NIFT 2026 Stage 2 Results Spark Student Outrage Over Marking Errors; NTA to Review Complaints

NIFT 2026: National Testing Agency (NTA) has come under fire once again by the masses due to the anomalies observed in the final result for Stage 2 of National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) 2026 released on June 3rd. These latest anomalies have erupted just when the testing body had been embroiled in one controversy after another, causing huge dissatisfaction among citizens. Students have been making use of social media sites to vent out their anger about anomalies in scorecard calculation, erroneous entry of marks due to failure in recording attendance, and mistakes in verification process on test day. Several students who appeared for the test found themselves to be marked 'absent' in their official sheets while students who were absent during the examination were marked 'present' and allotted high scores. 

Moreover, there have been several cases of failure in conducting mandatory fingerprinting for test takers. In reaction to the increasing pressure exerted by concerned students and citizens, the officials at the NTA have admitted to anomalies. According to these officials, the claims made by the students are now under immediate scrutiny; however, these latest anomalies may hinder the entire counseling process of NIFT across India.

Core Discrepancies Flagged by Aspirants

• Misplaced Attendance Status: Several candidates who participated in the physical conduct of the Situation Test on April 26 claimed that they had been marked entirely “Absent” on their final scorecards. On the other hand, substantial evidence was published on platforms such as Reddit that pointed to a pattern whereby students who had not even appeared for the Situation Test were marked “Present” and scored high marks in the process.  

• Unreasonable Scoring of GAT and Situation Test: The discrepancy between candidates’ manually verified response papers against the NTA’s official GAT answer key has shown mathematical disparities in their final scorecards. Similarly, there was an unusual number of students scoring single digit numbers (under 10 out of 30) in their Situation Tests despite very good performances expected of them.  

• Failure to Verify Candidates’ Identities: A number of students from prominent urban examination centers, including centers in Mumbai and Kolkata, stated that there was no attempt whatsoever made by the invigilators in verifying their identities through biometric fingerprints and thumbprints.

Official Response and Counseling Status

Although according to the official information bulletin released by the NIFT, there are no set standard rules for conducting the re-evaluation or mark correction manually, sources close to the NTA have claimed that the process of addressing certain grievances has been started.

The occurrence of the marking scandal at this point has made it exceedingly difficult for the institution to arrange the coming academic year in order. Since the online counseling and choice filling for both undergraduate and postgraduate programs in all 20 design institutes across India are due to commence this month, candidates are requesting a thorough investigation into the merit lists.