India’s high‑stakes exam system is caught in a cycle of cracks: paper leaks, student protests, committee reviews, then another leak. The National Testing Agency (NTA), set up in 2017, was meant to bring fairness and security, but the still‑running NEET‑UG test was cancelled in June, leading to a million‑plus retakes and a wave of youth‑led demonstrations.
A new task force led by Nandan Nilekani is now on the block. It’s pushing for a shift to fully computer‑based exams, centralised test centres and a rethink of how many times a student should take an entrance exam. What the agency lacks is a steady workforce: only 24 of its 221 employees are permanent, many of them contract staff.
The call isn’t just about swapping paper for pixels. Experts like Keshav Aggarwal say that re‑structuring exams into multiple stages—just like engineering tests—could spread risk and give students safety nets. On the other side, critics argue that scrapping the NTA entirely wouldn’t fix the deep‑rooted pressure on a single exam that decides millions of students’ futures.
Students are living the fallout: 17‑year‑old Pari had to start her NEET prep from scratch after a paper leak; 23‑year‑old Mansi Bansal has had two exam cancellations in a year. They point out that the system’s fragility threatens their academic and personal lives.
The debate has widened beyond the NTA to whether India’s education model can survive a single‑pitfall exam in a system where millions compete for limited seats. A multi‑attempt, tech‑driven strategy could build resilience, but it needs solid statutory support, dedicated staff and real changes in exam format. For many students, the promise is still about hope: keep studying, hope for stability, and keep an eye on the next policy move.
