Revolutionizing entrance exams: High-level committee proposes online testing and digital formats

New Delhi: A high-level committee appointed by the Union Ministry of Education in India has proposed that entrance examinations for colleges and universities be conducted online whenever possible. Even if written exams are necessary, the questions should be distributed in a digital format.

In its report submitted to the ministry, the committee also recommended standardising the choices for the Common University Entrance Test (CUET) for admission to graduate programmes. It also called for making positions at the National Testing Agency (NTA) permanent and reducing reliance on the contract system.

The seven-member committee, chaired by former ISRO chairman Dr K Radhakrishnan, was constituted to enhance the transparency of common entrance examinations, including NEET and JEE, and to recommend modernisation of the testing system.

The committee also emphasised the need for increased government regulation of examinations, suggesting a rise in government-controlled examination centres while decreasing dependence on private ones. It criticised the current requirement for students to take separate entrance exams for different subjects under the CUET, highlighting the undue burden placed on them.

The committee also recommended that medical entrance tests should be conducted in multiple phases similar to the admissions process for IITs whereby only those qualifying in the JEE Main are allowed to appear for the JEE Advanced.

The report also included suggestions to improve the functioning of the NTA, refine examination procedures, and enhance data protection measures. The Supreme Court had earlier directed the committee to submit its findings by November 4.