UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — What can be done to curb ‘paper leaks’ and ensure institutional accountability?

Q1. The Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024, and its 2026 amendment were piloted in Parliament by which Union Ministry?

  • A. The Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, through the Department of Personnel and Training
  • B. The Ministry of Education, through the Department of Higher Education
  • C. The Ministry of Home Affairs, through the Department of Internal Security
  • D. The Ministry of Law and Justice, through the Legislative Department

Q2. After the amendment passed by Parliament in July 2026, the highest monetary penalty prescribed under the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act for any single category of offence is:

  • A. Rs 50 lakh, being the maximum fine on an individual resorting to unfair means
  • B. Rs 1 crore, being the maximum fine on managerial personnel of a service provider
  • C. Rs 5 crore, being the maximum fine imposable on a service provider firm
  • D. Rs 10 crore, being the minimum fine for an organised examination crime

Q3. The FIR into the alleged paper leak in NEET (UG) 2026 was registered by which agency, and on whose written complaint?

  • A. The Central Bureau of Investigation, on the written complaint of the Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education
  • B. The National Investigation Agency, on a reference from the Ministry of Home Affairs, which alone can order probes into examination offences
  • C. The Enforcement Directorate, on the complaint of the National Testing Agency, which is exclusively empowered to report leaks of its own papers
  • D. The Delhi Police Crime Branch, on the complaint of the University Grants Commission, which is in every case the referring authority

Q4. The NEET (UG) 2026 examination that was subsequently re-conducted after a leak had originally been held on which date?

  • A. 12 May 2026
  • B. 3 May 2026
  • C. 21 June 2026
  • D. 27 July 2026

Q5. Which examination was the first to be entrusted to the National Testing Agency when it began conducting tests?

  • A. JEE (Main)
  • B. NEET (UG)
  • C. UGC-NET
  • D. CMAT

Q6. Consider the following statements about the creation of the National Testing Agency as compared with the arrangements that preceded it: 1. The NTA was set up as a statutory body established by an Act of Parliament in 2017, replacing the Central Board of Secondary Education as an examining authority. 2. The NTA was to take over entrance examinations then being conducted by the CBSE, thereby relieving the CBSE and the AICTE of this responsibility. 3. The NTA was given a government grant of Rs 25 crore for its first year of operation and was thereafter to be financially self-sustaining. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The NTA was set up as a statutory body established by an Act of Parliament in 2017, replacing the Central Board of Secondary Education as an examining authority.
  2. The NTA was to take over entrance examinations then being conducted by the CBSE, thereby relieving the CBSE and the AICTE of this responsibility.
  3. The NTA was given a government grant of Rs 25 crore for its first year of operation and was thereafter to be financially self-sustaining.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q7. Besides the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024, offences under which other law were invoked in the CBI's FIR in the NEET (UG) 2026 case?

  • A. The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967
  • B. The Information Technology Act, 2000
  • C. The Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988
  • D. The Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002

Q8. Under the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024, offences must be investigated by a police officer not below which rank?

  • A. Inspector of Police
  • B. Deputy Superintendent of Police or Assistant Commissioner of Police
  • C. Superintendent of Police or Deputy Commissioner of Police
  • D. Additional Director General of Police

Q9. The High Powered Steering Committee set up to monitor implementation of the recommendations concerning the National Testing Agency is chaired by:

  • A. Dr. Randeep Guleria, former Director of AIIMS, New Delhi
  • B. Shri Govind Jaiswal, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Education
  • C. Prof. B. J. Rao, Vice Chancellor of the Central University of Hyderabad
  • D. Dr. K. Radhakrishnan, former Chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation

Q10. Before the enactment of the central law in 2024, how many States had enacted their own anti-cheating laws for competitive examinations?

  • A. At least four
  • B. At least eight
  • C. At least fourteen
  • D. At least twenty

Q11. With reference to the investigation and judicial handling of the NEET (UG) paper leak case, consider the following: 1. The CBI's final report in the NEET paper leak case was filed against 13 accused and was taken on record by a designated fast-track court. 2. The Calcutta High Court designated five fast-track courts to try NEET paper-leak related cases. 3. The CBI opposed the bail applications of the accused, submitting that the offence was one against the nation. 4. The kingpin identified as the source of the leak was an outsider with no role in the examination process, who obtained the paper by hacking the NTA's servers. Which of the above is/are correctly identified?

  1. The CBI's final report in the NEET paper leak case was filed against 13 accused and was taken on record by a designated fast-track court.
  2. The Calcutta High Court designated five fast-track courts to try NEET paper-leak related cases.
  3. The CBI opposed the bail applications of the accused, submitting that the offence was one against the nation.
  4. The kingpin identified as the source of the leak was an outsider with no role in the examination process, who obtained the paper by hacking the NTA's servers.
  • A. 1 and 3
  • B. 2 and 4
  • C. 1, 2 and 3
  • D. 3 only