Securing NEET through a resilient NTA

May 3, 2026, was a momentous day in the lives of more than 22 lakh students across the nation who appeared for NEET-UG 2026. This centrally administered test conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) is the second most sought-after entrance examination after JEE Main for any student graduating from high school. Naturally, the stakes were very high for students, parents and their relatives.

Now, for anyone who was following NTA in the build-up to the test, the agency had been gearing up for the day. Having implemented the key recommendations of the K. Radhakrishnan Committee Report (2024), the agency was communicating with candidates on a regular basis through its social media platforms. It looked fully prepared to deliver a hassle-free examination experience to students. It was confident of conducting a fair and transparent examination, having instituted major evidence-based reforms.

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The K. Radhakrishnan Committee, a High-Level Committee of Experts constituted by the Union Ministry of Education on 22 June 2024, proposed a set of reforms for making NEET robust, secure and breach-proof. For example, it recommended close coordination between the states and the Centre through state- and district-level committees, mandated to cross-check for oversights in the real-time administration of the test. The committee also recommended the use of advanced technology and artificial intelligence to ensure fool-proof security of the examination system. Biometric verification of candidates, AI-based CCTV surveillance at examination centres, and GPS-enabled vehicles for transporting test papers were made mandatory. Clearly, the trust and faith that more than two million students reposed in the agency were expected to be upheld.

Everything was in place. All boxes were checked. No impersonation of candidates could take place. Every movement in and around the test centres was closely monitored through technology and AI. The transportation of the examination papers was tracked from end to end.

And yet, the unthinkable happened on May 7. Millions of students were disappointed as news of the paper leak flooded the print, electronic, digital and social media with the same intensity and speed. NEET-UG 2026 had been compromised. The criminal mafia network appeared to have hoodwinked the examination system.

But as facts emerged and the crime scenes unfolded, the system itself seemed to have functioned properly, because the scam had been operationalised by the coaching mafia and the accused individuals outside the NTA system.

What has truly been positive is that there has been no cover-up. On the contrary, both the government and the NTA have continuously communicated facts to the students. Nor have they asked stakeholders to look for a silver lining in this episode — namely, the reforms introduced over the last two years to make the examination system more resilient and transparent.

Within five days of the paper leak, the NTA cancelled the examination. This is clear evidence that the agency has nothing to hide and is determined to serve students with complete integrity and transparency. There may be loose ends in any system, but it is preferable to trust a system that responds with transparency. It is unfortunate that there are political voices harbouring nostalgia for the pre-NEET era, when a free-for-all scenario existed for medical seats to be secured under college and management quotas by those with access and resources.

The agency has made sincere efforts to alleviate the distress caused to students by refunding their examination fees and waiving the fee for the re-examination to be conducted on 21 June. Furthermore, the assurance given to students that they will have examination centres close to their homes and that admit cards will be issued well in advance has brought them relief. These developments demonstrate a strong sense of solidarity with students and parents.

The death knell for the criminal coaching mafia was the decision announced by the Union Minister of Education, Dharmendra Pradhan, on May 15, 2026, that the NTA would adopt the Computer-Based Test (CBT) mode from NEET 2027 onwards. This was to be a radical structural reform recommended by the K. Radhakrishnan Committee. The NTA must now bring all its efforts together to create the physical and digital infrastructure required for nearly two and a half million students who will appear for NEET-UG from next year onwards. High-end encryption on secure servers, directly deliverable to candidates at examination centres, would make the system impregnable.

And there are no two ways about NTA. The establishment of the NTA as an autonomous organisation in 2017 was a breakthrough reform. The goal of Viksit Bharat 2047 necessitates knowledge and skill standardisation across the length and breadth of the country in order to provide the youth with a common trajectory for professional growth and career advancement. With the recently announced reforms, the NTA enables a uniform and standardised examination system that ultimately safeguards impeccable integrity and transparency.

(Professor Dhananjay Singh is Member Secretary, Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR). The views expressed in this piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost’s views.)