The HRD ministry is going to the Cabinet with its proposal to set up the National Authority for Testing (NAT). To be established as a society, NAT will be a lean body and conduct aptitude test for Class IX, X, XI, XII students. NAT will be consulting top experts of psychometrics, both in India and abroad and will take help of Education Testing Service that conducts tests like SAT and GRE. For the first few years, NAT will be fully funded by the government but eventually the idea is to make it financially autonomous. The HRD ministry is hopeful that Cabinet clearance will be in place so that NAT tests are conducted at least twice in the first year which is likely to be in 2017 in order to shortlist 4 lakh students who can appear for JEE.After the first year, NTA will conduct aptitude test four times each year. The tests will be designed to judge the scientific and innovative thinking of candidates and cannot be gamed through coaching.JEE, on the lines of the current JEE (Advanced), will test the students on their knowledge of Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics.
Source: http://goo.gl/vcGrM9
