The Centre has begun a major overhaul of the National Testing Agency (NTA), tightening the system for preparing and checking question papers and strengthening security around the agency’s operations. The move comes after a series of setbacks involving some of the country’s biggest entrance and eligibility examinations.The Education Ministry said on Tuesday that 600 experts associated with the NTA’s examination work have been removed and new experts are being brought in. A four-tier system for checking question papers will also be introduced to catch factual, typographical, and translation errors before papers reach candidates.The changes follow months of criticism over the NEET-UG paper leak and, more recently, serious errors in UGC-NET question papers.
Four layers of checking for examination papers
The government is now putting greater emphasis on the question-paper preparation process, an area that has come under sharp scrutiny.According to the Education Ministry, the NTA will introduce a four-tier checking mechanism. The idea is to ensure that a question paper does not reach the examination hall without passing through multiple levels of scrutiny.The move assumes significance after the NTA was forced to announce a fresh UGC-NET examination for English, Commerce and Sociology. A committee examining the papers found several factual, typographical and translation-related mistakes and concluded that they did not meet the standards expected of a fair and error-free examination.For candidates, such errors are not minor technical glitches. A flawed question paper can affect performance, create confusion during an examination and, in serious cases, force thousands of students to sit for the test again.
600 experts removed as NTA reshuffles examination team
The ministry said the NTA has already undertaken a major restructuring of its examination team, with 600 experts removed and new personnel brought on board.Another 20 to 25 officials are expected to be inducted within the next two to three weeks. The government has also reviewed a further plan for strengthening the agency’s manpower.The decision comes after the NTA’s examination processes came under sustained criticism. The government had already terminated the services of 47 NTA officials in July as part of its broader crackdown following the examination controversies.The latest move suggests that the government is not treating the problems as isolated incidents. Instead, it is attempting to overhaul the personnel and processes responsible for conducting the examinations.
NTA offices to get CISF security
The government is also tightening physical security at the NTA.The ministry said the agency’s offices will be shifted to new premises on a “war footing”, with security to be reinforced through Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) teams.Security has become one of the biggest concerns in the wake of the NEET-UG paper leak controversy. The examination system depends heavily on maintaining secrecy around question papers and protecting confidential material at every stage.The Education Ministry said Education Minister Pralhad Joshi, during a review meeting on Monday, directed officials to ensure that all necessary security and infrastructure arrangements were put in place for the smooth conduct of examinations.
UGC-NET errors add to pressure on NTA
The latest measures come at a particularly difficult time for the testing agency. On Sunday, the NTA announced that UGC-NET June 2026 would be conducted again for English, Commerce and Sociology after serious shortcomings were detected in the question papers.The decision has added to concerns over the reliability of the agency’s examination processes. Students preparing for competitive examinations often spend months preparing for a single test. When an examination has to be cancelled or repeated because of errors, the disruption extends far beyond the examination date.The government is now attempting to address that problem by putting additional layers of scrutiny between question-paper preparation and the final examination.
NEET-UG controversy triggered wider examination reforms
The NTA’s overhaul cannot be separated from the fallout of the NEET-UG paper leak controversy.The controversy triggered widespread student protests and intense political pressure. Former Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan eventually stepped down, while the government also removed Higher Education Secretary Vineet Joshi.The government has since taken several measures aimed at tightening the examination system, including administrative action against officials and changes in the legal framework dealing with examination malpractice.Parliament has also cleared the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026. The legislation provides for tougher penalties, fast-track courts and time-bound trials in cases involving paper leaks and other unfair means.
The real challenge is restoring students’ trust
The government has now announced changes at almost every level of the NTA’s functioning, from the people involved in preparing papers to the number of checks they will undergo and the physical security of the agency’s offices.But the success of the exercise will not be measured by the number of officials removed or new procedures announced. It will be measured by whether students can sit for an NTA examination without worrying about leaked papers, flawed questions, technical failures or last-minute cancellations.For an agency responsible for some of India’s most important examinations, credibility is not an administrative detail. It is the foundation of the entire system.The NTA has been given another opportunity to rebuild that credibility. This time, students will expect results, not assurances.(With inputs from PTI)
