The National Testing Agency has introduced a more rigorous four-step process for selecting subject experts, including academic assessment, background checks and detailed privacy rules.
The National Testing Agency (NTA) has introduced a stricter system for selecting subject matter experts involved in preparing and reviewing examination papers, weeks after it fired around 600 experts following the NEET-UG and UGC-NET controversy.
The agency has now developed a four-step vetting process that candidates will be required to complete before being appointed to the position. The move comes after the CBI chargesheet in the NEET-UG paper leak case alleged that three NTA subject experts were among the main sources of the paper leak.
The indictment also pointed out deficiencies in the way NTA handled and supervised the work of experts working in its confidential department.
Four-stage selection of new experts
In the first stage, NTA will verify applications, educational qualifications, professional experience and supporting documents. Candidates will be required to provide identification and employment details and, if required, a no-objection certificate.
They will also have to file declarations regarding confidentiality and possible conflicts of interest. The second stage will focus on whether candidates have the required academic and subject experience. Committees constituted by NTA will examine their academic background, research work, previous experience in preparing examination papers and general knowledge of the subject.
Candidates who pass this stage will undergo a background check. Their academic qualifications and employment history will be verified, as well as declarations of integrity and possible conflicts of interest.
Only candidates who pass all these checks will proceed to the final stage of formal selection.
The expert council will operate for three years
Successful candidates will be allocated to specific subjects, exam levels and exam task types. The empanel will be valid for three years. However, NTA may terminate the expert’s cooperation if the specified conditions are violated, subject to compliance with the conditions set out in the Expression of Interest (EOI).
The new rules also place restrictions on assessors’ connections with coaching and test preparation organizations.
Strict confidentiality rules have been introduced
The NTA has introduced a detailed confidentiality undertaking that experts must sign before being assigned expertise-related work. The Enterprise requires examiners to maintain the confidentiality of all information related to their assignments, including questions they develop or review, reference materials, and other information related to the examination. These obligations will continue even after their NTA membership ends.
The agency also established security requirements for handling questionnaires and other confidential materials. Examiners will have to comply with restrictions on copying, photographing, recording, or storing materials related to the examination.
“The work entrusted to empaneled examiners is of the most confidential nature. Any breach of confidentiality, intentional or otherwise, could jeopardize the entire examination, affect thousands of candidates and be detrimental to the public interest. Empaneled examiners are therefore expected to maintain the highest standards of confidentiality, professional integrity and academic ethics,” the NTA document said.
Two-year cooling off period for coaching connections
The EoI also introduces a two-year cooling-off period for experts after their last appointment to the NTA.
During this period, experts cannot have a commercial association with organizations training candidates. Candidates are also required to disclose any potential conflict of interest before being considered for appointment.
The rules aim to enhance protection for people involved in writing and marking exam papers.
The changes follow the NEET-UG and UGC-NET controversy.
The tightening of the selection process comes in the wake of major issues surrounding the NEET-UG and UGC-NET exams.
After the NEET-UG paper leaked, the exam had to be re-conducted. NTA also commissioned new UGC-NET papers in English, Commerce and Sociology after the expert committee found factual, typographical, translation and language errors as well as repetitive issues.
The Union Education Ministry said last month that the NTA will introduce a four-tier system for checking question papers to strengthen the verification process.
Apart from the new expert recruitment system, NTA is also hiring translation reviewers as the agency moves towards using AI translation for examination papers.
