THE National Testing Agency on Friday told the Supreme Court that it is all set to conduct the NEET-UG exam in computer-based test (CBT) mode from next year instead of the pen and paper mode after consulting the Centre. The National Testing Agency (NTA), responsible for conducting the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET), made the statement before the apex court, which is hearing a batch of petitions related to the paper leak this year that led to the cancellation of the May 3 exam. In an affidavit filed before a bench of Justices P S Narasimha and Alok Aradhe, the NTA said a high-level committee of experts (HLCE) has recommended transition of NEET-UG to CBT mode. It said that among the major NTA examinations, only NEET (UG) 2026 was conducted in the pen and paper (PPT) mode, primarily according to the scheme of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the National Medical Commission. It said all other major NTA examinations are already conducted in CBT mode. “The HLCE has specifically recommended transition of NEET (UG) from PPT to CBT mode, along with the introduction of multi-session and multi-stage testing,” said the affidavit filed by Director (Legal), NTA.

 

“The transition will be implemented from the next examination cycle in consultation with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (the client ministry for NEET-UG) - thereby bringing all major NTA examinations onto the CBT platform,” it said. The affidavit was filed in pursuance of the May 25 order passed by the apex court, which is hearing pleas, including the one seeking a direction to replace or restructure the NTA with a robust and autonomous body to conduct the medical entrance examination. In its affidavit, the NTA said it has acted in good faith, with due diligence and in accordance with law to safeguard the integrity of the national examination system and the interests of a very large majority of bona-fide aspirants whose effort and integrity is not in question, and will not be devalued. It said in June 2024, the Ministry of Education had constituted a HLCE under the Chairmanship of Dr K Radhakrishnan, a former chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation, to make recommendations for the reform of the NTA. The affidavit said the HLCE had submitted its comprehensive report to the Centre in October 2024 and the report contained 101 recommendations.

 

It said with a view to ensuring that the recommendations contained in the HLCE report were implemented in a structured, time-bound and accountable manner, the Ministry constituted a high-powered steering committee (HPSC) in November 2024 under the chairmanship of Radhakrishnan.