New Delhi: The National Testing Agency (NTA) on Thursday defended its answer key challenge system, saying it is designed to ensure fairness for all candidates and rejecting claims that the process is "too expensive."
The clarification came after concerns were raised over the ₹200 per-question fee charged for challenging answers in the provisional answer key.
An NTA answer key challenge is an online process where candidates who take an exam (like JEE Main, NEET, or UGC NET) can object to errors in the provisional answer key.
The NTA has been under fire lately over issues ranging from NEET-UG paper leak to errors in the UGC-NET examinations.
'One challenge, everyone benefits'
In a post on X, the NTA said that if even one candidate successfully challenges an answer, the correction is applied to the results of every candidate who appeared for the examination.
"On the concern being raised that answer key challenges are 'too expensive': a quick clarification for candidates. The answer key challenge system is designed to be fair to every student, not just the one who challenges," the agency said.
"One challenge, everyone benefits. If even a single candidate challenges a question, and the subject experts accept the challenge, the revised answer key applies to every candidate who wrote the exam," it added.
On the concern being raised that answer key challenges are "too expensive": a quick clarification for candidates.The answer key challenge system is designed to be fair to every student, not just the one who challenges.1. One challenge, everyone benefits. If even a single…
Why the fee is charged
The NTA said the ₹200 fee per question is intended to discourage frivolous objections rather than generate revenue.
"The ₹200 per question is refunded to the candidate whose challenge is upheld. The fee exists to discourage frivolous challenges, not to profit from genuine ones," the agency said.
It added that a single valid objection from any candidate could lead to a correction benefiting lakhs of students, while the candidate who raised the successful challenge would receive a full refund.
The clarification comes amid an ongoing controversy over the cancellation of the English, Commerce and Sociology papers in the UGC-NET examination after complaints regarding errors in the question papers.