New Delhi: The National Testing Agency (NTA) has postponed at least 16 exams since its inception in 2018, Minister of State for Education Sukanta Majumdar informed the Lok Sabha on Monday. The reasons for these postponements include the COVID-19 pandemic, administrative and logistical issues, and technical problems.


Sukanta Majumdar provided this information in response to a question from DMK MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi. He noted that since 2018, the NTA has successfully conducted over 240 exams involving more than 5.4 crore students.


"Since most of the examinations conducted by NTA are held in multiple-subjects, multiple-shifts and span over a number of days, there have been instances due to unforeseen circumstances like COVID-19 pandemic, logistical and technical issues, administrative issues, legal orders etc, when examination dates initially notified in respect of specific subjects or shifts could not be adhered to," the Minister said.


Specifically, four exams—JEE-Main (2020), NEET-UG (2020), JEE-Main (2021), and NEET-UG (2021)—were postponed due to the pandemic. Other exams, such as CSIR UGC-NET (2020), UGC-NET (December 2020), UGC-NET (May 2021), and ICAR AIEEA (2020), faced delays due to a combination of COVID-19 and logistical challenges.


Additionally, the Delhi University Entrance Test (DUET) 2020 was delayed due to a suspension in the registration process caused by the pandemic. CMAT-2021 was postponed because of changes to the exam pattern by AICTE. AIAPGET 2021 and JIPMAT 2021 were also rescheduled due to the pandemic.


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In 2022, the IGNOU PhD Entrance was postponed for administrative reasons, and GAT-B 2023 was delayed following consultations with regional biotechnology centers. In 2024, the National Common Entrance Test (NCET) and CSIR-NET were postponed due to technical and logistical issues, respectively.


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To mitigate such issues, NTA has begun releasing examination calendars well in advance, incorporating buffer days to accommodate rescheduling and delays beyond their control, according to Majumdar.


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