Top News

A Parliamentary Standing Committee backed the pen-and-paper mode of entrance examinations, citing the "leak-proof" track record of exams such as those conducted by the UPSC and CBSE. In its report submitted in December, months before the cancellation of NEET-UG 2026 amid alleged paper leaks, the committee advised the NTA to "closely study these models and implement the same".

Add Asianet Newsable as a Preferred Source

Debate Over Exam Modes: Pen-and-Paper vs CBT

The recommendation has gained significance amid renewed debate over the mode of conducting high-stakes entrance tests, with several experts arguing that the pen-and-paper format of NEET-UG, conducted for over 22 lakh candidates in a single shift across thousands of centres, makes it more vulnerable to leaks.

The recommendation contrasts with the suggestions made by the high-level committee led by former ISRO Chairman K Radhakrishnan in 2024, which had made a strong case for shifting from pen-and-paper testing (PPT) to computer-based testing (CBT). The expert committee had stated that there was a "strong case for the transition from PPT to CBT as the preferred methodology" and called for a robust CBT model with examinations conducted in multiple shifts as the "sure way forward".

However, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports, chaired by Digvijaya Singh, supported greater reliance on pen-and-paper examinations while acknowledging the trade-offs involved in both systems. "The Committee was informed that, with regard to securing the examination process, the tradeoffs are as follows. Pen and paper exams offer more opportunities for paper leaks, while computer-based tests (CBT) can be hacked in a manner that is difficult to detect," the report stated.

"Between the two, the Committee supported a greater focus on pen-and-paper examinations given that there are several models of such examinations which have been leak-proof for several years -- including the CBSE exams and the UPSC exams," it added. The panel also recommended that CBT examinations should be conducted only at government or government-controlled centres and "never in private centres".

Panel Slams NTA's Functioning

In its report, the committee expressed sharp criticism of the NTA's functioning, stating that its performance "has not inspired much confidence". It noted that in 2024 alone, at least five of the 14 competitive examinations conducted by the NTA faced major issues.

According to the report, UGC-NET, CSIR-NET and NEET-PG had to be postponed, NEET-UG saw instances of paper leaks, while CUET-UG/PG results were delayed.

The panel also pointed to the withdrawal of at least 12 questions from the final answer key of JEE Main 2025 due to errors, observing that such incidents "do not inspire confidence of the examinees in the system".

"The Committee therefore recommends that NTA need to quickly get their act together so that such instances, which otherwise are fully avoidable, do not occur in future," the report stated.

Key Recommendations for Improvement

The panel further recommended the creation of a nationwide blacklist of firms involved in paper-setting, administration and correction that have been barred by any state government or organisation, arguing that such entities should not be allowed to secure contracts elsewhere.

It also noted that the NTA generated a surplus corpus of around Rs 448 crore over the last six years and recommended that the amount be used to strengthen the agency's own examination and monitoring capabilities.

This is the first time since the National Testing Agency began conducting NEET in 2019 that the examination has been cancelled entirely. (ANI)