India Considers Unified Entrance Exam for Engineering and Medical Courses

New Delhi: A proposal for a unified entrance examination for engineering and medical courses is under consideration, top officials informed a parliamentary standing committee on Thursday, ET has learnt.

The move, currently at a deliberative stage, could eventually replace separate examinations such as JEE and NEET. There was considerable support within the committee for a unified entrance framework with separate sections - Mathematics for engineering aspirants and Biology for medical candidates - under a common test structure, MPs suggested.

Officials also indicated that the government is examining limits on the number of attempts and age criteria for medical aspirants, aligning NEET with other national entrance examinations. A shift towards multi-session and multi-stage testing is also under consideration to enhance flexibility and reduce risk.

The briefing comes amid heightened scrutiny of the National Testing Agency (NTA) following the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak.

NTA director general Abhishek Singh and higher education secretary Vineet Joshi appeared before the panel, chaired by senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh, and presented details on the examination process and proposed reforms based on the recommendations of the Dr K Radhakrishnan Committee report.

To reduce the risk of malpractice, NTA plans to limit access to the question-setting process and gradually stop depending on external test-delivery agencies by building its own software and hardware systems, the panel was informed.

Members of the panel raised sharp questions on accountability, systemic lapses and safeguards needed to prevent a recurrence.

The members also sought clarity on the transition to computer-based testing (CBT), including infrastructure preparedness, frequency of exams, and test duration.

NEET-UG, one of India's largest entrance examinations, is set to shift to CBT mode from next year as part of the reform push, a move recently indicated by education minister Dharmendra Pradhan as well.

Officials said enhanced security protocols are being designed to make the system "foolproof".

The 2026 NEET-UG exam, conducted on May 3 across 551 cities in India and 14 abroad, saw participation of over 22 lakh candidates. The exam was cancelled on May 12 following allegations of a coordinated paper leak, triggering nationwide protests and political backlash.

A re-examination is now scheduled for June 21, with the Union education ministry mandating stricter safeguards. Officials informed the panel that a CBI probe is underway to identify those responsible and plug systemic loopholes.

Digvijaya Singh described the meeting as "productive", noting widespread concern among members over the integrity of national testing systems, though he declined to disclose specific details.

The Centre's next steps, particularly regarding a unified entrance examination, are expected to depend on stakeholder consultations and the final contours of the NTA reform roadmap.