Hans News Service New Delhi

TheNational Testing Agency (NTA) has said that its 'answer key challenge' system is designed to be fair to all students, and rejected concerns about it being expensive.

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.

"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," NTA said in a post on X on August 20, Thursday.

"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 said. The NTA said that fee is charged for challenging an answer to discourage frivolous challenges and it is refunded if the challenge turns out to be right. "The Rs 200/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.

"So if you have identified a genuine error and raised it, if found correct will not only be refunded but one accurate challenge from any candidate can correct the record for lakhs of others," it added.