NEW DELHI: Amid controversies surrounding irregularities in NEET-UG and the cancellation of UGC-NET due to question paper leaks on "darknet", experts are debating the pros and cons of offline versus digital exam delivery .
The ministry of education has announced the formation of a high-powered committee to review all aspects of the examination process and functioning of NTA.
Some experts argue that computer-based tests (CBT) are more secure than traditional pen-and-paper exams.Under scanner, NTA officials acknowledged challenges of conducting exams securely in both formats despite adhering to all security protocols.
Dr Arun Gupta, president of the Delhi Medical Council, said: "it may be a good idea to make the NEET-UG exam computer-based.
S Vaidhyasubramaniam, vice-chancellor of SASTRA deemed university, Chennai, advocated for combination of CBT and board exam marks weightage.
NEW DELHI: Amid controversies surrounding irregularities in NEET-UG and the cancellation of UGC-NET due to question paper leaks on "darknet", experts are debating the pros and cons of offline versus digital exam delivery . The ministry of education has announced the formation of a high-powered committee to review all aspects of the examination process and functioning of NTA. Some experts argue that computer-based tests (CBT) are more secure than traditional pen-and-paper exams.Under scanner, NTA officials acknowledged challenges of conducting exams securely in both formats despite adhering to all security protocols. They suggested a year-round exam model similar to scholastic aptitude test (SAT) conducted by college board, educational testing service in the US, allowing candidates to appear multiple times and use their best score for college admissions.While NEET-UG has traditionally been a single-sitting pen-and-paper exam, UGC-NET, which has been computer-based since 2018, reverted to a pen-and-paper OMR mode on Tuesday. However, the exam was cancelled following inputs from national cybercrime threat analytics unit of Indian cybercrime coordination centre (I4C) indicating it had been compromised.Some believe that computer-based testing is the future due to reduced human involvement. Dr Arun Gupta, president of the Delhi Medical Council, said: "it may be a good idea to make the NEET-UG exam computer-based. The govt can allow the exam to be taken twice a year to make the process more efficient and avoid any shortage of computers or other infrastructure related problems."A senior official from Greater Noida Institute of Medical Sciences (GIMS) also supports adopting CBT models to minimise paper leak risks, stating that such allegations undermine integrity of the examination process and the medical profession.In 2018-19, the education ministry proposed a computer-based multi-session mode for NEET-UG, similar to the JEE (Main), but this did not gain traction within the health ministry. Former HRD minister Ramesh Pokhriyal had mentioned the possibility of biannual and digital NEET-UG exams, but he later retracted his statement.A senior govt official said CBT spread over multiple days or sessions would limit impact of single-day/ session leak and would make it easier to track due to digital footprints, as seen in 2021 JEE (Main). S Vaidhyasubramaniam, vice-chancellor of SASTRA deemed university, Chennai, advocated for combination of CBT and board exam marks weightage. He said "not only is CBT more reliable, but mixed weightage for class XII and NEET scores will reduce coaching class syndrome and provide balance."
