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The message usually arrives late at night: a blurry photo of a 'leaked' question paper, or a PDF saying the exam has been postponed. Your child has seen it too. What you do in the next ten minutes sets the tone for the rest of their preparation.
What do CBSE and NTA say about paper leak rumours?
Trust only what is on their own websites. During the 2025 board exams, CBSE called social media paper leak claims baseless and said they were intended to create unnecessary panic among students and parents. In the same statement it asked parents to advise their children not to engage with or believe unverified information, and to rely only on official communications on www.cbse.gov.in.
NTA, which runs JEE Main and NEET-UG, faced a different version of the problem in 2026. In a public notice dated 20 July 2026, it said that images of NEET (UG) 2026 OMR sheets and score cards sent in as the 'correct' documents were fabricated, and that the patterns it found included sheets regenerated with AI-based image tools. NTA said results would stand as declared on the genuine OMR sheet, and that genuine grievances should go through the helpdesk listed on its website.
Fake notices are not new either. In June 2022, PIB Fact Check flagged a notice claiming NEET-UG had been moved and said NTA had issued no such notice.
The law treats leaks as serious. The Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024 came into force on 21 June 2024. It covers exams run by bodies including NTA, UPSC and SSC, and offences such as leaking a paper carry three to five years in jail and a fine of up to Rs 10 lakh. NTA's 2026 notice adds that creating or circulating forged exam documents is an offence under the same Act.
How do you check if an exam rumour is true?
Use this five-minute check before you say anything to your child or forward anything to a group.
Open the exam body's own site yourself: cbse.gov.in for boards, nta.ac.in or the exam portal (such as neet.nta.nic.in or jeemain.nta.nic.in) for entrance exams, as listed on the NTA homepage. Do not tap the link in the message.
Look for a dated notice with a subject line and a signing officer. NTA's 20 July 2026 notice, for example, carries a date, subject, the signing officer's designation and a helpline.
If the news exists only in screenshots, Telegram channels or 'sources say' posts, treat it as unconfirmed.
Still unsure? Call the helpline printed on the official notice. That NTA notice lists 011-40759000.
Never pay for a 'leaked' paper, and never forward one.
Our guides on which school WhatsApp group messages to check and which to mute and on parents panicking from JEE Main and NEET-UG Telegram groups go further.
What should I tell my child about a paper leak rumour?
Children often take their cue from your level of alarm. Keep it short, factual and about what happens next. A script you can adapt:
"I saw the message too. I checked the NTA site and there is no notice about it."
"Until they put something on their own website, the exam is on the same date and our plan stays the same."
"If anything official changes, I will tell you, so you do not need to keep checking your phone."
"Is there a chapter you feel shaky on? Let's put it in tomorrow's plan."
Avoid guessing out loud ("they will surely cancel it") or saying 'just ignore it' without showing what you checked. If your teen snaps or goes quiet, our piece on responding calmly to a moody teenager during exam preparation has more.
How do you keep preparation steady when exam news is uncertain?
Act only on the case you are actually in.
Rumour only: no change. Keep the timetable, sleep time and mock schedule exactly as they were.
Official notice of a new date: re-plan once. Keep the same daily routine and put the extra days into weak chapters and one more full mock.
Official re-exam: treat it like a scheduled mock. Revise mistakes from the first sitting, not the whole syllabus.
A worked example: the exam is on Sunday and a 'postponed' PDF arrives on Thursday night. On Friday morning you check the official site, find nothing and tell your child the plan stands. You, not your child, check again at 8 am and 8 pm. Friday and Saturday run as planned: revision, a short timed practice set, the usual bedtime.
If an official change does give your child extra weeks and they do not know where to start, Fermi's AI tutor can work out what they already know and build a plan for the session, so the extra time becomes revision rather than waiting.
If worry affects your child's sleep, food or mood for days, or they talk about hopelessness, speak to your doctor. Tele MANAS is a free, 24x7 national mental-health helpline launched by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, reachable on 14416 or 1800-891-4416.
Tonight, bookmark the official exam page on your child's phone and on yours. It is the only notice board that counts.
