While this is the first time that the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test-Undergraduate (NEET-UG), for admission to undergraduate medical education, is being cancelled over an alleged paper leak, there have been claims of malpractices and breaches before.Under fire over an alleged NEET-UG paper leak in 2024, the BJP-led government, which had just returned to power then for a third term, had constituted a high-level committee of experts led by former ISRO Chairman K Radhakrishnan to recommend reforms in the examination process, and improve security protocol.In its October 2024 report submitted to the Education Ministry, the committee had presented a detailed set of recommendations. But, nearly two years after a CBI probe found that candidates allegedly paid to get solved NEET-UG papers before the exam, with a centre superintendent in Jharkhand aiding the paper leak, the committee’s key recommendations remain on paper.Live Updates | NTA to reconduct exam; CBI to investigate alleged paper leakThe committee had noted that there is a “strong case for the transition from PPT (pen-and-paper testing) to CBT (computer-based testing) as the preferred methodology”. It called for a robust CBT model with an examination in multiple shifts as a “sure way forward”. While some exams like the JEE(Main) — which is held in two sessions each year, in January and April, for admission to undergraduate engineering education — are conducted as a computer-based test, NEET-UG is yet to switch to computer mode.A member of the committee noted that it had “emphasised on computer-based testing” and pointed to the “technology-driven measures” that the panel had recommended.On Tuesday, National Testing Agency (NTA) Director General Abhishek Singh told The Indian Express that a call on computer-based testing would have to be taken by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, on behalf of which the NTA conducts NEET-UG.Story continues below this adThe health ministry did not respond to questions on why it had not agreed to a computer-based test.However, officials said, on condition of anonymity, that the main hurdle has been the process for normalising question papers across an estimated 15 shifts in which the NEET-UG — the country’s largest exam in terms of applicant numbers — would have to be conducted.While denying that the health ministry has any role in deciding how the NTA conducts a test, an official said: “While there exists a process to normalise question papers across several shifts, as is done with examinations such as JEE, it will be very difficult to do so across multiple shifts and will lead to litigations and delay the admission process.”Also read | How a WhatsApp message ‘forwarded many times’ led to NEET UG cancellationStory continues below this adNormalisation refers to a process adopted to ensure fairness across exam shifts. Questions are divided into different levels of difficulty, with a statistical process determining that each paper contains a certain percentage of questions from these different levels.Another official said the health ministry had decided against shifting to computer-based tests as it had tried to conduct the NEET-PG test in two shifts last year, but the Supreme Court had directed it not to do so. “Around 2 lakh students appear for NEET-PG each year. Last year, in order to conduct the test only at the most trusted centres, the National Board of Examinations in Medical Science had decided to do it in two shifts. But the Supreme Court directed against it to ensure fairness for candidates,” said the official.“The NTA can conduct a computer-based test for 2 lakh students in one shift at most, meaning there would be a need for more than 15 shifts for the nearly 25 lakh students who appear for NEET-UG,” the official said.“There is no way to conduct the pen-and-paper test fairly. This is because NEET is a high-stakes examination and there are always people who are willing to pay for the question paper. With the papers being physically transported, there are several levels at which it can be leaked,” said the first official.Story continues below this adThe high-level committee had recommended multi-session testing “spread over typically a few days to a couple of weeks”, especially when the number of registered participants exceeds 2 lakh. It had also suggested multi-stage testing for NEET-UG as a “viable possibility that needs to be followed up”. The NEET-UG continues to be held in a single session and shift.“The parameters and methodology of normalisation process that is integral to multi-session testing, should be well-defined, established, documented, and communicated transparently for each test,” the committee had said in its report.To “eliminate potential breaches during printing, storage and transportation” of question papers, the committee had also recommended a “hybrid process of computer-assisted secure” pen-and-paper testing. This involves delivering encrypted question papers to confidential servers at testing centres, printing the question paper at the centre, and then distributing the question papers to candidates. This has not been done so far.In the long term, the committee had recommended shifting to computer-adaptive testing — questions are delivered to candidates based on their level, instead of a fixed question paper for all candidates.Story continues below this adSo far, the NTA has implemented only a couple of the committee’s recommendations — collaborating with authorities at the state and district levels, and an Aadhaar-based biometric authentication system to prevent impersonation.