NTA reform: Parliamentary panel’s 382nd report seeks CBT and more staff
Why in the news
On October 9, 2026, the Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports presented its 382nd Report, on improving and strengthening the National Testing Agency (NTA), to the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha. The committee is chaired by Mukul Wasnik, a Rajya Sabha MP.
Key facts
- Scale: About 1.2 crore students sit NTA exams each year. More than 22 lakh candidates take NEET-UG.
- Staffing: Only 23 of 39 sanctioned permanent posts are filled, about 41% vacant. The panel wants permanent specialist cadres.
- Centres: At least one test centre per district and 1,000 secure government-owned CBT centres.
- NEET-UG: A phased shift to computer-based testing (CBT) once infrastructure and rural access are ready, with a hybrid model until then. The report refers to the cancellation of NEET-UG 2026.
- Radhakrishnan Committee: Of its 101 recommendations, 60 relate to 2025 and 2026; the panel wants pending ones implemented quickly.
- Law: Amend the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024, for example to bar rallies near centres on exam days.
- Other ideas: an independent audit and grievance body, a candidate rights charter, annual equity audits and an in-house cybersecurity team.
About the National Testing Agency
NTA was formed in 2017 under the Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education. It conducts major entrance and eligibility tests such as JEE Main, NEET-UG, UGC-NET and CUET.
Exam angle
- Report number: 382nd; chair: Mukul Wasnik; presented to the Rajya Sabha Chairman.
- NTA formed in 2017; conducts JEE Main, NEET-UG, UGC-NET and CUET.
- Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act was enacted in 2024.