The National Testing Agency (NTA) has started the Joint Entrance Exam (JEE) Main Session 2 from today onwards. The Paper 1 exam for (BE/BTech) has been scheduled for April 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, and Paper 2 (BArch and BPlanning) for April 12. Around 12.57 lakh candidates have registered for the Session 2 exam this year.
NTA has released a notification mentioning activities that can lead to cancellation of exam and debarring the candidate for current year and in future from appearing in the exam. Noting that disciplinary action was taken against certain candidates based on post-exam data analysis NTA said it will continue to identify and examine such suspicious activities. The agency had earlier also released a set of rules and regulations highlighting 'Unfair practices' that should be avoided by students in the exam hall to avoid cancellation of their test.
"The process will be consistently applied to all future examinations conducted by NTA, aiming to ensure fairness and transparency so that only deserving candidates secure admissions or jobs," notes NTA. The enactment of the Public Malpractice Act 2024 obliges exam agencies to take stringent action against those involved in malpractices.
The official notification released recently reads, "Rigorous measures were introduced to deter malpractices in the exams and ensure the examination's fairness. Even, if a candidate goes for bio-break/toilet, he/she should undergo the mandatory frisking and biometric again. Therefore, candidates are again advised not to move during the examination and should not indulge in talking/peeping or assisting others in the examination. Such an act may lead to cancellation of the candidature and debarring the candidate for current year and in future from appearing in the exam."
The agency has introduced the following measures to keep a check on malpractices in the exam.
- Multistage verification
- Biometric authentication
- Frisking of candidates, invigilation staff and any other associated functionaries
- Surprise visits by flying squads to oversee the examination
- Deployment of full time observers
- Utilisation of AI tools to identify discrepancies in candidates' application details
- Matching of their biometrics and particulars remotely through AI and also by a physical thorough invigilation supervision