The National Testing Agency (NTA) should conduct annual audits of who succeeds in NEET, JEE-Main and CUET across states, genders, school boards, mediums of instruction and social categories, a parliamentary panel has recommended, flagging gaps in the agency’s data on examination outcomes.
It also asked NTA to examine a two-stage examination model, with a common preliminary test followed by specialised main examinations for different courses. The panel examined the agency following the cancellation of NEET-UG 2026 on May 12, after allegations that around 120 questions in a guess paper matched questions in the May 3 examination. The matter was referred to investigative agencies, and the test was re-conducted on June 21. Committee members met NTA and education ministry officials on May 21, June 1 and July 1. The committee also sought greater transparency in NEET results, noting that detailed results were disclosed in 2024 following a Supreme Court order, prompting scrutiny of performance variations across cities and examination centres. “Only a student from a well-resourced family can spend two years in any of the coaching institutions, paying anywhere between ₹ 2 lakh and ₹ 5 lakh a year, essentially preparing for one examination.
The panel recommended an annual “Equity Audit” examining participation, pass and cutoff achievement rates in each major examination, broken down by state, gender, school board type — government, aided, and private — medium of instruction, and social category, including OBC, SC, ST, EWS, and general candidates. It recommended that NTA follow the Union Public Service Commission’s practices on result transparency to help identify “anomalous patterns” and improve public trust. The panel called for a year-wise, data-based review of NEET’s qualifying percentile and cutoff methodology, with the number of candidates qualifying kept “reasonably aligned with the number of available seats”, without compromising merit. belonging to a poor or lower middle class family simply does not have that option, i.e. access to money, to infrastructure, and to a coaching ecosystem that the school system cannot offer,” the committee said While an equally talented and hardworking student.
To address exam-related stress, the panel recommended free, accessible counselling helplines in partnership with mental-health professionals, stress-management material well before examinations and a calm, supportive environment at centres, particularly around results.
