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A PDF lands in your class group: a logo, a reference number, a signature, and news that your exam has moved. It looks official, but that is no longer much of a clue. In a public notice dated 20 July 2026, the National Testing Agency (NTA) said images sent to it as the 'correct' NEET (UG) 2026 OMR sheets and score cards were fabricated, including sheets regenerated with AI-based image tools. So do not judge by looks: check where it came from.
Why are fake exam notices and 'leaked' papers so common?
Exam season brings rumours every year. CBSE's press note of 16 February 2026 warned that fake news during exams 'often includes false claims of question paper leaks and circulation of purported question papers', and that forwarding it may create anxiety and confusion.
Some of it is plain fraud. In a 16 June 2026 press release, NTA said Telegram channels with names like 'PAPER LEAKED NEET' demanded from a few thousand to several lakhs of rupees for the NEET (UG) 2026 re-examination paper, and that 'the promise of any such material is, in every instance, a fraud'. It also describes a trick: editing an old message after the exam to insert the real paper while the old timestamp stays, so the chat looks like proof of a leak.
Fake accounts copy the look of real ones too. A CBSE public advisory of 12 February 2024 listed 30 X handles using CBSE's name or logo, and named @cbseindia29 as its official X handle.
Which websites are official for NTA and CBSE?
Bookmark these now, before you need them:
NTA: nta.ac.in, with exam sites such as neet.nta.nic.in, jeemain.nta.nic.in and cuet.nta.nic.in, as listed on the NTA website.
CBSE: cbse.gov.in, the channel named in its 2026 press note, along with your CBSE regional office.
State boards and other exams: the address printed in your admit card or information bulletin, or given by your school.
The NIC registry's guidelines limit .gov.in addresses to government ministries, departments, courts and other public bodies. But official sites do not always end in .gov.in (NTA's main site ends in .ac.in), so learn the exact address.
How do you check if an exam notice is fake?
Run these five checks in order.
Find it yourself. Type the official address or use your bookmark, then look in the notices section; do not tap the forwarded link. If the notice is not there, treat it as unconfirmed.
Read the address from the right. If a link or QR code on the notice leads anywhere other than the exact official address, stop.
Look for money, secrecy or hurry. 'Pay to get the paper', 'share before it is deleted', 'register at this link today': NTA's June release says no such paper was available outside the secured examination chain.
Do not accept a screenshot as proof. NTA's July notice describes fakes with distorted pre-printed text from AI image tools, and score cards with altered marks whose QR code still points to the real record. Compare with the document on the official portal.
Ask your school or the exam body's published helpline.
Worked example: a 'revised date sheet' in the family group
Here is a made-up forward of the kind that circulates every exam season: 'CBSE revised Class 12 date sheet. Physics moved two days earlier. Download now: cbse-datesheet-update.example/notice.pdf'.
Check 1: you open cbse.gov.in from your bookmark. No such notice. Unconfirmed.
Check 2: the link belongs to cbse-datesheet-update.example, not cbse.gov.in. Fail.
Check 3: 'download now' urgency. Warning sign.
Verdict: do not change your revision plan. Keep the official date sheet and ask your school.
A reply you can paste into the group: 'I checked cbse.gov.in and this notice isn't there, and the link isn't a CBSE address. Let's wait for the school or the official site before sharing.'
What should you do with a fake notice or 'leaked' paper?
Do not forward it, and never pay. Report fraud offers to the National Cyber-Crime Helpline on 1930 or at cybercrime.gov.in, as NTA's June release advises.
For claims about central government bodies, PIB Fact Check takes complaints on WhatsApp at +91 8799711259; it covers only Union Government matters.
Never submit or share an edited document. NTA's July notice says creating or circulating a forged exam document is a cognisable offence under the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024. Genuine complaints go through official routes, such as challenging an NTA answer key or CBSE verification and revaluation.
The same habit of going back to the source also protects you when an AI chatbot cites references that do not exist.
A 'leaked paper' is most tempting when you feel behind. Fermi's AI tutor works out what you already know and builds a plan for the session, so you sit down to a clear next step instead of a rumour.
If rumours are making you panic, talk to a parent or teacher. Tele MANAS offers 24x7 tele-mental health counselling on the toll-free number 14416.
