India wants to tap technology to prevent exam paper leaks, but experts say it’s not so simple

KUALA LUMPUR, 17 AUGUST 2026 —

India’s Exam Leak Crisis Spurs Tech Push, But Experts Warn of Deeper Flaws

The crisis erupted in June when a leaked NEET paper—India’s largest pre-medical exam—sparked nationwide protests, the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, and scrutiny from the Supreme Court over the National Testing Agency’s (NTA) handling of the test. At least 20 students reportedly took their own lives amid the fallout, highlighting the extreme pressure placed on a single exam that determines the futures of over 2.2 million candidates annually.

To address the issue, the government appointed a task force led by Nandan Nilekani, co-founder of Infosys and architect of India’s Aadhaar digital identity system, to recommend technological reforms. But experts caution that while digital solutions may help, they cannot resolve deeper systemic vulnerabilities that have plagued India’s exam system for years.

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A System Built on Fragile Trust

The NEET leak exposed a critical flaw in India’s examination model: its reliance on a single, highly confidential paper distributed to millions of students on the same day. Unlike systems where candidates receive different question sets, India’s largest entrance tests depend on one document, making any breach catastrophic.

Cybersecurity researcher Sai Krishna told Channel NewsAsia that India’s paper-based model is inherently vulnerable because the exam exists in its final form long before students sit for it. The process involves a lengthy chain of custody—question setters, printing presses, transport contractors, storage facilities, district officials, and exam centres—each acting as a potential point of compromise.

“Every handoff is a human trust point,” Krishna said. “A single compromised insider anywhere in that chain can defeat the entire system.” Investigations into the NEET leak have already uncovered a multi-state conspiracy, with the Central Bureau of Investigation arresting 13 people, including NTA subject experts and coaching-centre operators.

Nearly all major exam leaks in India have stemmed from insider involvement rather than cyberattacks, according to Krishna. This contrasts with systems like China’s gaokao or the U.S. Graduate Record Examinations (GRE), where different candidates receive varied question sets, reducing the impact of any single leak.

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Lessons from China and the U.S.

Experts suggest India should look beyond a single technological fix and instead adopt a layered approach combining rigorous security measures with structural reforms.

China, home to the world’s largest university entrance exam, gaokao, treats exam papers as state secrets. Authorities enforce strict chain-of-custody protocols, including police escorts, GPS-tracked transport, and severe penalties for leaks—up to seven years in prison under recent amendments to its criminal law. During this year’s gaokao, authorities also temporarily disabled AI features from major tech firms like ByteDance and Alibaba to prevent cheating.

Meanwhile, the U.S. relies on computer-based testing with large question banks, ensuring candidates receive different but equivalent exam versions. Adaptive testing further complicates cheating by adjusting question difficulty based on a candidate’s performance.

Wally Dalrymple, chief security officer at the U.S.-based Educational Testing Service (ETS), which administers exams like the GRE and TOEFL, told Channel NewsAsia that no single solution can eliminate leaks entirely. “Computer-based testing by itself doesn’t solve the integrity problem; it just relocates it,” he said. “The countries that do this well have moved past the idea that any single fix will solve the problem.”

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Malaysia and Southeast Asia Watch Closely

India’s exam leak crisis has drawn attention across Southeast Asia, where high-stakes national examinations also shape educational and career trajectories. Malaysia, which conducts its own centralized exams like the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) and Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM), has not faced a leak of NEET’s scale, but authorities remain vigilant.

The Malaysian Examinations Syndicate (LPBM) has progressively digitized parts of its exam process, including online registration and result dissemination. However, the country still relies on paper-based testing for major exams, with strict security measures in place for question paper handling.

An education ministry official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Malaysia continuously reviews its exam security protocols but has not identified a need for a systemic overhaul akin to India’s. “Our processes are robust, but we always look at best practices globally to improve,” the official said.

Neighbouring Indonesia, which administers the Ujian Nasional (National Exam), has also faced scrutiny over exam integrity. In 2023, authorities reported several leaks in regional exams, prompting calls for stricter digital monitoring. The country has since increased the use of encrypted question papers and real-time surveillance during exams.

--- Stakeholders Weigh In: Reform or Redesign?

Former Indian Education Secretary R Subrahmanyam, who has proposed replacing high-stakes exams like NEET with multiple test dates and dynamically generated papers, argues that the current system is fundamentally flawed. “It is a design problem,” he told Channel NewsAsia. “While online exams would help, what is needed is to look at the assessment system as a whole.”

Subrahmanyam’s policy paper, published in July 2026 by the Centre for Research in Schemes and Policies (CRISP), suggests a nationwide continuous assessment system built by upgrading existing schools and colleges. This would distribute the weight of a single exam across multiple evaluations, reducing the impact of any leak.

Krishna, the cybersecurity researcher, advocates for a hybrid approach: combining China’s stringent chain-of-custody practices with the U.S. model of varied question sets. “The objective should be not merely to punish leaks after they occur,” he said, “but to design examinations in which no single paper can compromise the entire process.”

The NTA, meanwhile, has defended its digital push, stating that computer-based testing will reduce human interference in exam administration. However, experts warn that digitization alone cannot address the deeper issues of accountability and systemic trust.

--- The Road Ahead: Can India Break the Cycle?

As India’s task force prepares its recommendations, the debate over exam security shows no signs of abating. The Supreme Court has already demanded answers from the NTA, and opposition parties continue to demand systemic reforms.

For millions of Indian students, the stakes could not be higher. The NEET leak has not only disrupted lives but also exposed the fragility of a system that places immense pressure on a single test. Whether technology can provide a lasting solution remains uncertain—but one thing is clear: India’s exam system, like its education sector, is at a crossroads.

As Dalrymple of ETS noted, “The best exams make security nearly invisible to honest test takers and expensive for bad actors.” For India, the challenge will be balancing technological innovation with a fundamental rethinking of how it evaluates its students—before the next leak occurs.

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