The National Testing Agency (NTA) is preparing to move the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) to a computer-based testing (CBT) format, NTA Director General Abhishek Singh said, signalling a major change in the way the medical entrance examination is conducted.
Singh said NEET is currently the only major NTA examination that is not conducted in CBT mode, while several other key entrance examinations and eligibility tests have already shifted online.
“All our examinations are CBT (Computer-Based Test) except the NEET examination. On NEET also, we will be moving to CBT very soon,” Singh was quoted as saying to news agency ANI.
He added that a high-powered task force led by Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani is working on the transition. According to Singh, shifting NEET to CBT will require the expansion of testing infrastructure as well as the creation of adequate safeguards to ensure the examination is conducted securely.
“CBT requires augmenting this testing infrastructure, building up safeguards. So that is the future,” the NTA DG said.
The NTA DG pointed out that examinations including the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE), UGC-NET, Common University Entrance Test (CUET) and NIFT entrance examination are already being conducted in computer-based mode.
“Currently, the JEE examination, the UGC-NET examination, the CUET examinations, the NIFT examinations are all done in CBT. So CBT is the future, so all our examinations will be CBT in the days to come,” he said.
The proposed shift comes amid continuing scrutiny over the conduct and security of major competitive examinations in the country. Moving NEET to CBT would represent a significant logistical overhaul given the examination’s massive candidate base and the need for testing centres and digital infrastructure across the country.
The NTA is expected to work on strengthening the examination ecosystem and implementing additional safeguards before NEET is eventually conducted in computer-based mode.