National Testing Agency may soon conduct JEE Advanced

NEWDELHI: Apart from JEE Main and NEET, the National Testing Agency (NTA) may soon conduct the JEE Advanced, which is conducted by the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITS) at present.

The human resource development ministry has written to all IITS regarding this but they are yet to take a decision in this regard.

A letter has also been sent to the IIMS to check if the CAT too can be conducted by NTA.

“Although the cabinet has decided that initially the NTA will conduct the exams currently being conducted by CBSE, it may be decided whether the IIT system would like to entrust the conduct of Jee-advanced exams to NTA with a condition that the setting of the question papers and the proctoring would continue to vest with the IIT system,” reads the letter sent by the ministry. In the past, IITS have refused to allow other agencies to conduct their examinations.

All the IITS have been asked to discuss the matter and convey their decision to the ministry by December 15. “The NTA is yet to become completely operational and we are not very sure about handing over the charge to them. We have been given time and we will decide by then,” an IIT director said.

The letter further said the NTA was being registered as a society under the Societies Registration Act, 1860, with IITS, IIMS, IISERS and centrally funded universities as joint owners of the organisation. The ministry will provide the necessary support and steps have already been taken by it for putting in place necessary infrastructure for NTA to be operational soon.

“The tests to be conducted by NTA will be online, duly scrutinised and standardised. The test design will be done scientifically and as per user requirements,” it read. On November 10, the Union cabinet had cleared a proposal for the creation of a National Testing Agency that will conduct all entrance tests which are at present being handled by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE).