Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU), Belagavi, will let engineering students who miss or fail a semester paper sit the exam on demand instead of waiting for the next supplementary cycle, with results promised within 24 hours. Vice-Chancellor S. Vidyashankar told The Hindu that the university will conduct a paper even if a single student asks for it, including on public holidays, and will use artificial intelligence (AI) to prepare question papers.
VTU is the first public university in Karnataka to take this route. It comes a day after the state announced a ₹5,000 crore plan to unify skilling, and as national bodies rethink testing, from the Nilekani exam reform task force to the NTA’s 5,000-expert question bank.
How VTU on-demand exams will work
Under the current system, students who fail one or more subjects wait six to seven months to reappear. The new model removes that wait. According to the Vice-Chancellor:
- Students who could not attend a scheduled semester exam, or who failed in any subject, can request a test at a time that suits them.
- VTU will hold the exam even for one candidate, and on public holidays if asked.
- Results will be declared within 24 hours of the exam.
- Question papers will be generated with AI support, drawing on an existing bank of 500 to 600 papers per subject.
VTU has asked its affiliated colleges to inform students. Eligibility rules, schedules and the application process will be announced shortly.
Why it matters for engineering students
VTU has 220 affiliated engineering colleges and about three lakh students, with around 70,000 admitted every year. On average, about 20% of students fail one or more subjects each semester, which means tens of thousands of learners lose months, and sometimes an academic year, waiting to clear a single paper. Faster re-tests can keep them on track for internships and placements, building on skills programmes such as VTU’s AI, cloud and cybersecurity tie-up with Google.
The plan also raises practical questions the university will need to answer: how AI-assisted papers are checked for quality and difficulty (an issue the NTA has also weighed in its plan for AI-driven question paper creation), how exam security is kept for single-candidate sittings, and how evaluation can be completed within a day.
Key takeaways
- VTU will replace the wait for supplementary exams with on-demand tests.
- Results are promised within 24 hours.
- AI will help prepare question papers from a 500 to 600 paper bank per subject.
- About three lakh students across 220 colleges could benefit.
FAQ
Who can take VTU on-demand exams?
Students who missed a scheduled semester exam or failed one or more subjects. Detailed eligibility will be announced by VTU.
How fast will results come?
VTU says results will be announced within 24 hours of the exam.
Will VTU use AI for question papers?
Yes. The university will use AI to prepare question papers, drawing on its existing bank of 500 to 600 papers for each subject.
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