NTA undertakes exam system overhaul; removes over 50 staff members, advertises 10 leadership positions

PTI, August 17, 2026, New Delhi : The National Testing Agency (NTA) has removed more than 50 of its staff members and is onboarding professionals for key leadership positions as part of measures to reform the overall examination system, the education ministry said on Monday.

The development came a day after the NTA ordered a re-test for three subjects of the UGC-NET exam for scholars due to several errors in those papers, and within months of the cancellation of the NEET-UG 2026 for medical admissions over allegations of paper leak.

In a post on X, the ministry said Union Education Minister Pralhad Joshi held a meeting with the secretary in the Department of Higher Education, the NTA director general and other senior officials, during which he was apprised of the steps taken by the agency in the wake of recent issues and reforming the overall exam system.

“The minister was apprised about the steps taken by the NTA in the wake of recent issues, particularly with reference to reforming the overall system. He was apprised that more than 50 staff have been removed from the NTA,” the ministry said.

“Ten new professional leadership positions, including chief technology officer, chief finance officer, CISO, GM (test security) and GM (R and D and psychometrics), have been advertised and are being onboarded,” the ministry said.

Domain specialists are also being brought in from the private sector for cybersecurity, psychometrics, question-paper design and other specialised areas, it said.

The minister directed that strict compliance be ensured with the established exam protocols and also directed that a complete overhaul of the confidential operations (CONOPS) architecture, secluded rooms, air-gapped systems, and device deposit protocols be implemented on a war footing, the ministry said.

The NTA has been directed to conduct a thorough audit of all exam processes and submit a report on the corrective actions taken, the ministry said.

The meeting followed after the NTA on Sunday night announced re-test for three papers of the UGC-NET June 2026 -- English, Commerce and Sociology -- following complaints about several errors in those papers.

The English and Commerce papers will be held on September 9, while the exam for Sociology will be conducted on September 10.

The NTA conducted the UGC-NET June 2026 from June 22 to 30 across 87 subjects for the award of junior research fellowship, eligibility for assistant professors, and admission to PhD programmes.

Photo: Union Education Minister Pralhad Joshi.