India’s premier testing authority, the National Testing Agency (NTA), managed to conduct solely 29 exams in 2024, a file low that hasn’t been seen since 2019. Known for its expansive attain and scale in conducting main admissions and recruitment exams, the NTA now finds itself grappling with a sharp decline in efficiency, fueled by a turbulent yr of paper leaks, examination postponements, and administrative setbacks.
This dramatic drop was laid naked in parliament when the Ministry of Education revealed that the variety of exams performed this yr fell by greater than half in comparison with 2023, when 66 exams had been held. The variety of registered college students additionally noticed a vital dip, falling from 1.33 crore in 2023 to 85.78 lakh in 2024.
NTA’s examination conducting trajectory: Five-year overview
The NTA, established in 2017, has steadily expanded its attain over time, managing main entrance examinations like NEET for medical programs, JEE Main for engineering aspirants, and the CUET for undergraduate admissions.
After conducting 23 exams in 2019, the NTA shortly ramped up its operations, conducting 35 exams in 2020, 45 in 2021, and 44 in 2022. The peak got here in 2023 when it organized 66 exams attended by 1.33 crore college students. However, 2024 noticed a dramatic reversal of this pattern, with solely 29 exams held and 85.78 lakh college students registering—numbers extra reflective of the NTA’s early years than its latest progress. Here’s an summary of the variety of exams held by NTA in the final 5 years:
Modes of NTA exams: Technology and examination codecs
The knowledge supplied by the schooling ministry additionally sheds mild on how the NTA performed exams in 2024. Out of the 29 exams, solely 12 had been laptop-primarily based exams (CBTs), reflecting a noticeable reliance on conventional codecs.
The remaining exams included 4 hybrid (CBT plus pen-and-paper) exams, three solely pen-and-paper exams, seven exams with a mixture of written and interview-primarily based assessments, two English shorthand exams, and one distant-proctored take a look at. . The CUET UG, one in all NTA’s most important exams, was held in each CBT and pen-and-paper modes. However, wanting ahead, the UGC has confirmed that CUET UG will transition solely to the CBT format in 2025, as a part of broader examination reforms.
NTA in troubled waters: Exam postponements and allegations of paper leaks derail operations
The drastic decline in exams performed in 2024 coincided with controversies surrounding the NTA’s administration. Major exams such because the Common University Entrance Test for Postgraduate (CUET PG) programs and the University Grants Commission’s National Eligibility Test (UGC NET) had been postponed or canceled amid allegations of paper leaks and technical points. These lapses triggered widespread criticism and led to investigations into the company’s functioning.
In response, the previous NTA Director General, Subodh Kumar Singh, was placed on obligatory wait, and Pradeep Singh Kharola was appointed as the brand new Director General to supervise the company’s restoration.
Beyond administrative considerations, delays in funds to high school workers serving as examination functionaries added to the NTA’s troubles, additional highlighting inefficiencies in its operations. Earlier in the yr, throughout a parliamentary session, the Ministry of Education admitted that since its inception in 2018, the NTA had postponed exams 15 instances.
While the vast majority of postponements occurred in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, latest disruptions stemmed from administrative failures, technical glitches, and mismanagement.
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