UGC NET row: NTA faces allegations of reckless use of AI in setting the papers
UGC NET row: Following widespread complaints and a delay of nearly six weeks, the NTA has ordered fresh examinations in English, commerce, and sociology.
- Aug 20, 2026,
- Updated Aug 20, 2026 2:11 PM IST
The National Testing Agency (NTA) is facing allegations of extensive use of artificial intelligence in setting and translating UGC-NET examination papers.
According to a report in Times of India, subject experts and former NTA officials have linked errors in three cancelled tests to insufficient human review. The NTA has denied using generative AI to create the disputed papers. Director General Abhishek Singh told the daily that the papers were reviewed by humans after being set but did not explain how the errors were missed.
Following widespread complaints and a delay of nearly six weeks, the NTA has ordered fresh examinations in English, commerce, and sociology. Experts said AI was heavily involved in preparing the papers. Former NTA subject experts also claimed AI was used in translating NEET-UG papers, as mentioned in the report.
The allegations have raised concerns about the extent of automation in preparing high-stakes exams and whether proper academic review was conducted. A senior education ministry source said meetings with NTA officers revealed that answer keys could not be declared because the papers were designed in an "ad hoc" manner. Questions about the lack of expert review remain unanswered.
The sociology exam faced complaints about misspelt names, unclear terminology, poor translations, and questions outside the syllabus. Names of scholars like George Ritzer, Talcott Parsons, and GS Ghurye were reportedly distorted.
DON'T MISS | NEET-UG row: Centre tells SC it’s considering a two-stage exam format like JEE
The English paper was criticised for large-scale repetition, with candidates noting that about 67 of 150 questions had appeared in a previous UGC-NET exam. Commerce candidates reported repeated questions on topics such as taxation, break-even analysis, capital structure, and services marketing.
While NTA’s use of technology does not prove AI caused the errors, the reasons for repeated questions remain unclear. Officials said the education ministry supported cancelling the three papers and conducting fresh exams by late July or early August. The NTA waited nearly six weeks before cancelling the tests, releasing provisional answer keys for 84 of 87 subjects during this period.
The National Testing Agency (NTA) is facing allegations of extensive use of artificial intelligence in setting and translating UGC-NET examination papers.
According to a report in Times of India, subject experts and former NTA officials have linked errors in three cancelled tests to insufficient human review. The NTA has denied using generative AI to create the disputed papers. Director General Abhishek Singh told the daily that the papers were reviewed by humans after being set but did not explain how the errors were missed.
Following widespread complaints and a delay of nearly six weeks, the NTA has ordered fresh examinations in English, commerce, and sociology. Experts said AI was heavily involved in preparing the papers. Former NTA subject experts also claimed AI was used in translating NEET-UG papers, as mentioned in the report.
The allegations have raised concerns about the extent of automation in preparing high-stakes exams and whether proper academic review was conducted. A senior education ministry source said meetings with NTA officers revealed that answer keys could not be declared because the papers were designed in an "ad hoc" manner. Questions about the lack of expert review remain unanswered.
The sociology exam faced complaints about misspelt names, unclear terminology, poor translations, and questions outside the syllabus. Names of scholars like George Ritzer, Talcott Parsons, and GS Ghurye were reportedly distorted.
DON'T MISS | NEET-UG row: Centre tells SC it’s considering a two-stage exam format like JEE
The English paper was criticised for large-scale repetition, with candidates noting that about 67 of 150 questions had appeared in a previous UGC-NET exam. Commerce candidates reported repeated questions on topics such as taxation, break-even analysis, capital structure, and services marketing.
While NTA’s use of technology does not prove AI caused the errors, the reasons for repeated questions remain unclear. Officials said the education ministry supported cancelling the three papers and conducting fresh exams by late July or early August. The NTA waited nearly six weeks before cancelling the tests, releasing provisional answer keys for 84 of 87 subjects during this period.