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    UGC NET Exam Pattern 2026 - Check Marking Scheme, Duration, Total Question for Paper 1 & 2

    UGC NET Exam Pattern 2026 - Check Marking Scheme, Duration, Total Question for Paper 1 & 2

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    Meghana Mohana KrishnanUpdated on 30 Apr 2026, 10:20 AM IST
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    UGC NET Exam Pattern 2026 - The National Testing Agency (NTA) specified the UGC NET 2026 exam pattern for the June session in the official notification. According to the UGC NET exam pattern 2026, candidates need to appear for two papers in the examination. The UGC NET exam pattern for Paper I will be general, whereas Paper II will be based on the subject chosen by candidates. Candidates can go through the detailed exam pattern of the UGC NET exam for better preparation.

    This Story also Contains

    1. UGC NET Exam Pattern 2026 - Highlights
    2. UGC NET Exam Pattern 2026
    3. UGC NET Syllabus 2026
    4. UGC NET Question Papers 2026
    5. UGC NET Mock Test 2026
    UGC NET Exam Pattern 2026 - Check Marking Scheme, Duration, Total Question for Paper 1 & 2
    UGC NET Exam pattern

    With the help of the UGC NET exam pattern 2026, students can know more about the types of questions, exam duration, number of questions, and marking scheme. The UGC NET paper pattern is the same for all subjects asked in the examination. According to the UGC NET exam pattern 2026, both papers are multiple-choice patterns without any negative marking. For more details about the UGC NET exam pattern 2026, candidates can check the article below.

    UGC NET Exam Pattern 2026 - Highlights

    Aspirants can check basic details about the UGC NET exam from the table below.

    Exam name

    UGC- National Eligibility Test

    Commonly known as

    UGC NET exam

    Conducting Authority

    National Testing Agency (NTA)

    Official Website

    ugcnet.nta.nic.in

    Posts

    Junior Research Fellow

    Assistant Professor

    UGC NET age limit

    JRF: Not more than 30 years

    Assistant Professors: No upper age limit

    UGC NET Exam Pattern 2026

    As per the UGC NET exam pattern, a total of 50 questions will be asked in Paper 1. The questions in the UGC NET paper 1 are asked from reasoning ability, comprehension, divergent thinking, and general awareness. UGC NET Paper 2 comprises 100 questions from an optional subject. The exam pattern also comprises the UGC NET marks distribution. There is no negative marking in the UGC NET exam 2026. Along with the UGC NET exam pattern, candidates must also check the UGC NET mock test 2026 for their preparation.

    UGC NET exam pattern

    Papers

    Paper I

    Paper II

    Subject

    Generic

    The subject selected by the candidate

    No. of Questions

    50

    100

    UGC NET exam total marks

    100

    200

    Duration

    Consolidated 3 hours

    Mode of Exam

    Online

    Negative Marks

    No negative marks for wrong answers

    UGC NET Exam Pattern for Paper-II

    UGC National Eligibility Test paper 2 comprises 100 questions. According to the UGC NET exam pattern, all the questions will be asked from the optional subject in Paper 2. For each question, the candidate will be awarded 2 marks, while there will be no negative marking for wrong answers.

    UGC NET Paper 2 Subjects

    Adult Education / Continuing Education/ Andragogy/Non-Formal Education

    Anthropology

    Arab Culture and Islamic Studies

    Arabic

    Archaeology

    Assamese

    Bengali

    Bodo

    Buddhist, Jaina, Gandhian, Peace Studies

    Chinese

    Commerce

    Comparative Literature

    Comparative Study of Religions

    Computer Science and Applications

    Criminology

    Defence and Strategic Studies

    Dogri

    Economics/ Rural Economics/ Co-operation/ Demography/ Development Planning/ Development Studies/ Econometrics/ Applied Economics/ Development Economics/ Business Economics

    Education

    Electronic Science

    English

    Environmental Science

    Folk Literature

    Forensic Science

    French (French Version)

    Geography

    German

    Gujarati

    Hindi

    History

    Home Science

    Human Rights and Duties

    Indian Culture

    Japanese

    Kannada

    Kashmiri

    Konkani

    Labour Welfare/ Personnel Management/ Industrial Relations/ Labour and Social Welfare/ Human Resource Management

    Law

    Library and Information Science

    Linguistics

    Maithili

    Malayalam

    Management

    Manipuri

    Marathi

    Mass Communication and Journalism

    Museology and Conservation

    Music

    Nepali

    Oriya

    Pali

    Performing Arts - Dance/ Drama/ Theatre

    Persian

    Philosophy

    Physical Education

    Political Science

    Politics, including International Relations/ International Studies, including Defence/ Strategic Studies/ West Asian Studies/ South-East Asian Studies/ Soviet Studies/ American Studies

    Population Studies

    Prakrit

    Psychology

    Public Administration

    Punjabi

    Rajasthani

    Russian

    Sanskrit

    Sanskrit Traditional Subjects

    Santali

    Sindhi

    Social Medicine and Community Health

    Social Work

    Sociology

    Spanish

    Tamil

    Telugu

    Tourism Administration and Management

    Tribal and Regional Language/ Literature

    Urdu

    Visual Art

    Women Studies

    Yoga

    -

    -

    -

    UGC NET Syllabus 2026

    Candidates preparing for the UGC NET exam must check the UGC NET 2026 syllabus on the official website. They can check the UGC NET syllabus for important topics and chapters asked in the exam. Along with the syllabus, candidates must also check the UGC NET exam pattern 2026 for their preparation.

    UGC NET Question Papers 2026

    Applicants preparing for the exam must refer to the UGC NET question papers. The UGC NET question paper helps candidates to make an effective preparation strategy. Candidates must also check the UGC NET exam pattern along with the answer keys. With the help of UGC NET previous year question papers, applicants can also check important topics asked in the UGC NET exam.

    UGC NET Mock Test 2026

    The National Testing Agency provides the mock test for 2026 UGC NET exam. Candidates can visit the official website and appear in the UGC NET mock tests. With the help of the UGC NET 2026 mock test, candidates can get to know more about the question type, syllabus, and exam pattern of UGC NET 2026. The mock test is available for both Paper 1 and Paper 2 subjects.

    Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

    Q: What is the selection process of UGC NET 2026?
    A:

    UGC NET 2026 selection process comprises two computer-based exams. Candidates who qualify for both papers will be issued eligibility certificates.

    Q: Is there any negative marking in UGC NET exam 2026?
    A:

    No, there is no negative marking for wrong answers in UGC NET exam.

    Q: What is total marks for UGC NET paper 2?
    A:

    As per the UGC NET marking scheme, a total of 200 marks is allotted for paper 2.

    Q: In which mode the UGC NET June exam conducted?
    A:

    The UGC NET exam will be conducted in online mode.

    Q: What is the total UGC NET exam duration?
    A:

    The UGC NET exam will be held for a total duration of 3 hours.

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    Questions related to UGC NET

    On Question asked by student community

    Have a question related to UGC NET ?

    Hello Dear Student,

    You are already pursuing BA (Hons.) Political Science from School of Open Learning University of Delhi , preparing for SSC CGL , and keeping UGC-NET/JRF as a backup. Doing a regular MA through CUET-PG can strengthen that backup plan significantly.

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    Hi,

    Yes, you can generally use a Bihar EWS certificate issued in May 2026 for UGC NET June 2026 if it is in the Central Government prescribed format and issued by a competent authority such as a Revenue Officer/Tehsildar. UGC NET requires a valid EWS certificate in the latest Government

    Hello Dear Student,

    No, you generally cannot use an EWS certificate for 2025–26 for the UGC NET May 2026 application if it has expired.

    EWS certificates are usually valid only for the relevant financial year, so for May 2026 applications, you may need a newly renewed EWS certificate based on

    Hello Dear Student,

    There is no separate UGC NET paper specifically for Mechanical Engineering .

    Mechanical Engineering students usually appear for:

    • related UGC NET subjects based on their specialization, or
    • the CSIR NET exam, which is more common for engineering and science backgrounds.

    You can get directly find, check, get

    Yes, you will be eligible to appear for UGC NET Environmental Science exam with background in M.Sc Microbiology. You can also apply for JRF (PhD) and Lectureship (Assistant Professor) with an age limit of 30 years.