Digital Exams, OMR Sheet Responses, Multi-Stage Tests And Streamlined CUET Choices: Radhakrishnan Panel Recommends Overhaul After NEET Leak

The seven-member committee led by former ISRO chief Dr K Radhakrishnan, which was formed by the government after the nationwide uproar caused by the NEET paper leak, has reportedly made several key recommendations including holding entrance exams online and employing a hybrid model where needed.

In the hybrid model, question papers would be transmitted digitally but answered on paper.

The committee also suggests conducting multi-stage exams for medical aspirants, rationalising the choice of subjects under the Central University Entrance Test (CUET), and staffing the National Testing Agency (NTA) with more permanent personnel to effectively manage these changes.

The committee was tasked with suggesting reforms to strengthen data security protocols, improve the examination process, and review the structure and operations of the NTA.

The panel submitted its report to the Education Ministry recently, Indian Express reported.

According to the IE report, the committee’s recommendations are not limited to NEET reforms but also include long-term measures to secure all entrance tests conducted by the Centre.

The panel has reportedly advocated for greater government control over exam administration.

This includes expanding the number of government-run exam centres and reducing reliance on outsourced service providers. Additionally, the panel recommends increasing the number of permanent staff within the NTA, which currently depends heavily on contractual workers.

Exams under the NTA are currently conducted in government-run schools and colleges. When additional venues are needed, AICTE-approved institutes and colleges are enlisted.

If that still falls short, service providers — agencies that assist with the online conduct of the exams — also bring in other private centres.

The committee has reportedly recommended against the use of private centres.

Further, while pushing for online entrance tests predominantly, the committee suggests employing a hybrid model where online testing is not feasible.

Under the proposed hybrid model, the exam questions would be sent digitally to the exam centre, and candidates would mark their answers on OMR sheets.

This move will significantly reduce the number of hands that the question paper passes through.

This recommendation is crucial, especially considering the circumstances of the NEET-UG paper leak incident, which allegedly occurred when the question paper, after reaching an exam centre in Hazaribagh, Jharkhand, was accessed illegally and allegedly handed over to individuals who solved it.

Digital transmission of the question papers allows the conducting body to issue them just before the exam starts, thus enhancing security by avoiding the need for printing, storing in secure locations, and physically distributing the papers to centres.

For CUET, the committee recommends limiting the choice of subjects for candidates.

Currently, the NTA, which conducts CUET on behalf of the University Grants Commission, offers over 50 subjects, allowing candidates to take tests in up to six of them.

The Radhakrishnan panel is said to have questioned the logic behind so many tests.

“Why should a science student, who has already appeared for Board exams, have to sit for another test in the same subjects? The role of subjects should primarily be to determine eligibility, while CUET should assess general aptitude and some subject knowledge to prepare a merit list for college admissions. Why should students take up to six papers if they have already completed their board exams?” a source was quoted as saying by IE.

Furthermore, having so many subjects means creating multiple sets of question papers, which, in turn, increases the number of people involved — a factor “we should ideally minimise to maintain security and confidentiality,” the source added.

It is also reported that the Radhakrishnan panel recommended conducting NEET-UG in two stages, similar to the Joint Entrance Exam system, due to the high number of applicants—around 20 lakh this year.

The panel has also proposed capping the number of attempts for NEET-UG, as currently, candidates can take the exam as many times as they wish.

Apart from Radhakrishnan, the committee comprises notable figures such as former AIIMS Director Randeep Guleria, Hyderabad Central University Vice-Chancellor B J Rao, IIT Madras’s Professor Emeritus Ramamurthy K, Karmayogi Bharat Board Member Pankaj Bansal, IIT Delhi Professor Aditya Mittal, and Education Ministry’s Joint Secretary Govind Jaiswal.

Also Read: Ajit Pawar Led NCP Fields Nawab Malik As Party Candidate For Maharashtra Polls Despite BJP's Fierce Opposition—Here's Why