The human cost is devastating. A leaked paper is not merely an “irregularity”. It means a shattered, traumatised 18-year-old, a harried family, and a destroyed future. The cancellation of the NEET-UG examination this year reportedly pushed at least four young aspirants to die by suicide. As a mother, I have seen the crushing pressure these examinations impose. Even during the first year of NEET, confusion reigned.