When a paper is leaked, what gets damaged is the emotional world of lakhs of students and families who have invested their time, money, hope, and identity into that one entrance test. A good score is proof that one is intelligent and deserving. A poor score can feel like humiliation, failure, or the end of a dream. Thousands of students are disappointed when in spite of performing well, they are still not able to make it because the seats are limited. For the NEET UG 2026, around 22.05 lakh students were competing for 1.28 lakh seats.
For students, the psychological effect of a paper leak is deep. They feel that their efforts have been wasted by something beyond their control. That sense of injustice can trigger anxiety, irritability, and even hopelessness.
In many homes across Goa, a child’s exam is a family event. Parents contribute emotionally and financially, sometimes spending heavily on coaching, books, travel, devices, and repeated attempts. When a leak happens, parents fear the months of preparation being erased and the emotional cost of rebuilding motivation in their child again.
Why do people leak papers? Some leaks are driven by greed. In a high-stakes exam economy, a leaked paper can become a commodity that carries enormous value. People who leak papers tell themselves stories to reduce guilt: everyone does it, the system is corrupt anyway, we are only helping someone get ahead. This self-justifying thinking is a classic way the human mind protects itself from shame.
Some frightened by competition, are tempted to believe that a shortcut of buying the leaked paper is a solution. In a society where one exam can shape career, status, and marriage prospects, fear can overpower ethics.
When a single examination is treated like a life-or-death event, fear spreads everywhere. Students become overburdened. Parents become over-invested. Coaching becomes an industry. Success becomes sacred. Failure becomes shameful. Education should not turn into a high-pressure race where only the result matters, while ignoring the learning, the character and the growth of a student.
So can paper leakage be curbed? First, exam systems must become more secure, transparent, and technology-driven. Paper handling, storage, transport, and access must be tightened, with accountability at every stage. Those involved in leaks must face swift and serious punishment.
Second, we must reduce the emotional monopoly of one exam. Students should not be made to feel that one test determines their worth.
Third, parents need support and perspective. Parents need to reassure their child that life is bigger than one result. Finally, students themselves need a healthier relationship with success. Emotional balance matters. A young person should be taught that merit is valuable because it is earned.
The NEET leak episode is a psychology story. It tells us how fear, greed and pressure can distort human behaviour. For students, the damage is emotional. For parents, it is exhausting. For society, it is corrosive. If we want to stop paper leaks, we must do more than catch criminals. We must also change the culture that makes such crimes possible.
(The writer is Associate Professor and Head of Department of Psychology at St Xavier’s College, Mapusa)
