New Delhi, Aug 21: The National Testing Agency (NTA) has defended its ₹200-per-question answer key challenge fee, saying the mechanism is designed to protect fairness across an examination rather than benefit only the candidate who raises an objection.
In a post on X on Friday, the testing agency responded to concerns that the answer key challenge process is too expensive and explained how the system operates when candidates dispute an answer in a provisional key.
The NTA said an objection accepted by subject experts results in the revised answer key being applied to every candidate who appeared for that examination. This means that a challenge raised by a single candidate can result in a correction that benefits all students who took the examination.
The agency also clarified that candidates do not have to bear the challenge fee when their objection is upheld. Candidates are generally required to pay ₹200 for each question they challenge, but the amount is refunded when subject experts accept the challenge.
According to the NTA, the fee is intended to discourage frivolous objections rather than generate revenue from candidates who raise valid concerns. The agency urged candidates who identify what they believe to be a genuine error to use the prescribed objection process.
The testing agency said an accepted challenge can correct the examination record for a large number of candidates. It stressed that the benefit of a valid objection extends beyond the individual who submits it because the revised answer key applies to everyone who appeared for the examination.
An answer key challenge is an online mechanism through which candidates can raise objections to questions or answers contained in a provisional answer key. The process applies to examinations conducted by the NTA, including JEE Main, NEET and UGC NET.
The clarification comes amid scrutiny of the NTA over examination-related controversies. The agency has faced concerns surrounding the NEET-UG examination as well as reported issues linked to UGC-NET.
The NTA’s latest explanation centres on the way accepted objections are treated across an examination. Under the mechanism described by the agency, candidates can challenge a question by paying the prescribed fee, while an objection accepted by subject experts leads to a revised answer being applied to all candidates.
The agency therefore asked candidates who identify genuine errors to raise them through the prescribed process, maintaining that a valid challenge can both result in a refund for the challenger and correct the answer key for other students who took the same examination.
