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The apex organization conducting major competitive examinations like JEE Main, NEET-UG, CUET and UGC NET across the country. National Testing Agency (NTA) has clarified the position regarding the processing fee of ₹ 200 charged for filing objection on the provisional answer key. Amidst the questions being raised regarding this fee from students, parents and social media, NTA has given an official clarification saying that this system has been made completely transparent, student-friendly and to maintain the purity of the system. The agency argues that if the objection raised by any one student is found correct by the panel of subject experts, then the marks for that question are given equally not to that one student but to lakhs of students across the country appearing in the exam.
The main objective is to stop non-serious and fake objections
NTA officials clarified that the main objective of imposing non-refundable processing fee of ₹200 is not to earn money but to stop the flood of unnecessary and frivolous objections:
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Database of crores of candidates: Every year more than 50 lakh students appear for the examinations conducted by NTA. If the answer key challenge is made completely free, there will be lakhs of objections without any solid basis or reference.
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Pressure to release results on time: It may take months to review countless fake objections, causing huge delays in admission processes, counseling and academic sessions.
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Serious Student Participation: Due to the nominal fee, only those students who are completely confident about their answers and certified references (Textbook References) lodge objections.
An Objection Benefiting All Students: How Does the Mechanism Work?
Explaining the working behind the answer key challenge in detail, NTA said that students should not have the misconception that each candidate will have to lodge an objection by paying ₹200 separately:
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Rule of Single Valid Challenge: Even if only one student from across the country raises a correct objection with valid evidence on the answer to any one question, it is thoroughly reviewed by the entire subject expert panel.
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Automatic modification in final answer key: If the expert panel finds that there was a mistake in the provisional answer key or two options of the question were correct, then the correct answer to that question is updated in the ‘Final Answer Key’ or that question is dropped.
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Equal Points Distribution: The full benefit of this improvement in the final answer key is automatically given to every student who appeared in the examination in his/her scorecard without any additional fee or application.
Subject experts and legal review expenses
NTA also underlined that the answer-key challenge process involves committees consisting of high-level subject experts:
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Panel of Senior Professors: Subject expert professors from top IITs, NITs, AIIMS and central universities of the country are invited to review the objections.
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Software and technical infrastructure: Uploading millions of digital OMR sheets, response sheets and evidence requires secure IT infrastructure. The nominal fee charged is used to cover these operational and technical costs.
Opinion of student organizations and parents
Although the NTA has fully justified this move, many student unions and academicians say that if a student’s objection is found to be valid, then at least the student’s fee of ₹ 200 should be refunded. Earlier, NTA used to charge fees up to ₹1000 per question, which was reduced to ₹200 per question after protests by students. NTA has reiterated that it aims to ensure zero error and the highest level of fairness in all entrance examinations in the country.