Mumbai, July 28 -- The paper leak for India's undergraduate medical entrance examination, the 2026 National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET), exposed a vulnerability few had anticipated: from the question paper setters, not the distribution process.

V. Kamakoti, director at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras and a member of the Centre's examination reforms task force, says the focus now is on tightening the vetting of paper setters, expanding use of artificial intelligence (AI) in surveillance, and examining whether NEET should move to multiple computer-based test sessions like the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) does for engineering courses.

But beyond technology, rebuilding trust remains the toughest challenge, says the ...