Centre Reveals NTA Has 39 Permanent Posts, Conducted Over 270 Exams Since 2018; Income Increases To ₹1,117 Crore In Five Years

New Delhi: The National Testing Agency (NTA) has conducted more than 270 examinations covering over 6.6 crore candidate registrations since its inception in 2018, the Centre informed the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday. The agency has also strengthened its staffing structure with additional senior-level posts while continuing to rely on contractual and outsourced personnel for examination-related operations.

In a written reply to an unstarred question raised by Rajya Sabha MP Dr. V. Sivadasan, Minister of State for Education Dr. Sukanta Majumdar shared details regarding the NTA's staffing, examinations, and financial performance.

NTA's Permanent Staff Strength

The ministry said the NTA was established as a self-sustaining autonomous organisation to conduct entrance examinations for admissions and fellowships in higher educational institutions.

The agency currently has 39 permanent posts, all of which are filled through deputation. To further strengthen the organisation, the government has created 16 additional posts—eight at the Director level and eight at the Joint Director level—to be filled through the Central Staffing Scheme.

The present permanent staff includes:

Director General (Level 17): 1

Joint Secretary (Level 15): 2

Director (Level 14): 1

Director (Level 13): 7

Joint Directors and Research Scientists (Level 12): 6

Deputy Directors (Level 11): 3

Assistant Directors (Level 10): 2

Senior Superintendents (Level 7): 2

Contractual and Outsourced Workforce

The government said NTA also engages personnel on a contractual basis depending on operational requirements.

Currently, 73 contractual staff are engaged, including:

1 General Manager (Communication)

1 Senior Advisor

3 Advisors

5 Senior Consultants

44 Consultants

1 Senior Software Developer

1 Office Assistant

17 Young Professionals

Additionally, 124 personnel have been outsourced for roles such as data analysts, consultants, junior consultants, legal associates, housekeeping staff, and other support functions.

For conducting examinations across the country, the NTA also deploys field-level personnel—including observers, city coordinators, centre supervisors, and members of State Level Coordination Committees (SLCCs) and District Level Coordination Committees (DLCCs)—in coordination with state governments, Union Territories, centrally funded higher educational institutions, Navodaya Vidyalayas, and Kendriya Vidyalayas.

More Than 270 Examinations Conducted

The ministry informed Parliament that since 2018, NTA has conducted over 270 examinations involving more than 6.6 crore candidate registrations. In 2026 alone, the agency has conducted 12 examinations with over 65 lakh candidate registrations so far. The reply also highlighted that the NEET UG 2026 examination was conducted on May 3, 2026, across 5,432 centres in 565 cities in 13 languages. Following allegations of irregularities, the NTA conducted the NEET UG 2026 re-examination on June 21, 2026, and declared the results on July 16, 2026.

NTA's Income and Expenditure

Center also shared the National Testing Agency's annual Income and Expenditure Accounts, prepared under the accrual accounting system and approved by the agency's Governing Body.

2019–20: Income – ₹504.16 crore | Expenditure – ₹440.20 crore
2020–21: Income – ₹515.16 crore | Expenditure – ₹436.25 crore
2021–22: Income – ₹508.47 crore | Expenditure – ₹426.52 crore
2022–23: Income – ₹900.56 crore | Expenditure – ₹681.52 crore
2023–24: Income – ₹1,116.84 crore | Expenditure – ₹1,040.96 crore

The data shows that NTA's income more than doubled over the five-year period, increasing from ₹504.16 crore in 2019–20 to ₹1,116.84 crore in 2023–24. Expenditure also rose substantially, from ₹440.20 crore to ₹1,040.96 crore during the same period, reflecting the growing scale of examinations conducted by the agency.

A particularly sharp increase was recorded in 2022–23, when income surged by nearly 77% compared with the previous year, while expenditure rose by almost 60%. Despite the rise in spending, the agency's annual income remained higher than its expenditure throughout the period.