What is UGC-NET Exam?
UGC-NET exam acronym as University Grants Commission-National Eligibility test is taken by UGC twice in a year for determining the eligibility of Indian nationals for the

(i)Award of Junior Research Fellowships (JRF) and/or

(ii)Eligibility for Lectureship in Indian universities and colleges.

This test is conducted in nearly 77 (seventy seven) subjects at 66 (sixty six) selected University Centers spread throughout the country.

Those candidates who qualify this test for the award of Junior Research Fellowship are eligible to pursue research in the subject of their post-graduation or any of the related subjects and are also eligible for Lectureship in the Indian Institutions. However award of JRF depends upon the performance of the candidate’s performance in the test and the option they has opted for as the candidates qualifying exclusively for Lectureship will not be considered for award of Junior Research Fellowship.

The validity period of the offer is two years w.e.f. the date of issue of Junior Research Fellow Award Letter. But in case the candidates have already joined some higher educational course like M.Phil/Ph.D., the date of commencement of fellowship shall be from the date of declaration of Net result or date of their joining, whichever is later.

Candidates appearing in Net should clearly specify in the prescribed Application Form whether they are applying for both Junior Research Fellow & eligibility for Lectureship OR only for eligibility for Lectureship.

What is the eligibility for taking UGC-NET exam?
Eligibility Conditions for taking UGC-NET exam are as follows:-

1.Educational Qualification:

Aspirants who have secured minimum of 55% marks in Masters Degree OR equivalent examination from a recognised Universities/Institutions in Arts, Social Sciences, Computer Science & Applications, Electronic Science etc. are eligible for taking  this Test.

However there is a relaxation of 5% marks for The Scheduled Caste (SC)/Scheduled Tribe (ST)/Physically Handicapped (PH)/Visually Handicapped (VH) category candidates in Masters Degree examination for being eligible in taking this test.

Candidates who have already appeared / will be appearing at the qualifying Masters degree (final year) examination and whose result is still awaited OR candidates whose qualifying examinations have been delayed may also apply for UGC-NET exam on provisional basis and shall be considered eligible for award of Junior Research Fellow/Lectureship eligibility only after they have passed(within two years from the date of NET result with required percentage of marks, failing which they shall be treated as disqualified) their Masters degree examination or equivalent with at least 55% marks (50% in case of SC/ST/PH/VH category candidates).

The Ph.D. degree holders whose Masters level examination had been completed by 19th September, 1991 (irrespective of date of declaration of result) shall be eligible for a relaxation of 5% in aggregate marks for appearing in UGC-NET exam.

Note:- Candidates are advised to appear in the subject of their post-graduation only if not covered in list  of subjects then they may appear in a related subject.

2.  Age Limit

 For Junior Research Fellowship:

The candidate should not be more than 28 years.

(i) However a relaxation up to 5 years is provided to the candidates belonging to SC/ST/OBC/PH/VH categories and to women applicants.

(ii) Relaxation will also be provided to the candidates having research experience, limited to the period spent on research in the relevant/related subject of post-graduation degree, subject to a maximum of 5 years, on production of a certificate from appropriate authority.

(iii)Three years relaxation in age will be permissible to the candidates possessing L.L.M. Degree.

Note:-Total age relaxation (in case a candidate falls under multiple categories) on the above ground(s) shall not exceed five years under any circumstances.

For Lectureship: No upper age limit is prescribed for taking up Lectureship.

5)Other Exemption for highly qualified candidates  (Eligibility for Lectureship)

1.For M. Phil/ Ph.D candidates: The candidates having Ph.D. Degree in the concerned subject are exempted from NET for Under Graduate and Post Graduate level teaching. The candidates having M. Phil Degree in the concerned subject are exempted from NET for Under Graduate level teaching only. The candidates who have passed the UGC/CSIR Junior Research Fellow examination prior to 1989 are also exempted from appearing in Net.

2.For SET Qualified Candidates: The candidates who have cleared the State Eligibility Test (SET) accredited by UGC for eligibility for Lectureship held prior to 1st December 2002, are exempted from appearing in Net, being eligible to apply for Lectureship anywhere in India. For SET held from 1st June 2002 onwards, the qualified candidates are eligible to apply for the post of lecturer only in the universities/colleges belonging to the state from where they have cleared r SET. All SET qualified candidates are also eligible to appear in NET, if they so desire.

What is the pattern and contents of the UGC-NET  Exam? 

UGC-NET will consist of three papers which will be held on the same day in two sessions as under:

Session 1

Consists of two papers consist of a Test Booklet containing 50 objective type questions. The candidate will have to mark the response for each question on the Optical Mark Reader (OMR) sheet provided along with the Test Booklet with Dark HB Pencil or as instructed.

Paper-I

Shall be of general nature, intended to assess the teaching/research aptitude of the candidate basically designed to test (i) Reasoning ability (ii) Comprehension (iii)Divergent thinking and (iv)general awareness of the candidate.

Paper-II  

Shall consist of short questions based on the subject opted by the candidate.

Session 2

having of Paper-III consists of only descriptive questions from the subject selected by the candidate. The candidate will be required to attempt questions in the space provided in the Test Booklet.

Important: Paper-III will be evaluated only for those candidates who are able to secure the minimum qualifying marks in Paper-I and Paper-II.

The minimum qualifying marks in first two papers is:-

• For General Candidates 40% marks in individual papers with 50% in aggregate of the two
• For PH/VH Candidates 35% marks in individual papers with 45% in aggregate of the two
• For ST/SC Candidates 35% marks in individual papers with 40% in aggregate of the two

For getting the syllabus of the paper one can visit http://www.ugc.ac.in/inside/syllabus.html. The official website of the UGC.

When this exam is normally held?
UGC-NET  is usually conducted twice in a year  in the month of July and December.

What is the examination fee for taking the exam and mode of payment?

• For General candidates the examination fee is Rs.450/-;
• For Other Backward Classes (OBC), the fee is Rs. 225/- and
• For SC/ST/PH/VH candidates, it is Rs. 110/-.

Mode of payment

The fee should be paid in the form of a single crossed demand draft from any Government of India Bank/Scheduled Government Bank pa:yable at their Service Branch, New Delhi/Delhi only with six months validity drawn in favour of :-

The Secretary,
U.G.C.
New Delhi.

Note:- Fee once paid, will not be refunded/transferred/adjusted  under any circumstances.

Note:- Candidates seeking concession in fee are required to submit attested copy of their OBC/SC/ST/PH/VH certificate along with their Application Forms.

Important: - Other candidates are not required to submit any certificates/documents in support of their eligibility alongwith the Application Form. Therefore, the candidates, in their own interest, must satisfy themselves about their eligibility for the Test. In the event of any ineligibility being detected by the Commission, their candidature will be cancelled and they shall be liable for legal action.

What are the test centers for taking the exam?
UGC-NET exam is taken in most of the important cites throughout the country. Name of the cities along with code are given below :-

What are the various subjects available for the UGC-NET exam?

Various subjects that are available for the UGC-NET exam are:-