A parliamentary standing committee has submitted a detailed report calling for sweeping reforms to the National Testing Agency, which conducts major entrance exams for about 1.2 crore students annually. The Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports presented the 382nd Report to the Rajya Sabha on 9 October 2026, focusing on structural, procedural and institutional changes needed to strengthen exam integrity and rebuild public trust.
The report notes that the NTA conducts critical examinations such as JEE-Mains, NEET-UG, UGC-NET and CUET, serving as the gateway to India’s higher education system. However, recent controversies, including the cancellation of NEET-UG 2026 despite security measures, have raised concerns about the agency’s capacity to manage large-scale examinations.
Key facts
- About 1.2 crore students sit NTA examinations annually
- Only 23 of 39 sanctioned positions at NTA are currently filled, representing a 41 per cent vacancy
- Committee recommends establishment of 1,000 secure government computer-based testing centres
- Report submitted by committee headed by Shri Mukul Wasnik, M.P., Rajya Sabha
- Committee consulted with Secretary, Department of Higher Education; NTA leadership; and Dr. K. Radhakrishnan, former Secretary, Department of Space
- NEET-UG currently qualifies far more candidates than available seats in MBBS, BDS, AYUSH and nursing courses combined
Staffing and institutional structure
The committee identified a severe staffing shortage as a critical weakness. While the NTA has 39 sanctioned positions, only 23 are currently filled through deputation mode, where officers serve limited tenures of two to three years before returning to their parent departments.
The report argues that operating national-level entrance examinations requires sustained expertise built over several years, making temporary deputation unsuitable. The committee recommends that the NTA hire its own permanent officers, particularly specialists in psychometrics, examination security, digital infrastructure, data analytics and examination logistics. The committee views the 16 positions under the Central Staffing Scheme as supplementary senior leadership, not a substitute for domain expertise.
Exam security and question banks
To prevent paper leaks, the committee emphasizes investment in large, diverse and continuously updated question banks. In computer-based testing format, papers no longer need advance printing or transport to centres, allowing questions to be set very close to examination day using digital tools, with expert vetting only shortly before the test.
The report recommends that the NTA rely on genuine experts from renowned institutions like IITs, AIIMSs and IIMs to develop question banks and handle translations. The agency must establish a system to verify the track record and integrity of experts, ruling out conflicts of interest such as connections to private coaching centres or family members taking the exam. Paper vetters should be strictly isolated until examinations conclude.
Rebuilding public trust
The committee stresses that institutional culture matters as much as procedures. Every official, from the Director General to centre invigilators, must see themselves as guardians of examination integrity. The report notes that recent challenges have damaged public confidence in the NTA.
The committee recommends establishing robust, two-way communication channels with students, parents and educational institutions. Currently, the NTA’s engagement is largely one-way through portals and notifications. Dedicated feedback channels should become part of ordinary functioning, enabling the agency to respond to stakeholder concerns.
Transition to computer-based testing
The committee supports a phased transition to computer-based testing, noting that most NTA examinations already use this format. NEET-UG remains an outlier in relying on pen-and-paper testing. However, the shift must be accompanied by significant investment in government-owned infrastructure, particularly in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities and rural areas.
The report recommends at least one test centre in each district to minimise travel and financial burden on students. The NTA should support establishing mid-sized IT labs in schools and colleges nationwide. In areas lacking adequate computer infrastructure, a hybrid model could deliver encrypted questions to exam centres for local printing until full readiness is achieved.
Before implementing multi-session CBT-based NEET, a robust, transparent and independently audited normalisation methodology must be developed and explained publicly. Consultations should involve the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, medical regulators, students and families.
Procedural improvements
The committee recommends that invigilator formalities such as signing and checking be conducted in a separate 15-minute window before or after the examination, not during test time, to avoid disrupting student focus.
For students arriving late, the report suggests allowing entry after signing an undertaking to record late arrival, permitting them to attempt the exam only for remaining time with no extension granted.
The committee also recommends amending the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024 to direct district administrations to withhold permission for public rallies, processions or large gatherings on examination days and ensure traffic and law-and-order arrangements prevent candidate delays.
NEET-UG specific recommendations
The report notes that current NEET-UG qualification policies result in far more successful candidates than available seats, creating unnecessary stress for lakhs of students. The NTA and Ministry of Health and Family Welfare should conduct data-based, year-wise reviews of qualifying percentiles and cut-off methodology to reasonably align qualified candidates with actual seat availability without compromising merit.
Unlike the multi-stage Civil Services Examination, NEET-UG remains a single-stage test covering all medical streams and handling over 22 lakh students. The committee recommends examining the feasibility of a two-stage format with common prelims for all medical streams and specialised mains for specific courses, allowing separate testing and ranking of nursing and AYUSH candidates from MBBS aspirants.