A NEET or JEE candidate who disputes the score has the right to inspect the OMR sheet, the recorded responses, the answer key used, and the normalisation formula under the RTI Act, 2005. The National Testing Agency (NTA) is a public authority under the RTI Act. The Supreme Court in Central Board of Secondary Education v. Aditya Bandopadhyay (2011) settled the candidate's right to the answer sheet. The RTI route applies after the official answer-key challenge window closes or in parallel. Fee is Rs. 10. The PIO has 30 days to reply under §7(1).
📥 Use these before filing
NTA opens a paid answer-key challenge window for 3 days (Rs. 200 per challenge). The RTI route applies after the challenge window closes or in addition to it.
NTA conducts NEET-UG (about 24 lakh candidates), JEE-Main (about 14 lakh), NEET-PG, CUET-UG, CUET-PG, UGC-NET, and other tests. Common anomalies:
The NTA helpline gives a status check. The RTI route forces the PIO to disclose the OMR image, evaluator-recorded marks, the answer key used, and the normalisation formula.
To,
The Public Information Officer,
National Testing Agency,
First Floor, NSIC-MDBP Building,
Okhla Industrial Estate,
New Delhi - 110020
Subject: Request for information under §6(1) of the Right to
Information Act, 2005, regarding OMR sheet and answer key for
[NEET-UG / JEE-Main / Other] [Year], Application Number
[XXXXXXXXXX].
Sir / Madam,
I, [Your full name], a citizen of India, residing at [Your address],
appeared in [Examination name + Year + Session number] on
[DD-MM-YYYY], request the following information under §6(1) of
the RTI Act, 2005:
Examination: [NEET-UG / JEE-Main / NEET-PG / CUET-UG / Other]
Year and Session: [As applicable]
NTA Application Number: [XXXXXXXXXX]
Roll Number: [XXXXXXXXXX]
Date of Birth: [DD-MM-YYYY]
Centre Name and Code: [Centre, Code]
Shift / Slot: [As applicable]
Result date: [DD-MM-YYYY]
Score declared: [As applicable]
1. A certified scanned image of my OMR answer sheet (for
pen-paper exams) OR the recorded response sheet (for online
exams).
2. The official final answer key used for evaluation of my paper.
3. The provisional answer key released to candidates, with the
list of questions where the final key differed from the
provisional, and the reasons recorded.
4. The question-wise marks awarded to me, including negative
marking applied for incorrect responses.
5. The normalisation formula used for the session, with my
normalised percentile and the raw-to-percentile mapping.
6. The tie-breaker policy applied for ranking candidates with
identical scores.
7. The list of questions deleted, dropped, or awarded full marks
to all candidates in my paper, with the reasons recorded.
8. The Commission's policy on re-evaluation and the route to
dispute the score after this disclosure.
I rely on the Supreme Court ruling in //Central Board of Secondary
Education// v. //Aditya Bandopadhyay// (Civil Appeal 6454/2011),
which held a candidate is entitled to inspect his or her own
evaluated answer sheet under the RTI Act.
I am enclosing Rs. 10 as the prescribed application fee by way of
Indian Postal Order No. [XXXXX] dated [DD-MM-YYYY]. I undertake to
pay additional copying charges at Rs. 2 per page on the PIO's
written estimate.
Kindly supply the information within 30 days as required under §7(1)
of the Act.
Yours sincerely,
[Signature]
[Printed name]
[Phone] · [Email]
Date: [DD-MM-YYYY]
Place: [City]
Two routes, used together:
File both. The challenge gets your question reviewed; the RTI gets you the evidence.
Anomaly not corrected? Writ + §20 prayer.
When NTA refuses to act on a documented anomaly, the next step is a writ petition in the relevant High Court (Delhi HC for NTA, where the headquarters is). The RTI disclosure is your evidence. In parallel, file a Second Appeal with a §20(1) prayer for Rs. 25,000 penalty on the NTA PIO. Read the §20 guide.
Templates: RTI Application Format · First Appeal Format · Second Appeal Format
Stuck? Use the AI RTI Drafter.
Yes. The National Testing Agency is registered under the Societies Registration Act and is wholly funded by the Government of India. It is a public authority under §2(h) of the RTI Act, 2005.
No. The Aditya Bandopadhyay ruling applies to every evaluation body. NTA has accepted this in repeated CIC orders. A blanket refusal under §8(1)(e) does not survive.
The provisional key is released for candidate challenge. The final key reflects corrections after the challenge. The RTI is for the final key plus the deviation list. The final key is what was used to score your paper.
NTA has historically been reluctant. The CIC has ordered disclosure in multiple matters. Cite the §8(2) override and the public-interest test from Subhash Chandra Agarwal (2019).
The RTI applies to information held by the public authority. Before the result, the score is not yet finalised. The right route before result is the answer-key challenge.
Ask in the RTI for the list of deleted questions and the rationale. If the deletion was arbitrary, the writ remedy in the High Court applies. All India NEET Counselling Bench orders provide useful precedent.
NEET / JEE appeals are usually fast-tracked because of admission deadlines. CIC orders typically come within 6-9 months. For urgent admission cycles, ask for an early hearing date in the Second Appeal.
Last reviewed: 28 May 2026, RTI Wiki editorial team.