The National Testing Agency (NTA) conducts the UGC-NET Exam on behalf of the University Grants Commission (UGC). It is an eligibility test for candidates interested in pursuing a teaching career in higher education or enrolling in Junior Fellowship Research programmes provided in Indian institutions. In Indian universities and colleges, the UGC-NET is used to determine eligibility for ‘only Assistant Professor’ and ‘for Junior Research Fellowship and Assistant Professor both’.
CBSE conducted the NET in 84 subjects in 91 cities across the country until June 2018. Now, NTA is conducting the UGC-NET since December 2018.
Assistant Professor
After passing the NET exam, one’s can apply for Assistant Professor positions as vacancies become available in colleges and universities. While passing the NET exam is a requirement at many schools and universities, final appointment will be determined by how well student perform in the university’s interview. If students pass the NET Exam, they may be admitted directly to M.Phil. programmes at various universities.
Junior Research Fellowship
The Junior Research Fellowship is for those who want to pursue research. If student applied for the Junior Research Fellowship on application form and then cleared the NET, they are eligible for it. Once you’ve been chosen, you can do research at any prominent university and have your tuition fees paid for you.
The awarding of a JRF and/or eligibility for an Assistant Professorship is based on the candidate’s overall performance in UGC-NET Papers I and II. Candidates who merely meet the requirements for Assistant Professorship will not be considered for a JRF.
Candidates who pass the eligibility test for Assistant Professorship are bound by the norms and regulations of the concerned universities/state governments, as the case may be, for Assistant Professor recruitment.
Every year, the UGC-NET is held twice.
Educational Qualification
Applicants must hold a Master’s degree or its equivalent from a UGC-accredited university or institution.
Candidates must have received a minimum of 55 percent and a minimum of 50 percent for students in the reserved category.
Candidates in their last semester of a master’s degree are also eligible to apply.
5% relaxation is given to Ph.D degree holders in aggregate marks. Such individuals should have passed their Master’s degree test by September 19, 1991.
| Minimum marks in mark’s degree (without rounding off) | |
| General Category | 55% |
| Other Backward Classes (OBC) belongings to non-creamy layer | 50% |
| Scheduled Cast (SC)/Scheduled Tribe (ST)/Persons with Disability (PwD) Category | 50% |
| Transgender Category | 50% |
| Ph.D. Degree holders who have completed Master’s level examination on or after 19 September 1991 | 50% |
Age Limit and Relaxation
| Assistant Professor | No Age Limit |
| JRF | 30 Years |
| OBC (Non-Creamy Layer), SC/ST/PwD/Transgender/Women | 5 years |
| Candidates with research experience | Max. 5 years |
| Candidates with LLM degree | 3 years |
| Candidates who served in Armed Forces | Max. 5 years |
Note: Total age relaxation on the above ground(s) shall not exceed five years under any circumstances.
Reservation Policy
The Government of India’s reservation policy applies to UGC-NET.
According to this:
✔10% of seats are reserved for the category General-Economically Weaker Section (GEN-EWS) in Central Universities and Institutions that are deemed to be Universities.
✔15% for the category Scheduled Caste(SC).
✔7.5 percent for the category Scheduled Tribe(ST), and,
✔27% for the category Other Backward Classes belonging to the Non Creamy layer” (OBC-NCL).
✔Persons with Disabilities (PwD) as specified in the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 (RPwD Act,2016) will enjoy 4% horizontal reservations in each category (source-Press Release by UGC).
Important points:
✔The award for JRF is valid only for three years within which the awarded candidate has to join the Ph.D. for availing the benefit of JRF.
✔For each correct response the candidate will get 2 marks but there is no negative marking for incorrect answer.
Exam Mode: The entrance test will be organized in Online CBT mode.
Papers: There will be two papers for the exam.
| Duration | Questions | Marks | |
| Paper-I | 1 Hour | 50 | 100 |
| Paper-II | 2 Hour | 100 | 200 |
| Total | 3 Hour | 150 | 300 |
There is no gap between Papers and total time will be 3 hours without any break
Type of Questions:
The question paper will contain multiple-choice type questions.
Language Medium: English and Hindi.
Marking Scheme: 2 marks for correct answer. No negative Marking.
Syllabus
Before preparing for the exam, the candidate should familiarise themselves with the exam’s syllabus. The UGC NET 2021 June test will be a Computer-Based Test (CBT) consisting of two papers, Paper I and Paper II, which will be administered in one sitting (No break between both papers). The following link will take you to the UGC NET detailed syllabus (Paper I + Paper II) for all candidates:
Online Registration: www.ntanet.nic.in
Syllabus and NET Certificates: www.ugcnetonline.in
Official Mock Tests: data.nta.ac.in/Quiz
Syllabus of Paper I : Click Here
Syllabus of Forensic Science : Click Here
Topic-wise Mock Test : Click Here
