Also Read: KNRUHS extends free exit deadline for MBBS candidates admitted upto round 2 counselling The Careers360 report adds that 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 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"," adds Careers360.