New Delhi: The National Testing Agency (NTA) is resetting its pool of question-paper setters, with a new four-stage selection process for subject experts after the agency dropped around 600 experts from its panel.
The new framework will require prospective question-paper setters to clear checks ranging from their academic credentials and examination-setting experience to their employment history, integrity and possible conflicts of interest before they can be empanelled.
The move comes as the NTA removed around 600 experts under a wider overhaul of its examination system following controversies surrounding the conduct of major tests, including NEET-UG and UGC-NET.
From Application To Empanelment: Four Levels Of Scrutiny
The NTA's new process is designed to move candidates through successive levels of screening rather than relying only on their academic qualifications.
Stage 1: Eligibility and document checks
The first filter will be an examination of the application and supporting records. The NTA will verify whether applicants meet the eligibility requirements and whether their qualifications and experience are backed by the required documents. Candidates will have to submit identity records such as Aadhaar and PAN, details of their education and employment, and a No Objection Certificate from their current employer. They will also have to provide declarations covering confidentiality and conflicts of interest.
Stage 2: Assessment by subject committees
Candidates who clear the documentation stage will then be assessed for their actual subject expertise. NTA-constituted subject committees will consider their academic record, research credentials, previous experience in preparing examination papers and overall knowledge of the subject.
This stage is intended to establish whether an applicant has the expertise required to contribute to the preparation of papers for a particular examination.
Stage 3: Background verification
Clearing the academic assessment will not result in automatic empanelment. The NTA will conduct a separate background check covering the candidate's academic credentials and employment history. The agency will also examine the integrity and conflict-of-interest declarations submitted by the applicant.
Stage 4: Three-year empanelment
Only candidates who successfully clear all the preceding checks will enter the NTA's subject-expert panel. Their empanelment will be linked to particular subjects, examination levels and types of examination work. It will remain valid for three years, subject to satisfactory performance and continued compliance with the required standards.
The agency can terminate the empanelment before the three-year period if an expert violates the prescribed conditions, with appropriate notice.
Who Prepares NTA Question Papers?
Subject experts are central to the preparation of question papers for the NTA's national-level examinations.
The agency conducts 10 major entrance examinations during the year, many of which are held in multiple shifts. Empanelled experts are assigned question-paper preparation work depending on the examination and their role.
Their involvement generally lasts between seven and 15 days. They are paid around Rs 35,000 to Rs 40,000 a year for their work.
Part Of A Wider NTA Reset
The changes to the subject-expert panel come against the backdrop of a broader restructuring of the NTA.
The agency has been under scrutiny following a series of controversies and alleged lapses linked to major national examinations, including the NEET-UG and UGC-NET.
As part of the larger overhaul, the NTA is expected to implement 10 key changes to its examination system. The reworking of the expert-selection process is one of the measures aimed at strengthening the examination chain, particularly the stage at which question papers are prepared.
The four-stage system will therefore determine not just who is eligible to become an NTA subject expert, but who is ultimately trusted with preparing questions for some of the country's biggest entrance and eligibility examinations.
