NATIONAL TESTING AGENCY

VISION NTA

The right candidates joining best institutions will give India her demographic dividend.

MISSION

To improve equity and quality in education by administering research based valid, reliable, efficient, transparent, fair and international level assessments. The best subject matter experts, psychometricians and IT delivery and security professionals will ensure that the current gaps in existing assessment systems are properly identified and bridged.

CORE VALUES

NTA will create a system which will promote teaching (by teachers), learning (by students) and assessment (by parents and institutions).NTA strongly believes in quality, efficiency, effectiveness, equity and security of assessments. To practice these values, NTA will constantly engage with its stakeholders, viz. students, parents, teachers, experts and partner institutions.

OBJECTIVES

• To conduct efficient, transparent and international standards tests in order to assess the competency of candidates for admission, and recruitment purposes.
• To undertake research on educational, professional and testing systems to identify gaps in the knowledge systems and take steps for bridging them.
• To identify experts and institutions in setting examination questions.
• To produce and disseminate information and research on education and professional development standards.

FUNCTIONS

• To identify partner institutions with adequate infrastructure from the existing schools and higher education institutions which would facilitate conduct of online examinations without adversely impacting their academic routine.
• To create a question bank for all subjects using the modern techniques
• To establish a strong R&D culture as well as a pool of experts in different aspects of testing
• To help individual colleges and universities in the field of testing and to provide training and advisory services to the institutions in India. To provide quality testing services to the academic institutions in India.
• To develop a state of the art culture of testing in India by using domestic and international expertise. To collaborate with international organizations like ETS to achieve the same.
• To undertake any other examination that is entrusted to it by the Ministries/Departments of Government of India/State Governments.
• To undertake the reforms and training of school boards as well as other bodies where the testing standards should be comparable with the entrance examinations.

GOVERNING BODY

The administration of the NTA has been entrusted to the Governing Body, the first members of which are as under:

SI NO	Name	Designation	Occupation
01	Shri R. Subrahmanyam	Chairman	Secretary, Department of Higher Education, MHRD
02	Dr. S.S. Sandhu	Member	Additional Secretary (Technical Education), Department of Higher Education, MHRD
03	Ms. Darshana Momaya Dabral	Member	Joint Secretary & Financial Adviser, Department of Higher Education, MHRD
04	Ms. Anita Karwal	Member	Chairperson, Central Board of Secondary Education
05	Sh. Vineet Joshi	Member Secretary	Director General, National Testing Agency (NTA)
06	Dr. Abhay Karandikar	Member	Director, IIT Kanpur
07	Shri Anil Kumar	Member	Director (Finance), Department of Higher Education, MHRD
08	Shri Prashant Agarwal	Member	Director (IITs), Department of Higher Education, MHRD

TEAM NTA 

NTA will have a team of education administrators, experts, researchers and assessment developers who believe that scientifically designed and properly delivered assessments can improve teaching learning processes in Indian class rooms. Students coming out of these processes will immensely contribute to the wellbeing of our country. These assessments will also improve equity and will ensure that merit and not the means prevail in selections.

Success of all works of NTA shall be evaluated on the basis of their being able to achieve the above purpose.

NTA will emphasize on updating its practices by constant innovation in assessment. The organization will give major emphasis to research in evaluation and use that research to update its assessment practices.

CORE TEAM MEMBERS

• Test Item Writers
• Researchers and Psychometricians
• Education Specialists

A)RESEARCHERS AND PSYCHOMETRICIANS

NTA has six operational verticals pertaining to various examinations. Every vertical will employ about 6 researchers including internationally known experts of psychometrics and statistics.

The group of researchers will be responsible for the following-

• Research and analysis of data to support the examinations they are entrusted with
• Ideate for future assessment practices
• Establish good assessment practices and influence policy at the national level

The group of psychometricians and statisticians will be responsible for the following-

• Reliabilityof the test in different versions to be used
• Validityof the test by showing that the test measures the knowledge or skills that it is intended to measure
• Fairness of the test by ensuring that no group of students is either advantaged or disadvantaged due to medium of examination or content of the questions
• Equating multiple tests that will be done during a year so that these tests become comparable

NTA will set professional standards for assessments in the country, research on education and professional development.

Since India is a hugely diverse country, NTA will effectively liaise with various state governments, universities, state education boards, UGC, AIU, NCTE, NCERT, CBSE, CISCE, NIOS etc. to understand student’s abilities and higher education institution’s requirements.

B) TEST ITEM WRITERS

NTA will create a pool of highly professional subject matter experts who will be trained by the psychometricians and statisticians. These subject matter experts will write items for NTA and using software/ artificial intelligence, the NTA will create tests.
Initially, the tests of NTA will come under the following categories:

ENTRANCE EXAMINATIONS

• JEE (Main)
• NEET – UG
• CMAT
• GPAT

ASSESSMENTS FOR FELLOWSHIP

• UGC - NET

TARGETED ASSESSMENTS

In future, NTA will also undertake other tests to measure specific population’s content, knowledge and skills.

EDUCATION POLICY SPECIALISTS

NTA will have a huge repository of data of student performance, with various other demographic parameters across subject areas. NTA will analyse this data to inform the policymakers about the corrective measures required for improving teaching and learning.
NTA will, inter alia, report on-

• in-depth analysis of educational achievement across States and achievement gap
• teacher quality and certification
• Time series comparison of performance across states
• Inputs on student and teacher training needs
• educational reform

STRATEGIC PLAN

NTA will work with Government of India, UGC, AICTE, IITs, Universities, School Boards and state governments towards research and develop tests for effective assessment of the target population. When fully operational, NTA will develop, administer and mark about 150 lakh candidates annually across the country and abroad in more than 500 cities and 5000 test centres. The NTAs tests will be scientifically prepared based on rigorous research and will be of the highest quality so that the user institutions can make well informed decisions.
NTA will conduct research and design assessments for improving selections by fair, valid and reliable instruments, expanding teaching and learning opportunities and ushering in an era of scientific testing in the country.
NTA will work in the following four areas of expertise:

• Research
• Test Development
• Test Administration
• Test Marking

MOU Between NTA and TPC August 2018 1 MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING / AGREEMENT This Memorandum of Undertaking is made on this day, the ………………………. between ‘National Testing Agency’ (NTA), herein after referred to as NTA, having its office at C20, 1A/8 Sector 62, IIT Kanpur Outreach Centre, Noida 201309, which expression shall include authorized representative of First Party, and ……………………………………………………….….… (Name of the College/School) …………..………………………..…(Address)……………..(hereinafter referred to as Test Practice Centre (TPC) and represented by its Director/Principal/Head of the Institute) of the Second Party. The expression shall include authorized representatives of the first party as well as the second party. 1. The activity for which this MoU is signed, is to be known as “Operationalization of Test Practice Centre (TPC) under NTA”, Government of India. Whereas, Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), Govt., of India, has set up ‘National Testing Agency’ (NTA), (www.nta.ac.in) a premier testing organization, to conduct entrance examinations, for Admission/Fellowship in higher educational Institutions. This shall bring in transparency and qualitative difference in Competitive examination process. The MHRD has decided, that NTA shall establish a network of Test Practice Centres, for students of rural areas, so that candidates will have an opportunity to practice on computers before the exam. Accordingly, Schools/colleges with computer facility etc., have been approached and such Centres have registered themselves on NTA website. The institutions in each District as TPC shall be kept open on, Saturday/Sunday, so that any student can use the facility free of charge. MOU Between NTA and TPC August 2018 2 NTA shall make Notification/s, inviting candidates, desiring to appear in various competitive Examinations, conducted by NTA, to register online, for using TPC for practice. The NTA is desirous of undertaking a joint project with the Second Party for allowing ‘Registered Students’, who are interested to appear in various Competitive Examinations and practice on the PCs of the Second Party; the two parties through this Memorandum of Understanding, agree to collaborate to this national activity, with the intention of both being legally bound, accept the following terms and conditions: 2. Responsibilities of the Test Practice Centre The TPC shall; a) Follow guidelines/policies issued by the NTA from time to time. b) Organize test practice activities, for the Registered students (list provided by the NTA), as well as eligible students studying at the institute, to follow a ‘Course Package’ provided by the NTA. c) Nominate a ‘Nodal Officer’ who shall be the contact point, for day to day activities regarding proper functioning of the TPC with the NTA. d) Maintain, the committed PC and LAN/Internet and concerned peripheral, in good and working conditions, so to offer best and uninterrupted service. e) Keep the concerned Labs/rooms open for the time and period as communicated by the NTA and ensure IT/Electricity person/s is/are present during the allotted time to attend any technical trouble faced by the candidates working on the PCs. f) Be responsible for the safety and working of system, infrastructure for all days and period, the TPC is active and shall ensure attendant/s are present for any assistance required by the Registered students. g) Receive academic Content from NTA to be installed on all designated PCs, for Online or Offline working on the PCs at the TPC, so that registered MOU Between NTA and TPC August 2018 3 students can perform practice at the location. h) Provide regular information to NTA regarding the student attending the practice and for what duration, ensure feedback from each of the student is uploaded on the NTA website. i) Receive remuneration/s from NTA, in leu for providing the committed equipment, manpower, infrastructure etc., for the conduct of Practice for the registered students at the Centre. The current rates of remuneration is at Annexure-I of this agreement, j) The remuneration received from NTA by the TPC shall be in total for the service provided to and shall not obligate NTA on any responsibility concerning running/maintaining of the TPC, for the said period. k) The TPC may recommend its student to register on the NTA website and once registered, the list shall be forwarded by the NTA to TPC and such students allowed to practice. l) Conduct no such parallel activity, which may be prejudicial to the interests of the said Scheme, or the NTA; m) Maintain records of the trainees and their regular attendance, feedback and share it with NTA, regularly; n) Provide the following minimum infrastructural facilities: i. Computers with necessary software ii. Local Area Network (LAN) or Internet at all PCs with minimum of 1 Mbps bandwidth. iii. Power Backup for at least 30 Minutes of working. iv. Labs/Rooms for TPC v. Necessary furniture. vi. Necessary manpower for ensuring uninterrupted working of all units. o) Not realize any kind of fee or cash from the candidate for the practice in any form whatsoever; MOU Between NTA and TPC August 2018 4 3) Responsibilities of NTA: The NTA May: a. From time to time issue, broad policies and Guidelines related to matters of Test Practice Centres, to TPCs. b. Issue instruction to a TPC concerning operationalization of practice. c. Send any of its official/s or representative/es to inspect a TPC regarding, operational matters and submit its report to Director General, NTA. d. Add more TPCs in the District/State and or withdraw allocation of a TPC, without assigning any reason to the existing TPC/s. e. Provide academic Content through Online or Offline to be used by registered students at TPC. f. Pay remuneration/s to TPC as per its policies applicable from time to time g. Have no legal, financial or any other responsibility towards employees/contractual personnel associated with the activities/ project; h. Keep a track of the number of students attending the practice and for what duration, at Test Practice Centre. i. Be responsible for the logistics and operational aspects of the Practice component of the said Scheme; For all operational matters concerning working of TPC, the decision of the DG, NTA shall be final. 4) Force Majeure In the event of non-fulfillment of the contract terms and conditions due to any reason of force majeure namely fires, wars, riots, strikes, natural calamities, etc., neither the TPC nor NTA shall be held responsible for any loss or consequential loss. MOU Between NTA and TPC August 2018 5 5) Indemnity The TPC hereby agrees jointly and severally to indemnify NTA, their representatives, administrators and properties from and against all action, demands, proceedings, prosecutions, attachments, and the like arising out of its liabilities and all charges, taxes, etc. 5) Liabilities A) NTA shall not, however, be liable for: a) any payments of claims by employees of the Test Practice Centre b) discharging any financial commitments made by Test Practice Centre. c) Any suit on account of demands for infringement of copyright and other laws by the TPC which have no nexus with the object of the MoU being entered into. B) NTA shall not be responsible in any way for any liabilities arising out of use of software at TPC. The TPC shall only be solely responsible. 6) Breach of Agreement NTA shall have the right to terminate the agreement with the Test Practice Centre without giving any advance notice, in case the TPC either fails to provide the services successfully as mentioned in the agreement, or violates any of the clause mentioned in the MOU, or exploits the students or misuses the partnership with NTA in any way. MOU Between NTA and TPC August 2018 6 7) Amendment to the Agreement The obligation of the TPC and NTA have been outlined in this agreement. However, during the operation of the agreement, circumstances may arise which call for alteration or modifications of this Agreement. These modifications/alterations will be mutually discussed and agreed upon in writing. 8) Period of Validity Unless the agreement is withdrawn by NTA, this agreement shall be initially valid for one year from the date of signing the agreement and to be renewed subsequently by mutual consent of both the parties. 9) Arbitration Any dispute arising with regard to any aspect of this Agreement shall be settled through mutual consultations by the parties to the Agreement and in case, the matter is not settled mutually, the Arbitrators shall be appointed by the Director General, NTA. For the Test Practice Centre ______________________ ( ) For NTA _________________ Director General, NTA Annexure I, of MOU Between NTA and TPC August 2018 1 Annexure-I A candidate can practice maximum for 3 hours per session and for further practice has to register again. A TPC shall be operational for three hour a shift. On Saturdays one and Sundays two shifts shall be operated by the TPC. In a month 12 shifts shall be operational. An institute may engage (i) one or more Nodal Officers in a shift, (ii) one or more Helpers in a shift and (iii) it shall be the overall responsibility of the Head of the institution to ensure the TPC activity takes place without difficulty. An institute shall receive remuneration of Rs.15,000/- per month as under. Total Remuneration per Month Head of the Institution Nodal Officer @ per Shift Helper (s) per Shift Contingency & Institution C1 C2 C3 C4 C5 15,000/- 5000/- 400/- 250/- 2200/- Accordingly, it is recommended (a) the Head of the Institute may receive remunerations as per C2, (b) Nodal Officer(s) per shift may receive as shown in C3 and (c) Helpers per a shift may receive as per C4; however, a contingency is required to be factored in for repairs, consumables, etc for smooth working of the activity and an amount as per C5 is recommended. In case there is a saving after paying recommended remunerations, the funds should go to the Institute for the development of similar infrastructure. Funds allocated to an institute under column C1 are fixed and other payment allocations as shown in C2,3,4 & 5 are purely recommendary in nature and the Institute is free to redesign its payment norms for smooth functioning of the activities.

The National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test (NEET) UG will be conducted by the NTA from 2019 onwards. This Test was being conducted by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) till 2018. NEET (UG) is applicable for admission to MBBS/BDS Courses in India in Medical/Dental Colleges run with the approval of Medical Council of India/Dental Council of India under the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India except for the institutions established through an Act of Parliament i.e. AIIMS and JIPMER Puducherry.

The responsibility of the NTA will limited to the conduct of the entrance examination, declaration of result and providing All India Rank to the Directorate General Health Services, Government of India for the conduct of counselling for 15% All India Quota Seats and for supplying the result to state/other Counselling Authorities.