NTA revamps its examination team: 600 experts removed, offices shifted to new premises
The government on Tuesday announced a major overhaul of the National Testing Agency’s (NTA) examination system, including a four-tier question paper checking process, the removal of 600 experts and the onboarding of new ones.
The NTA will also strengthen security at its offices by shifting them to new premises and deploying Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) teams, the Education Ministry said.
The overhaul comes amid scrutiny of examination lapses, including the recent UGC-NET paper-related issues and the earlier NEET-UG paper leak, which triggered widespread protests and led to a major rethink of the country’s examination system. The controversy also led to the resignation of then Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who was succeeded by Pralhad Joshi.
The decisions were taken after a meeting chaired by Education Minister Pralhad Joshi on Monday. Joshi directed that all necessary security and infrastructure measures be put in place to ensure the smooth and secure conduct of examinations.
NTA Director General Abhishek Singh subsequently briefed the ministry on the steps taken by the agency. “A revamp of the examination team was undertaken with 600 experts being removed and new experts being onboarded,” the Education Ministry said in a post on X.
The ministry also announced that a four-tier question paper checking system will be put in place to strengthen scrutiny and reduce the possibility of errors or other irregularities.
The NTA’s existing framework already involves multiple reviews of test items and the participation of subject experts and other testing professionals in question development.
As part of the staffing overhaul, 20 to 25 officials are expected to be inducted over the next two to three weeks. A further induction plan was also reviewed during the meeting.
The NTA conducts several major entrance and eligibility examinations, including JEE (Main), NEET (UG), CUET (UG) and UGC-NET.
The ministry said NTA offices will be shifted to new premises on a “war footing”, with security reinforced by CISF teams.
The agency’s procurement requirements also include round-the-clock security services, computer-based examinations, CCTV, frisking and examination monitoring, indicating a wider focus on strengthening examination infrastructure and security.
The latest measures are part of the government’s effort to restore confidence in the examination system after a series of controversies surrounding national-level tests.
On Monday, August 17, Union Education Minister Pralhad Joshi directed the NTA to conduct a thorough audit of all its examination processes and submit a corrective-action report within 30 days, following errors in the UGC-NET June 2026 question papers that led to re-examinations in three subjects.
Joshi also directed strict compliance with examination protocols and ordered a complete overhaul of the agency’s Confidential Operations (CONOPS) architecture, including secluded rooms, air-gapped systems and device-deposit protocols.
