After paper leak turmoil, NTA overhauls exam system with four-tier checks

Amid growing concerns and repeated instances of paper leaks raising questions over the security and reliability of competitive examinations, the National Testing Agency (NTA) is undertaking a major overhaul of its examination system, including a revamp of its question-paper setting process and tighter security at its offices.

Union Education Minister Pralhad Joshi directed the NTA to put in place all necessary security and infrastructure measures to ensure the smooth conduct of examinations, the Ministry of Education said in a X post on Tuesday.

The NTA has removed around 600 experts from its examination team and begun onboarding new experts as part of the revamp. It will also introduce a four-tier checking system for question papers to strengthen scrutiny and reduce the chances of errors.


The agency plans to induct another 20-25 officials over the next two to three weeks, with a further recruitment plan also reviewed by the ministry.

Also Read | CBI finds NEET-UG 2026 paper leak involved 3 NTA experts, multi-state conspiracy

The NTA's offices will also be shifted to new premises on a “war footing”, with security to be strengthened through the deployment of CISF teams.


The overhaul comes amid scrutiny of the NTA after it ordered a retest for UGC-NET June 2026 in English, Sociology and Commerce following errors in the question papers. It also follows the CBI's findings in the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak case, in which NTA subject experts were allegedly involved in accessing and sharing confidential examination material.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has concluded that the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak was the result of a well-organised, multi-state criminal conspiracy in which confidential examination questions were allegedly leaked by National Testing Agency (NTA) subject experts and passed through a chain of intermediaries to candidates in exchange for huge sums of money.

According to the chargesheet, the leaked questions were circulated through a chain of intermediaries and exchanged on platforms including Telegram and WhatsApp. The CBI said forensic analysis of seized mobile phones, pen drives and other devices uncovered PDF and image files containing the leaked questions, along with chats and other digital evidence tracing their movement among the accused. The agency has alleged that the papers were sold to candidates for large sums, with one deal involving an alleged payment of Rs 25 lakh.