Key Details
The consultation will inform the recommendations of the High-Powered Task Force on Public Examination Reforms, chaired by Nandan Nilekani. It is an evidence-gathering exercise; the release does not announce final reforms.
Scope: Public examinations, including those conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA)
Consultation closes: 13 September 2026
Who may participate: Students, candidates, parents, teachers, academic institutions, examination bodies, experts, industry and civil society
Languages: Submissions may be made in English, Hindi and regional languages
Submission channels: Dedicated website, email, telephone and WhatsApp
Reform areas: Examination conduct and security; assessment methods; governance; malpractice prevention and redressal; computer-based testing; infrastructure; inclusion; transparency; communication; and student well-being
The Review Extends Beyond Preventing Paper Leaks
Security and malpractice are major parts of the mandate, but the task force is examining the entire examination system. Its remit includes how tests are designed, which institutions are accountable, whether infrastructure can support secure computer-based testing and how candidates experience the process.
This wider framing matters because examination failures do not arise only at the test centre. Weaknesses can occur across question preparation, data handling, centre allocation, technology systems, grievance resolution and communication of decisions.
The consultation could therefore inform both operational safeguards and changes to the governance of bodies conducting or commissioning public examinations.
Technology Is One Part of Examination Integrity
The High-Powered Task Force is considering the use of technology, including secure computer-based testing. Digital delivery may reduce some risks associated with printing and transporting question papers, but it creates different requirements around cyber security, identity verification, system resilience and access to adequately equipped centres.
The release does not prescribe a particular technology or announce that examinations will move to a common digital model. The task force is still seeking views on the appropriate design.
Any future system will also need to account for differences in digital infrastructure, language, disability access and travel requirements across candidates and regions.
The Consultation Opens a Direct Route for Candidate Experience
Students and parents can submit evidence alongside examination bodies, institutions and technology professionals. This gives the task force an opportunity to examine problems that administrative data may not capture, including:
unclear or delayed communication during disruptions;
inaccessible examination centres or interfaces;
difficulties in challenging answer keys or results;
the effect of uncertainty and repeated schedule changes on candidates; and
regional, linguistic and socioeconomic barriers to participation.
Allowing submissions in regional languages can widen access, but the usefulness of the exercise will depend on whether inputs are systematically classified, evaluated and reflected in the final recommendations.
Policy Relevance
The immediate opportunity is to build reform around documented failure points rather than treating every examination problem as solely a security breach. Candidate complaints, centre-level incidents and institutional process failures can reveal where controls need strengthening.
The implementation challenge will be dividing responsibility among examination-conducting bodies, test-indenting institutions, technology vendors and examination centres. Reform will have limited effect unless accountability is clear at each stage.
The evidence to watch is not simply the number of suggestions received. The more meaningful test will be whether the final recommendations identify recurring problems, explain how proposed measures address them and specify who will be responsible for implementation and redressal.
Relevant Question for Policy Stakeholders: How should responsibility be assigned when an examination failure involves several actors—from the institution commissioning the test to the agency, technology provider and examination centre delivering it?
Follow the Full Consultation Update Here: High-Powered Task Force Invites Suggestions on Reforms in Public Examinations
Submit Suggestions Here: Public Examination Reforms Task Force