Representative photo (PTI)
NEW DELHI: In a bid to tighten exam security and curb impersonation, the National Testing Agency (NTA is planning to introduce facial recognition-based identity check for major national entrance tests, including NEET-UG and JEE-Main, from 2026, senior officials have said.The move follows a successful proof of concept conducted during NEET 2025, for which Aadhaar-based face authentication technology was deployed at select examination centres in Delhi. The pilot was carried out in collaboration with UIDAI, integrated with NIC’s digital infrastructure and NTA’s existing exam protocol.”During the 2025 NEET exam, UIDAI successfully conducted a PoC to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of Aadhaar-based face authentication for candidate verification. Based on its outcomes, the system will be extended to major entrance exams from next year,” a senior official said. Alongside facial recognition at exam centres, NTA is also introducing a mandatory live photograph capture feature at the application stage. Candidates will be required to upload both a recent scanned photograph in JPG/JPEG format and a live photograph captured through a webcam or mobile device while filling in the form. “This dual verification will ensure that the person applying is the same as the one who appears in the exam. Older photographs will no longer be accepted,” a senior official added.The push for enhanced surveillance comes amid heightened scrutiny of exam integrity following alleged paper leak incidents in recent times. The measures were recommended by the Radhakrishnan committee, constituted by the Centre to review the conduct of national-level entrance examinations.
