NTA removes 600 experts, brings four-tier checks for question papers

The National Testing Agency (NTA) has taken significant steps to improve the quality control of its examinations. Six hundred experts have been removed from its panels, and 20-25 new officials are expected to join over the next two to three weeks. The agency has also decided to implement a four-tier checking process for all question papers before an examination, aiming to detect factual, language, translation and formatting errors.

This move follows a review of serious defects found in the June 2026 UGC-NET papers in English, Commerce and Sociology, which led to their cancellation. The agency is also in the process of shifting its offices to new premises, with Central Industrial Security Force teams deployed for increased security. Education Minister Pralhad Joshi has been briefed on these changes, with additional security and infrastructural arrangements being prioritized.

Joshi has also ordered a comprehensive audit of NTA's examination processes and initiated an overhaul of its confidential operations, including the introduction of air-gapped computer systems and mandatory device-deposit protocols. The agency is filling 10 professional leadership posts with private-sector specialists in areas such as cybersecurity, psychometrics, and question-paper design.