Telangana Higher Education Council is planning to introduce fees for raising objections to the preliminary answer keys of professional course entrance examinations. The decision was discussed during a meeting of exam conveners held on Tuesday at the council’s office in Masab Tank. The meeting, chaired by Professor Balakishtareddy, included representatives from various entrance tests scheduled for the 2025-26 academic year.
Under the proposed system, students who wish to challenge the preliminary answer key will need to pay a fee. This fee will be entirely refundable if the objection is upheld and the answer in the preliminary key is deemed incorrect. However, if no changes are made to the key following the review, the fee will not be returned.
The council noted that this practice is already in place for major national-level exams such as JEE and NEET, where a non-refundable fee of ₹200 is charged per objection. The proposed move aims to streamline the objection process and ensure only genuine grievances are raised.
In recent years, some entrance exams, including EAPCET, have faced an overwhelming number of objections to their preliminary keys. It has also come to light that certain institutions have encouraged students to file objections in bulk, regardless of their validity.
Officials believe that introducing a refundable fee structure will prompt students to carefully consider their objections before submitting them. This approach is expected to reduce the volume of frivolous complaints and ensure a more efficient review process.
The proposal now awaits final approval from the Higher Education Council before it can be implemented.
