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.
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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.
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 |
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 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.
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 | - | - | - |
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.
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.
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)
The UGC NET exam will be conducted in online mode.
Candidates can download UGC NET admit card 2025 using the application number and date of birth.
As per the UGC NET marking scheme, a total of 200 marks is allotted for paper 2.
No, there is no negative marking for wrong answers in UGC NET exam.
UGC NET 2025 selection process comprises two computer-based exams. Candidates who qualify for both papers will be issued eligibility certificates.
The UGC NET exam will be held for a total duration of 3 hours.
On Question asked by student community
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)
Download the Paper 1 PDF , which covers topics like teaching and research aptitude, communication, reasoning, ICT, higher education system, and more.
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 :
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 !
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Apply for Online M.Com from Manipal University