NEET to move to CBT 'very soon': NTA DG Abhishek Singh on proposed 2027 shift

New Delhi: The National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET) will shift from the existing pen-and-paper OMR format to a Computer-Based Test (CBT) mode 'very soon', said National Testing Agency (NTA) Director General Abhishek Singh.

The director's statement comes amid the ongoing overhaul of the NTA, the nodal autonomous body that conducts NEET UG and other entrance tests for higher educational institutions.

After the NEET paper leak earlier this year, which led to nationwide outrage, the Centre announced that the medical entrance exam, NEET-UG, will be conducted in CBT mode from 2027 instead of a pen-and-paper-based test.

The proposed shift is currently being examined by the high-powered task force after the Centre had already told the Supreme Court that migration of NEET to CBT was under “active consideration with the final decision to be taken after recommendations of the high-level task force and stakeholder consultations.

Medical Dialogues had earlier reported back in August this year that the centre, in a compliance affidavit filed before the Supreme Court in the NEET 2026 paper leak case, said the final decision will be adopted after considering, and with the benefit of, the recommendations of the High-Powered Task Force under the chairmanship of Shri Nandan Nilekani.

Meanwhile, while speaking to ANI on the sidelines of the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi, Singh reaffirmed that pen-and-paper formats are being phased out in favour of Computer-Based Testing (CBT), including major national entrances like NEET. 

Also read- NEET shift to computer-based test under active consideration, final decision after panel recommendations: Centre tells SC, lists measures

"Our examinations are CBT except the NEET examination. And NEET will also be moving to CBT very soon. CBT requires augmenting this testing infrastructure, building up safeguards. So that is the future. Currently, the JEE examination, the UGC NET examination, the CUET examinations, the NIFT examinations are all done in CBT. So CBT is the future, so all our examinations will be CBT in the days to come," said the NTA DG.

NEET-UG has been conducted in pen-and-paper mode, unlike several other major examinations conducted by NTA through computers. The agency conducts examinations such as the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE), UGC-NET, CUET and NIFT in CBT mode.

Moving NEET-UG to CBT would require a significant expansion of secure examination infrastructure, given the large number of candidates appearing for the medical entrance examination every year.

While cross-border testing is on the horizon, Singh made it clear that domestic perfection must precede global expansion. "Cross-border examinations are the next step. Our endeavour right now is to improve our systems so that we are able to conduct Indian examinations in a fair and transparent manner without any malpractice or without any error or without the need of having any review of our own systems. Once we have strengthened our own domestic systems, then we will go on to conduct examinations for other global bodies."

Addressing ongoing security challenges, the NTA DG emphasised that artificial intelligence (AI) and biometric verification are central to the agency's fraud-prevention strategy.

"We are currently looking at the use of AI for conducting not only testing but also fraud prevention, trying to look at logs, trying to look at data, trying to look at analytics in order to ensure that examinations are conducted without any error or without any problems," he told ANI.

In candidate verification, Singh highlighted India's robust digital infrastructure as a solved problem, "We have Aadhaar based and face authentication method, which you use to verify there. So that is not a problem. With this Aadhaar database and the face authentication system, we have solved that problem, and we are using that face authentication framework in almost every examination that we conduct."

Medical Dialogues had also reported that NTA initiated the process of shifting NEET UG to a Computer-Based Test (CBT) starting in 2027. To ensure maximum security and logistical efficiency, the NTA partnered with the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) to map available IT infrastructure across government institutions nationwide.

NEET paper leak

The NEET UG 2026 exam was conducted on May 3 by the National Testing Agency and was held from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM in pen-and-paper mode. Over 22.7 lakh aspirants appeared for the examination this year. It took place across 551 cities in India and 14 cities abroad, covering over 5,400 centres.

However, on May 12, 2026, the NTA declared the examination held on May 3 as cancelled and subsequently announced a re-examination on June 21, 2026.

This came in the backdrop of the probe by the Rajasthan Police Special Operations Group, which reportedly found a “guess paper” containing more than 100 questions similar to those asked in the NEET UG examination. The question paper series under scrutiny has been described as a “guess paper” that reportedly contained around 410 questions. Out of these, nearly 120 questions are alleged to have appeared in the Biology and Chemistry sections of the examination.

Due to the alleged controversy, the central government decided to refer the matter to the Central Bureau of Investigation for a comprehensive inquiry into the allegations. Based on the Centre's direction, the CBI registered an FIR in the case and has so far arrested 13 people.

Also read- NEET 2027 to shift to computer-based test: NTA asks AICTE to identify exam centres