Nilekani panel races to ready roadmap ahead of October deadline for 2027 rollout

New Delhi: The Nandan Nilekani-led High-Powered Task Force (HPTF) on examination reforms has got moving at full steam and is preparing an action plan well in advance so that changes can be implemented from the 2027 exam cycle of NEET-UG and other entrance exams, ET has learnt.

The first focus areas ahead of the 2027 cycle are likely to be enabling a multi-day and multi-shift computer-based testing (CBT) switch for NEET-UG, besides funding and readying a battery of government-backed test centres and securing them through strong coordination with state governments, ET has gathered.

The task force has already held two meetings and is scheduled to hold another one next week, it is learnt. Alongside, the task force is also expected to seek public feedback starting later this week to ensure robust community engagement on the subject.


So far, the task force has held detailed discussions with the National Testing Agency (NTA), the departments of higher education and school education in the Union education ministry, besides the health ministry and other stakeholders. It is scheduled to hold a meeting with chief secretaries of all states/UTs and other state government officials next week.

The task force is scheduled to complete all consultations by mid-September and ready its report alongside. While the panel has three months - until the end of October - to submit its report, ET gathers that all efforts are on to ensure that its recommendations are ready well before that, allowing the government enough time to plan and effect changes in the conduct of entrance exams from the 2027 cycle, especially NEET-UG, which saw an exam cancellation and retest this year amid a leak that impacted over 22 lakh students and sparked considerable public resentment.

So far, consultations indicate that a JEE-like CBT mechanism for NEET-UG is considered quite doable, with 12-14 shifts spread over several days. JEE is conducted online for over 15 lakh students across 8-10 shifts every year and has been largely successful, with its normalisation criteria also upheld by the Supreme Court.

Time-bound implementation of the recommendations of the Radhakrishnan panel - especially on the creation of 1,000 testing centres and ensuring funding for government-backed testing infrastructure - particularly for CBT, which is currently managed by private companies, is another key area that the task force is learnt to be working on.

The task force has a ten-point 'Terms of Reference' to consider, ranging from measures to reform exam design and conduct to leveraging the latest technologies for the same, besides strengthening the NTA.

Reforms for the institutionalisation of governance mechanisms, organisational structure, human resource management and the statutory framework of the NTA are likely to be spread out over several months, if the relevant recommendations are accepted by the government.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the constitution of a six-member HPTF, chaired by technocrat Nilekani, on July 27, saying that it would focus on exam reforms and that, based on its report, steps would be taken as soon as possible to ensure the credibility of upcoming examinations.