The National Testing Agency (NTA) has empanelled more than 5,000 subject matter experts, moderators and translators to build a large common question bank for its national entrance exams, officials said on 2 November 2026. The pool is meant to let NTA assemble a question paper minutes before an exam, so that no setter knows which questions will appear.
How the NTA question bank is meant to stop leaks
The overhaul follows the NEET-UG paper leak in May 2026, which triggered nationwide protests and the resignation of then Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. After the leak, NTA dropped about 600 subject matter experts and moved its headquarters from Okhla to the Government of India Press building on Minto Road in New Delhi. It is the latest step in a reform drive that Digital Learning has followed since Union Education Minister Pralhad Joshi’s review of NTA reforms in August.
Under the new design, experts set, vet and verify questions without knowing which exam they are meant for. Officials said the bank will be large enough that no setter or translator can memorise and reproduce questions. A paper can then be drawn from the pool and finalised a few minutes before the exam begins. According to officials, NTA has already started using this approach for some of the entrance tests it runs.
Who gets on the panel
NTA invited Expressions of Interest (EOI) from academicians, scientists and educators for a three-year panel of subject matter experts and translators. It has set no closing date, and experts are added through the year. Last month it also sought translators to review AI-translated exam material. Applicants pass a four-layer check:
- Verification of eligibility, qualifications and experience documents.
- Review by a subject matter committee of academic standing, research record and paper-setting experience.
- Background checks to rule out links with coaching institutes or question-bank material sold to students.
- A non-disclosure agreement signed at empanelment and reaffirmed before every assignment.
Officials stressed that the experts are being empanelled, not hired, after multi-layered scrutiny.
What it means for JEE, CUET, NEET and UGC-NET candidates
NTA conducts JEE (Main), CUET (UG and PG), UGC-NET, CSIR-NET and NEET-UG. All of these except NEET are already held in computer-based test (CBT) mode. Officials said NTA is also working on an “exam-agnostic” system so that the exam process does not depend on any single vendor, technology or platform.
The question bank builds on earlier plans for AI-driven question paper creation to improve exam security and the NTA exam system revamp after the UGC-NET paper errors. Bigger structural questions sit with the Nilekani exam reform task force, now due to report by January 2027, which is reviewing nationwide CBT centres and a hybrid NEET-UG.
Details of NTA’s exams and notices are on the National Testing Agency website. The empanelment figures were first reported by The Indian Express.
Key takeaways
- NTA has empanelled more than 5,000 vetted experts, moderators and translators for a three-year panel.
- A large common question bank will let papers be finalised minutes before an exam.
- Experts face a four-layer check, coaching-link screening and repeated non-disclosure agreements.
FAQ
Can experts still apply to join the NTA panel?
Yes. Officials said the Expression of Interest has no deadline and experts are being added throughout the year.
Which exams will use the NTA question bank?
NTA has started using it for some entrance exams. It runs JEE (Main), CUET, UGC-NET, CSIR-NET and NEET-UG.
Featured image: Union Education Minister Pralhad Joshi with NTA Director General Abhishek Singh in New Delhi. Photo: The Indian Express
0 Comments
Sign in or create an account to join the discussion.