Panel Recommends Pen-and-Paper Exams for NTA After Failures

A parliamentary committee has strongly suggested that the National Testing Agency (NTA) should go back to traditional pen-and-paper exams. This recommendation follows many problems with computer-based tests held by NTA in 2024. Issues like exam postponements, paper leaks, and question errors affected thousands of students across India.

Parliamentary Panel Calls for Offline Exams

The Standing Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports has asked NTA to consider changing how it conducts major competitive exams. The committee wants NTA to use pen-and-paper tests instead of computer-based exams (CBTs) to improve reliability.

NTA's Exam Problems in 2024

In 2024, NTA faced serious challenges in at least five out of its 14 competitive exams. These problems raised concerns about fairness and security. Key issues included:

• NEET UG: This medical entrance exam faced paper leak controversies.
• CSIR NET and UGC NET: Both national eligibility tests were postponed.
• CUET (UG/PG): Results for this university entrance test were delayed.
• JEE Main 2025: 12 questions were removed from answer keys due to errors.

These repeated problems have reduced student trust in NTA.

Why Return to Pen-and-Paper?

The committee believes pen-and-paper exams are more secure and less prone to technical issues or leaks. They suggested NTA study the successful methods of CBSE and UPSC. These boards have conducted offline exams for years without major problems, offering a strong model for NTA to regain public confidence.

Other Important Recommendations for NTA

The parliamentary committee also offered NTA more advice:

• Government Centers for CBTs: If NTA uses computer-based tests, these should only be held in government-controlled centers to ensure better oversight and reduce risks.
• Improve NTA's System: The committee urged NTA to seriously improve its operations. This is vital to prevent future exam failures, leaks, and delays, and to rebuild student trust.

NTA's Financial Overview

The committee reviewed NTA's budget. Over the last six years, NTA received about INR 3,512.98 crore . It spent around INR 3,064.77 crore , leaving approximately INR 448 crore in its reserve funds.

Upcoming JEE Main 2026 Exam Dates

For students planning for JEE Main 2026, here are the announced dates:

Registration for JEE Main 2026 Session 1 is closed. Applications for Session 2 will start in the last week of January 2026 . Students should check NTA's official website for updates.