University Grants Commission National Eligibility Test (UGC-NET) is a national level exam conducted by National Testing Agency (NTA) in order to select candidates for only Assistant Professor or both Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) and Assistant Professor in Indian universities and colleges.

UGC NET Selection Process

UGC NET selection process includes the following steps :

• UGC NET application form: For UGC NET registrations, candidates can fill the application form in online mode on the official website of the exam
• UGC NET admit card: After successful registrations, candidates can download their UGC NET admit card by logging in to their registered accounts
• UGC NET exam: Next, candidates need to appear for UGC NET exam. UGC NET is a computer-based test that consists of two papers – I and II. Both the papers contain objective-type questions that candidates need to complete in a duration of three hours.
• UGC NET result: NTA declares UGC NET result on its official website as per the prescribed schedule. The result contains the roll number and status (qualified for Assistant Professor only or both JRF and Assistant Professor) of candidates qualifying the National Eligibility Test. 

Candidates willing to apply for UGC NET exan, have to fulfill certain eligibility conditions laid down by NTA. UGC NET Eligibility is based on the academic qualification and age limit as described below : UGC NET Educational Qualification

• Candidates must have scored at least 55% marks (50% for reserved categories) in their Post Graduation or equivalent from any recognized university.
• Final year students are also eligible to appear in the exam. However, they will be considered for award of JRF or professorship after they pass their qualifying exam with minimum marks.
• Ph.D. degree holders whose post graduation exam was completed before September 19, 1991 (irrespective of date of declaration of result) are provided an additional relaxation of 5% in minimum marks requirement.

UGC NET Age Limit

• Assistant Professorship: There is no age limit for UGC NET Assistant Professorship.
• Junior Research Fellowship: The upper age age limit is 30 years.
• However, age relaxation is provided to reserved category candidates as per government of India norms.

UGC NET Exam Pattern UGC NET Exam is a computer based test having multiple choice questions.

• The exam has two papers – Paper 1 and Paper 2.
• Paper 1 is same and compulsory for all candidates. It tests teaching and reasoning ability, research aptitude, comprehension, divergent thinking and general awareness of the candidate.
• Paper 2 is based on the subject chosen by the candidate. It tests candidate’s in depth knowledge and expertise in the respective subject.
• The combined exam duration for Paper 1 and Paper 2 is 180 minutes. Candidates are free to move and attempt any paper or question in this 3 hours.
• Each question carries 2 marks and there is no negative marking in any of the papers.

The Exam Pattern for Paper 1 and Paper 2 is tabulated below:

UGC NET Papers	Number of Questions	Maximum Marks	Exam Duration
Paper 1	50	100	A cumulative exam duration of 3 hours
Paper 2	100	200
Total	150	300	3 hours

UGC NET Cut off Marks UGC NET cut off marks is generally released after the declaration of results. Candidates have to obtain the minimum qualifying marks to get selected in the merit list. The merit list is prepared category-wise and subject-wise for each subject. Only top 6% qualified candidates will be considered for Junior Research Fellowship programme. Candidates can check the cut off marks after declare by the officials. It is made available only through online mode. Factors Determining Cut off The cut off marks is different for various papers. Various factors is taken into consideration for determining the cut off marks. These factors are as follows:

• Difficulty level of the paper
• Reservation policies
• Number of candidates appeared for the exam
• Number of Candidate passed the exam
• Availability of seats
• Marking scheme

UGC NET Qualifying Marks Candidates can check the category-wise qualifying marks from the below table :

Category	Paper I (Max marks: 100)	Paper II (Max marks: 200)
General category	40% Aggregate marks in all the two papers taken together
OBC (NCL)/PWD/ST/SC	35% Aggregate marks in all the two papers taken together

UGC NET Answer Key

NTA releases UGC NET Answer Keys and candidates’ response sheets for both Paper 1 and Paper 2 after the examination.

• Candidates can match their recorded responses and the answer keys and estimate their scores.
• Candidates can raise objections online by paying a fees of INR 1000 per question.
• The fees is refundable if the objections are approved by the agency.
• Subject Matter Experts verify the objections and release final answer keys which cannot be challenged and the result is based on the same.

Steps to Download UGC NET Answer Key

• Visit the official website of UGC NET i.e. ntanet.nic.in
• Click on the link “Download Answer key and Response Sheet”
• Enter your Application number and password.
• Now, download the answer keys and response sheets

UGC NET Result 

• UGC NET Result is declared withinh 30 days of the examination
• Candidates can download the result from the official website – ntanet.nic.in by logging in with their registration number and date of birth.
• It is declared in the form of a scorecard containing marks obtained in both papers for JRF and LS.

How to Download UGC NET Result ?  

1. Go to the official website of UGC NET – ntanet.nic.in.
2. Click on UGC NET Result on the menu bar.
3. Enter your roll number or date of birth, date of exam and security pin
4. Click on the submit button.
5. Your result will appear in the PDF format.
6. Download it and take a printout of the result for further process.

UGC NET JRF and SRF Fellowship

Fellowship	Amount	Duration
JRF	INR 31,000/ PM	For initial two years
SRF	INR 35,000/PM	For remaining tenure
HRA	As per UGC guidelines

NTA UGC-NET Frequently Asked Questions

Ques. In how many subjects will UGC NET be conducted?

Ans. NTA will conduct the exam for more than 80 subjects.

Ques. How many papers we have to qualify?

Ans. Students will have to qualify only two papers (Paper 1 & Paper 2).

Ques. What is the maximum age limit to apply for NTA UGC NET ?

Ans. The upper age limit for JRF is 30 years. No age limit for Assistant Professorship.

Ques. What is the validity of UGC NET score?

Ans. The validity of UGC NET e-certificate is lifetime, however, the validity of the JRF Letter of Award is only two years after the result is declared.

Ques. Can I select the exam for one particular post?

Ans. Yes, while filling in the application form, you will have the option to apply for both Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) and Assistant Professor, or just the latter one.

Ques. Will the exam be conducted in online mode?

Ans. Yes, since Dec 2018, the examination is conducted in computer-based mode only.

Ques. How many questions will be there in UGC NET?

Ans. There will be a total of 150 objective-type questions, for which maximum marks awarded is 300.

Ques. Is there any negative marking in the paper?

Ans. No,there is no negative marking in the paper. For each correct answer, you will get 2 marks.

Ques. Is the Aadhaar Card necessary to apply for the exam?

Ans. No, Aadhaar card just serves like any other ID proof, and is not necessary for registration. 

Ques. Is UGC NET application fee refundable?

Ans. The application fee for UGC NET , once remitted, is not refundable or transferable under any circumstances. 

Ques. How can we pay the application fee?

Ans. The application fee for the exam can be paid either online through Credit Card/Debit Card/ Netbanking or via offline mode through e-challan. Candidates paying the fee offline through e-challan will have to pay the application fee in cash to Syndicate/SBI bank.

Ques. What is the minimum eligibility criterion for UGC NET exam?

Ans. To apply for NTA UGC NET, students must have a post-graduation degree from a university recognized by UGC, with a minimum aggregate or percentage of 55% for general candidates and 50% in the case of reserved category candidates.

Ques. Is there any relaxation in minimum aggregate criterion for Ph. D. degree holders?

Ans. Yes, all Ph. D. degree holders whose post-graduation was completed before September 19, 1991 will be given relaxation of 5% marks in the qualifying examination.

Ques. Can I apply for the exam, if I am in the final year of my post-graduation?

Ans. Yes, candidates who are appearing for final examination of their Master’s degree (or equivalent degree) are also eligible to apply.

Ques. What is the maximum age limit to apply for Assistant Professor Post?

Ans. There is no age limit to apply for Assistant Professor Post.

Ques. Who are exempted from appearing in UGC NET exam?

Ans. All Ph. D. holders, UGC/CSIR JRF Qualified Candidates, State Eligibility Candidates (SET) Candidates are exempted from appearing for NET. Candidates can check the details on the official website.

Ques. Is it necessary to take a print out of the admit card?

Ans. Yes, it is necessary to take hard copies of the admit card, as admit cards won’t be sent individually by post.

Ques. Can we get entry to the examination hall without admit card (in case we forget)?

Ans. No, any candidate without the hall ticket will not be permitted to enter the examination hall and give the exam, under any circumstances. So, students must carry the hard copy of their respective admit card.

Ques. Can we select the examination center while registering for the exam?

Ans. Yes, while registering for the exam candidates can fill their preferred examination center. But, the conducting authority does not guarantee to assign the preferred examination centers as they will be allocated as per availability.

Ques. What other documents do I need to bring along with the hall ticket?

Ans. Along with the print out of admit card, students must bring their photo identity proof (voter ID card, Aadhar Card, Pan Card, etc.) and a photograph to the examination center on the exam day.

Ques. When will the results be out?

Ans. The results for UGC NET is declared within 30 days of the examination. Candidates will be able to check their result by entering their Roll Number and DOB.

Ques. What is the qualifying marks for UGC NET?

Ans. General candidates have to score minimum 40% aggregate in Paper 1 and Paper 2 while OBC-NCL/ PwD/ SC/ ST candidates have to score 35%.