'NTA Eyes Global Expansion Of India’s Digital Examination Framework After Strengthening Domestic Systems': DG Abhishek Singh

The National Testing Agency (NTA) is pursuing a dual strategy for the future of India's examination system. On one hand, the agency is consolidating and enhancing its domestic systems to ensure error-free, fair assessments. On the other hand, NTA envisions its examination framework as a scalable digital public good that can be adopted by other nations, including those in the BRICS bloc.

Speaking to ANI during the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi, NTA Director General Abhishek Singh elaborated on this roadmap. According to Singh, India's robust digital infrastructure, including Aadhaar-based and face authentication methods, has already addressed candidate verification challenges. These systems are already employed in numerous NTA-conducted examinations, such as NEET, JEE Main, CUET, UGC NET, and NIFT, all of which are currently administered via Computer-Based Testing (CBT).

Singh emphasized that pen-and-paper exams are being phased out in favor of CBT, which will be the norm across most of NTA's assessments in the near future. While cross-border testing is a plausible next step, it will only occur after domestic systems are thoroughly strengthened and made error-free. Singh reiterated that the agency is currently focused on perfecting its domestic infrastructure, with global expansion following once these systems are robust and secure.