NEET-UG Reform Debate: Computer-Based Testing, NTA Overhaul and Calls for Decentralisation Explained

The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test for undergraduate medical admissions (NEET-UG) is back in public debate after the 2026 exam was cancelled and a retest was ordered following allegations of paper leaks. NEET is conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) and is the single national exam for admission to medical (MBBS and allied) courses in India. With over 2.2 million candidates competing for fewer than two lakh seats, it is one of the highest-stakes examinations in the country. This explainer sets out the main reform ideas now under discussion.

A panel headed by K. Radhakrishnan was set up by the central government after the 2024 NEET controversy and made more than 95 recommendations. Its suggestions broadly fall into three groups: strengthening the NTA's capacity, improving exam security (such as better CCTV monitoring and safer transport of question papers), and reducing the high-stakes nature of the exam itself. Reform panel members have stated that a senior officer of additional-secretary rank or above should head the NTA, that the agency should build a stronger permanent workforce instead of relying heavily on contractual staff, and that core testing functions should be institutionalised.

A central reform proposal is a shift to computer-based testing (CBT). Supporters argue that the pen-and-paper format, which requires printing, transporting and securing papers across thousands of centres, creates vulnerabilities at every stage, whereas in CBT, encrypted papers can reach centres just hours before the test. They say CBT could remove a large share of the weak points that allow leaks. Other proposals include a two-stage exam (a preliminary qualifier followed by a more tightly monitored main exam), limits on the number of attempts, conducting more exams in government premises, and using mobile CBT vans to reach remote areas.

A separate strand of the debate concerns decentralisation. Some commentators argue that states should be allowed greater autonomy in admissions, pointing to unequal access to coaching for rural, poor and government-school students and to models such as a fixed share of seats for government-school students. Others note that NEET reduced the burden of multiple entrance exams and that all-India quota seats, central institutions and private and deemed universities draw applicants from across the country and abroad, which makes a fully state-based system difficult. The reform committee received tens of thousands of public suggestions, and the panel has indicated that significant changes to the NTA are expected over the coming months.