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UGC NET

Evidence status: 🟢 verified. The facts below were cross-checked against the official notification on 2025-05-15. Always read the current notice before you apply or pay a fee.

UGC NET decides eligibility for Assistant Professor posts and the Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) and PhD admission in 80+ humanities, social science, commerce and other subjects. It is held twice a year.

At a glance

Conducted by National Testing Agency (NTA) for the University Grants Commission
Mode Computer-based, one 3-hour sitting for both papers
Total 150 questions, 300 marks, no negative marking

Official sources

Exam pattern

Paper Content Questions Marks
Paper 1 Teaching and research aptitude (common to all) 50 100
Paper 2 The candidate's subject 100 200

Two marks per question, no negative marking, 3 hours in total without a break between the papers.

Syllabus

Paper 1: teaching aptitude, research aptitude, comprehension, communication, mathematical and logical reasoning, data interpretation, ICT, people and environment, higher education system. Paper 2: the UGC subject syllabus, published per subject.

How to prepare (free, in order)

  1. Paper 1 is common and scoring: prepare it once, well.
  2. No negative marking: answer everything.

Free resources