The panel explained that pen and paper tests can be secure if managed well pointing to CBSE board exams and UPSC for examples that have remained leak-proof for many years.

The report of the committee headed by Congress MP Digvijaya Singh said of the 14 major exams conducted by NTA in 2024 at least five had serious issues which were three exams like UGC-NET, CSIR-NET and NEET-PG were postponed, NEET-UG had cases of paper leaks and CUET its results delayed.

The report also mentioned that in the JEE Main 2025 exam held in January as many as twelve questions had to be deleted due to errors in the final answer key. The committee said such repeated issues shake students' trusts and urged the NTA to improve its processes immediately so that avoidable errors don't happen again.

On the aspect of exam security the committee provided a relative assessment of online and offline modes. It said pen and paper tests run the leak risk though computer-based tests can be hacked without easy detection. Even then it favoured a stronger shift towards traditional offline exams. It advised NTA to study and follow CBSE and UPSC methods. For computer-based tests it recommended using only government-run centres and not private ones.

The report pointed out that some of the companies involved in the exam setting, administration and evaluation had been blacklisted earlier by various authorities but were nonetheless getting new contracts. It thus recommended creating a national blacklist of such firms and individuals so that neither NTA nor any state government employs them again.

The committee also examined NTA's finances and found that over the previous six years the organisation had earned about Rs 3512.9 crore and spent Rs 3064.7 crore on tests leaving a surplus of Rs 448 crore. It recommended that this be utilised to build NTA's own capabilities as well as to strengthen vendor monitoring and regulation.

The report raised concerns over the growing reliance of students on private coaching centres. It recommended bringing entrance tests in line with school curricula and advocated the constitution of a task force to consider stronger regulation of the coaching industry.