Persistent NTA woes show why One Nation One Exam model doesn’t work in India

It was supposed to replace chaos with credibility—meant to be a single, centralised authority to bring fairness, precision, and order to the entrance exam system. But eight years later, the National Testing Agency (NTA) stands accused of the very things it was meant to eliminate: opacity, lack of accountability and numerous errors.

From paper leaks to last-minute date and centre changes, as well as faulty answer keys and frequent technical glitches, the examinations conducted by the NTA have faced various issues. In 2024, after a massive NEET-UG (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test-Undergraduate) paper leak in Bihar (which the NTA denied), the Ministry of Education established a seven-member expert panel, chaired by former ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) Chairman K Radhakrishnan, to address irregularities.

Some of the committee’s recommendations were adopted, but the entrance exam system continues to be riddled with myriad problems. Experts say this points to a systemic error, which begs the question — does a “One Nation, One Exam” model work in India?

Also read: NTA flags 'fake' info on NEET-UG paper leaks in Telegram, Instagram channels

Growing load, more trouble

The NTA was established in 2017 to “improve equity and quality in education by administering research-based valid, reliable, efficient, transparent, fair and international-level assessment”, and conduct “efficient, transparent and international standards tests”.

In July 2018, then Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar said the NTA would conduct the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Main and NEET-UG twice a year, along with the National Eligibility Test (NET), the Common Management Admission Test (CMAT), and the Graduate Pharmacy Aptitude Test (GPAT).

Media reports say that in 2019, the NTA conducted 23 exams for which 68.8 lakh students had registered. By 2023, the body was conducting 66 exams with 1.33 crore registrations – its peak. With each passing year, the issues increased.

Also read: NTA under fire again – now over 'disputed' questions in JEE Main exam

Issues with JNUEE

In 2019, the NTA conducted the Jawaharlal Nehru University Entrance Exams (JNUEE) for the very first time. The descriptive, offline mode of examination was replaced with the online, MCQ (multiple choice question) mode. The NTA faced allegations of paper leak and problems with the answer key, both of which the agency denied.

Teachers say the change has also brought additional issues. “Handing over the JNUEE to the NTA has proved fatal for the JNU academic calendar because of the delays in the holding of the exam. Whereas our admissions once used to be completed, without fail, latest by three weeks of the declaration of the results, those are rarely completed before 12 weeks now,” JNU professor Ayesha Kidwai told The Federal.

“The second impact is on the quality of the students admitted. Whereas the JNUEE tested all the skills a candidate had—background knowledge, imagination, memory, argumentation, and the ability to synthesise all of these skills together—the NTA exam tests nothing but the luck the student has in picking the right answer,” she said.

Also read: NTA 'lapses' in NEET-UG 2024: SC closes case as Centre says it will implement reforms

Other “casualties”

Kidwai said teachers’ academic freedom and university autonomy were also a “casualty”.

“Once, we could ask questions commensurate with what our respective fields considered to be ‘cutting edge’ and/or relevant at a particular point of time, for pursuing particularly higher studies. However, the format of the NTA exam targets at best basic, but at most times irrelevant, knowledge in our disciplines. Particularly for PhD students, this makes no sense, as the exam results do not provide us with any sense of the student’s skills of analysis and ability to think out of the box,” said Kidwai.

NEET-UG fiasco

The two biggest exams conducted by the NTA are NEET and CUET (Common University Entrance Test). Through the latter, examinations are also held for Delhi University (DU). The biggest blunders have also been committed in these exams.

Ritu Antil sat for the NEET-UG exam in 2019 in Kota, Rajasthan. There were allegations of paper leaks in a few cities of that state. “It affected our results even though we were not part of it. They only considered rank 2000 and above; if not for the leak, I think even up to 6,000 rankers would have made it,” she said.

Antil’s cousin Rinku, who sat for the same exam in the same year, was affected by a different issue. “Her official result was 125 marks, but her OMR (Optical Mark Recognition) sheet showed 550 marks. We ran from pillar to post, but nothing happened. Now the case is ongoing in the Chandigarh High Court,” she said.

Also read: NEET-UG to remain pen-and-paper based: NTA

From 8 minutes to 2 hours

Faizan Ahmad appeared for the NEET-UG exam in Samastipur, Bihar, this year and said it was hugely disorganised. “Before we can enter the exam hall, there is an authentication process. They tally our barcode, etc. The last time I sat for the exam in 2023, it took eight or nine mins. This time, the whole process took two hours. How is one supposed to take an exam after that?” he pointed out.

In 2024, a major scandal broke out. While the NTA denied allegations of a question paper leak, Bihar Police arrested 13 people, including four examinees, who allegedly paid Rs 30–50 lakh for early access to the NEET-UG question paper. Additionally, in Godhra, Gujarat, a deputy superintendent was found filling out answer sheets for students. Both cases were handed over to the CBI.

That was not all. When the results came out, a record 67 students got the perfect score (720/720). Of these, 44 were able to get full marks because they got “grace marks” owing to an error in a question.

Also read: NTA to be restructured in 2025, to focus only on entrance exams: Dharmendra Pradhan

Panel for reforms

Under these circumstances, a high-powered committee was formed under K Radhakrishnan to suggest reforms. It recommended an “empowered and accountable Governing Body with three designated sub-committees to oversee 1) test audit, ethics and transparency, 2) nomination and staff conditions, and 3) stakeholder relationships”.

The committee also recommended that “NTA should primarily conduct entrance examinations” and that its scope to conduct other recruitment exams “may be considered after the capacity of NTA is augmented”, among other things.

The latter was done when, in December last year, Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said the NTA would not conduct any recruitment exams from 2025, and instead focus only on higher education entrance tests. He also said the agency would be “restructured” for which new posts would be created.