Centre introduces four-tier paper checks in major NTA overhaul

The Centre on Tuesday announced a major overhaul of the National Testing Agency's (NTA) examination system, introducing a four-tier question paper scrutiny mechanism, replacing 600 experts and strengthening security measures following a series of examination-related controversies,according to agency reports.The decisions were taken after a meeting chaired by Union Education Minister Pralhad Joshi on Monday, during which he directed the agency to implement all necessary security and infrastructure measures to ensure the smooth and secure conduct of examinations.
NTA Director General Abhishek Singh later briefed the ministry on the measures undertaken by the agency."A revamp of the examination team was undertaken with 600 experts being removed and new experts being onboarded," the Education Ministry said in a post on X.

As a follow up meeting on NTA, Union Education Minister Shri @JoshiPralhad directed that all necessary security and related infrastructural facilities should be put in place for the smooth conduct of examinations.

Following directions from the Minister, DG, NTA apprised on the… pic.twitter.com/SCSnko504d

— Ministry of Education (@EduMinOfIndia) August 18, 2026

According to agency reports, the ministry also announced that a four-tier question paper checking system would be introduced to strengthen scrutiny and reduce the possibility of errors and irregularities.As part of the restructuring, 20-25 officials are expected to be inducted over the next two to three weeks, while a broader recruitment plan was also reviewed during the meeting.
The ministry said NTA offices would be shifted to new premises on a "war footing", with security reinforced through the deployment of Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel.The agency's procurement requirements now include round-the-clock security services, computer-based examinations, CCTV surveillance, frisking and enhanced examination monitoring.The overhaul follows recent examination lapses, including issues related to the UGC-NET June 2026 question papers that resulted in re-examinations in three subjects, as well as the earlier NEET-UG paper leak that triggered widespread protests.On August 17, Joshi directed the NTA to conduct a comprehensive audit of all examination processes and submit a corrective-action report within 30 days. He also ordered a complete overhaul of the agency's Confidential Operations (CONOPS) architecture, including secluded rooms, air-gapped systems and device-deposit protocols.