Reimagining Testing in India through Digital Innovation

Education and skilling lie at the heart of India’s aspiration to become a global economic powerhouse. The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 reinforces this imperative while calling for the integration of technology across teaching, learning, and assessment. Against this backdrop, Reimagining Testing in India through Digital Innovation — a white paper authored by The Quantum Hub with support from the Duolingo English Test and Kaio — highlights the urgent need for India’s testing architecture to evolve to keep pace with its ambitions.

Traditional centre-based tests remain entrenched in barriers. Test centres are limited and disproportionately urban. Many aspirants from Tier-2 and Tier-3 towns still travel hundreds of kilometres, spending heavily on transport, accommodation and fees – costs that often decide access more than ability. These structural limitations make physical testing costly, vulnerable and exclusionary.

In this context, the white paper examines India’s higher-education testing ecosystem, with a specific focus on English Proficiency Testing (EPT). It demonstrates how technology-driven assessment models can better serve digital-native learners and align with India’s broader skilling priorities. The paper also explores the potential of digital and AI-powered solutions to bridge gaps in accessibility, affordability, and credibility. As an illustrative example, it presents the Duolingo English Test (DET), a digital-first EPT that uses AI, adaptive testing, and secure at-home delivery to expand opportunities for Indian students.

First, the paper unpacks DET’s relevance across four key parameters: (1) Security and Integrity, (2) Rigour, (3) Affordability, and (4) Accessibility. Building on these assessments, along with insights from research and stakeholder consultations, it then offers a set of stakeholder-wise recommendations:

• Foreign Universities: Expand acceptance of secure tech-enabled tests like DET to meet diversity goals and champion global recognition for online EPTs
• Policymakers: Policies, programmes, partnerships, and advocacy initiatives across bodies such as the MoE, NCERT, MEA, MSDE, NSDC, and state governments can leverage learnings from DET to inform the future of tech-enabled testing in India
• Embassies: Convene multi-stakeholder consultations to identify regional barriers to studying or working abroad and help establish benchmarks for credible EPTs
• Education Consultants: Conduct awareness workshops in schools and universities and position DET as a mainstream option for study-abroad aspirants

Building on these objectives, the white paper also highlights a forward-looking opportunity: test builders can further advance inclusion and accessibility by supporting mobile-based testing solutions in the future. Enabling students to take secure assessments on mobile devices would represent a transformative step toward empowerment and equalisation, significantly widening access for learners across India.