UGC NET Exam Pattern 2025 - Check Marking Scheme, Duration, Total Question for Paper 1 & 2

UGC NET Exam Pattern 2025 - Check Marking Scheme, Duration, Total Question for Paper 1 & 2

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Meghana Mohana KrishnanUpdated on 19 Aug 2025, 12:27 PM IST
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UGC NET Exam Pattern 2025 - National Testing Agency (NTA) will specify the UGC NET 2025 exam pattern for December session in the official notification. According to the UGC NET exam pattern 2025, candidates need to appear in two papers in the examination. UGC NET 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 2025 - Highlights
  2. UGC NET Exam Pattern 2025
  3. UGC NET Syllabus 2025
  4. UGC NET Question Papers 2025
  5. UGC NET Mock Test 2025
UGC NET Exam Pattern 2025 - Check Marking Scheme, Duration, Total Question for Paper 1 & 2
UGC NET Exam pattern

With the help of UGC NET exam pattern 2025, 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 2025, both papers are multiple-choice pattern without any negative marking. For more details about the UGC NET exam pattern 2025, candidates can check the article below.

UGC NET Exam Pattern 2025 - Highlights

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

Exam name

UGC- National Eligibility Test

Commonly known as

UGC NET exam

Conducting Authority

National Testing Agency (NTA)

Official Website

ugcnet.nta.ac.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 2025

As per the UGC NET exam pattern, a total of 50 questions will be asked in paper 1. The questions in 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 compresses of UGC NET marks distribution also. There is no negative marking in the UGC NET exam 2025. Along with the UGC NET exam pattern, candidates must also check UGC NET mock test 2025 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, 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 Art - 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 2025

Candidates preparing for the UGC NET exam must check the UGC NET 2025 syllabus on the official website. They can check UGC NET syllabus for important topics and chapters asked in the exam. Along with the syllabus, candidates must also check UGC NET exam pattern 2025 for their preparation.

UGC NET Question Papers 2025

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 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 Syllabus: Subjects & Chapters
Select your preferred subject to view the chapters

UGC NET Mock Test 2025

The National Testing Agency provides the mock test for 2025 UGC NET exam. Candidates can visit the official website and appear in the UGC NET mock tests. With the help of the UGC NET 2025 mock test, candidates can get to know more about the question type, syllabus and exam pattern of UGC NET 2025. The mock test is available for both Paper 1 and Paper 2 subjects.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

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

The UGC NET exam will be conducted in online mode.

Q: What are the details required to download the UGC NET 2025 admit card?
A:

Candidates can download UGC NET admit card 2025 using the application number and date of birth.

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: Is there any negative marking in UGC NET exam 2025?
A:

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

Q: What is the selection process of UGC NET 2025?
A:

UGC NET 2025 selection process comprises two computer-based exams. Candidates who qualify for both papers will be issued eligibility certificates.

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 ?

Steps to Download Syllabus PDF

  1. Visit the official UGC NET Syllabus page on the NTA portal. Look for the "Updated Syllabi of UGC-NET" section.
    (https://www.ugcnetonline.in/syllabus-new.php)

  2. Download the Paper 1 PDF , which covers topics like teaching and research aptitude, communication, reasoning, ICT, higher education system, and more.

  3. Also download the Paper 2 PDF for your chosen subject—choose from 85+ disciplines listed.

If your MBA (Finance) is from an accredited university and you have at least 55% of the possible points (or 50% for reserved categories), you can take the UGC NET in Commerce.
Your MBA in finance is relevant because UGC NET Commerce covers business, accounting, finance, economics, and management topics.
If you are well-versed in the fundamentals of commerce, pick commerce.

As an alternative, you can choose UGC NET Management, which is closely related to MBA courses.
Your subject-matter expertise and career objectives should guide your decision.

Hello,

Here are some links where you can access UGC NET study materials :

1. Best Books for NTA UGC NET

2. UGC NET Question Papers

Hope it helps !

Hii,

Yes, you can still appear for the UGC NET in Geography, but there's a small change. UGC prefers candidates to write NET in the subject of their post-graduation. However, if your Rural Development MA had strong overlaps with geography topics like environment, population studies, etc., and you feel confident with Geography concepts, you can go for it. Just be ready to justify your choice if asked during verification. Otherwise, another option is to appear for UGC NET in Rural Development if that’s more aligned with your MA.

Thank you for reaching out and all the best for your exam !



Hello,

If you get the EWS certificate after filling the UGC NET form , then it will not be valid for this attempt.

EWS certificate must be valid and available at the time of form submission. You cannot claim EWS benefit later after the form is submitted.

Hope it helps !