UGC NET Exam Pattern 2024 – For JRF & Assistant Professor [Paper-1 & 2]

UGC NET Exam Pattern 2024 is a national level exam conducted by NTA to certify the eligibility of candidates for the post of ‘Assistant Professor’ or ‘Junior Research Fellowship’.  The aspirants must check the exam pattern and UGC NET syllabus before filling in the application form. UGC NET exam comprises two papers – Paper-1 and Paper-2. The mode of both the papers is online.

The UGC NET exam pattern is set up by NTA and released in the detailed notification of the NET exam. In Paper-1 and Paper-2, a total of 50 questions and 100 questions are asked respectively; each carrying 2 marks. The total duration of the exam is 3 hours. Applicants must check the recommended books to cover the topics mentioned in the syllabus. Also, they must practice previous years’ papers of the UGC NET exam. Check out: how to manage time, throughout your preparation. 

The UGC NET comprises two papers – Paper 1 and Paper 2 which are held consecutively without any break. Candidates are free to devote any amount of time to any paper. However, a total of 3 hours were given to complete both papers. 

Overview of UGC NET Exam 2024-

Total Number of Questions in UGC NET 2024

• UGC NET 2024 will have a total of 150 multiple-choice questions.
• Paper 1 will have 50 questions and Paper 2 will have 100 questions.
• There is No Restriction to move to and from among the Papers.
• All the questions are compulsory to attempt.
• Each question Gives you 2 Marks
• There is No Negative Marking on Paper 1 & 2
• No Break between Paper 1 & 2 [3 Hour Paper ]
• No Fixed Timer for attempting each Question
• No Timer Restriction Section Wise

The table below shows the exam pattern of UGC NET Paper 1 and Paper 2:

Shifts Timing of UGC NET Exam Paper -1 & 2 For 2024

These are Tentative Timing its May be Changed future.Exact timing of Shifts will be declared in Exam Date Sheet of Upcoming UGC NET Exam

UGC NET Exam Pattern for Paper 1 [2024]

All the candidates who have applied for the UGC NET exam, Paper 1 is compulsory for every applicant. The UGC NET Paper 1 has a total of 10 Units . Here are the number of questions and allocated marks for each section of UGC NET Paper 1: 

Highlights of UGC NET Exam Pattern Paper 1 & 2

UGC NET Marking Scheme 2024

• for both Paper 1 and 2, each correct answer will fetch you 2 marks.
• As per the revised exam pattern of the UGC NET exam, there is no negative marking for incorrect answers.
• Hence, instead of skipping a question, one can use their calculated guess and mark the answer. 

• No marks will be given for questions ‘Unanswered/Marked for Review’.
• All the questions are compulsory.
• If a question is found to be incorrect/ambiguous during the key challenge, only those candidates who have attempted the question and chosen one of the correct answers would be given the credit.
• Only for dropped question(s), if any, marks will be given to all the candidates.

The updated marking scheme of UGC NET is given below:

UGC NET Medium of Question’s Paper 1 & 2

i) The medium of the Question Paper shall be in English & Hindi only.
ii) Option of medium of the Question Paper should be carefully chosen by the
Candidate, while filling the Application Form online. The option once
exercised cannot be changed.
iii) Candidates opting for Hindi medium in the Application Form will be given
bilingual paper, but candidates opting for the English medium will be given
English version only.
iv) Candidates are required to answer in the medium as per the option exercised
in the Application Form.
v) In case of any ambiguity in the translation/construction of a question in the
exam, its English version shall be treated as final, and the decision of NTA
shall be final in this regard.

Eligibility for UGC NET: Educational Qualification 2024

Candidates securing at least 55% marks in their Master’s Degree or equivalent from recognized universities in Humanities (including languages), Social Science, Computer Science and Applications, Electronic Science, etc. are eligible for this test.

• However, candidates belonging to the non-creamy layer of other backward classes (OBC-NC), scheduled caste (SC), scheduled tribe (ST), persons with disability (PwD), and transgender category have to score at least 50% marks. 
• Candidates who are pursuing their Master’s degree or are waiting for their result or whose qualifying examinations have been delayed can apply for the test.
• However, such candidates will be admitted provisionally and will be considered for award of JRF or recruitment as Assistant Professor only when they will pass their Master’s Degree with at least 55% marks (50% marks for reserved category).
• Such candidates will also have to complete their Master’s degree within two years from the date of the UGC NET 2023 Result with the required percentage of marks, failing which they will be treated as disqualified. 
• Candidates with a Ph.D. degrees whose Master’s level examination was completed before September 19, 1991 (irrespective of the date of declaration of result) will be eligible for a relaxation of 5% in aggregate marks (i.e. from 55% to 50%) for appearing in UGC NET 2021.
• Transgender candidates will be provided the same relaxation in fee, age, and qualifying criteria for NET (i.e. JRF and Assistant Professor) as are available to SC/ ST/ PwD categories. The subject-wise cutoffs for the transgender category will be the lowest among those for SC/ ST/ PwD/ OBC–NCL categories in the respective subject.
• Candidates are suggested to choose the same NET subject for Paper 2 as their specialization in Post Graduation. However, if your post-graduation subject is not covered in the list of 81 NET subjects, you can appear in a related subject. 
• Candidates possessing Post Graduation Diploma/ Certificate awarded by Indian University/ Institute or foreign degree/ diploma/ certificate awarded by a foreign University/ institute should in their own interest, ascertain the equivalence of their diploma/ degree/ certificate with Master’s degree of recognized Indian universities from Association of Indian Universities (AIU), New Delhi.

UGC NET Age Limit and Relaxation 2024

UGC NET 2024 Age Limit and Relaxation for Junior Research Fellowship and Assistant Professorship are given below:

• Junior Research Fellow (JRF) Eligibility: Candidates should not be more than 31 years as of October 1, 2024.
• Candidates belonging to OBC-NC, SC, ST, PwD categories, Transgenders, and women applicants are provided a relaxation of up to 5 years.
• Candidates with research experience will also be provided age relaxation equivalent to the years/ period spent on research in the respective subject or Post Graduation Degree.
• Relaxation to researchers can be of up to 5 years and will only be provided on production of a certificate from the appropriate authority.
• Candidates with L.L.M. Degree will be permitted an upper age relaxation of 3 years.
• Candidates who have served in the armed forces will be provided the benefit of relaxation of up to 5 years subject to the length of service in the armed forces up to June 1, 2021.
• Total age relaxation on the above ground(s) shall not exceed five years under any circumstances.
• Assistant Professor: There is no upper age limit to apply for Assistant Professor.

UGC NET Exemptions for Assistant Professor

NET/ SET/ SLET is the minimum eligibility condition for recruitment and appointment of Assistant Professorship in Indian Universities and Colleges. However, certain exemptions from NET/ SET/ SLET will be governed by UGC regulations and amendments notified in the Gazette of India from time to time.

• Candidates who have passed UGC/ CSIR/ JRF examination before 1989 are exempted from appearing in NET.
• Candidates who have cleared States Eligibility Test (SET) accredited by UGC for Assistant Professor held before June 1, 2002, are exempted from appearing in NET and are eligible to apply for Assistant Professor anywhere in India.
• However, candidates qualified in SET held after June 1, 2003, are eligible to apply for the post of Assistant Professor only in the universities and colleges situated in the respective states.

Importance of Paper -1 in UGC NET Exam-

UGC NET Paper-1 is very important for the exam because it’s not a qualifying paper it gave you a weightage of 100 marks which is absolutely important, Many students qualified for their JRF with the help of the Paper -1 The best Part is in paper 1 you do not need to to learn a lot of things as your main subject paper 2 & also if you lacking somewhere in paper -2 you can Manage that with Paper 1. So Is paper 1 easier than Paper-2? not absolutely But if you give 1 hour daily for paper 1 continuously for 4 months then it would be easy for you. As per the past year’s pattern of the paper now the paper -1 is not been easy Either its theory portion like teaching aptitude Research aptitude, Communications, people and environment, or numerical portions like logical reasoning, mathematical reasoning, Data interpretation the level of Question has been increased by UGC.So you need to be hard work to get a good score on paper 1 as well with the proper guidance and regular preparation you can easily obtain 80 marks in Paper -1. to join free online classes for paper 1 you can join the Diwakar education app click here

UGC NET Study Tips UGC NET 2024

How to Crack UGC NET Exam in First Attempt-

Understand the UGC NET exam pattern: The exam pattern of UGC NET Paper-1 & 2 helps you in shaping your preparation in many ways.

• First, it tells you that only multiple-choice questions are asked in the UGC NET Paper-1 & 2 exam, so there is no point preparing for subjective answers of 5-10 lines. Your preparation needs to be objective oriented. You will have to allot more time to learn specific details and not whole paras.
• Second, since there is no negative marking, it allows you to take risks and go for answers to what you think might be a correct option.
• Third, you get to know how many marks you will be awarded for every write answer – 2 marks for every correct answer. So, you can set an easy target for yourself accordingly

In-depth analysis of the UGC NET Syllabus Paper 1 & Paper 2: The syllabus is no less than the bible to the students.

• Proper analysis of the syllabus is especially important in order to understand what all topics must be covered in order to be able to answer questions that come in the exam.
• The main point behind following the syllabus is that it saves a lot of your time. History as a subject is so vast that there can be no end to what you have to study, but now that you have a well framed syllabus in your hand you have an advantage to stick to it.
• Work towards time management: From the above tip you must have known by now that you get only 3 hours to complete 150 MCQs without any break. That can be tough for those who are not good in managing time.
• For getting a better hand over completing the paper on time, you will need to solve old UGC NET Paper-1 & 2 question papers. The more you practice, the more you will get used to handling the questions in time. You should use a stopwatch to calculate your speed and time.
• Secondly, if you will have a look at your syllabus, the first thing which will come to your mind is its length. You do not have to get discouraged by assuming that it’s lengthy and impossible. What you need to do instead is prepare a study schedule for yourself.
• Revision is the secret recipe: Revision is the final touch that you give to your exam preparation to make your foundation more and more concrete. It is very important to revise what you have been studying all along so that you are confident of the syllabus in general and each topic in particular. The best way to revise is to take mock tests and solve practice papers that can be found online and even in bookstores.
• To be even surer of your preparations, you can solve previous year question papers and check your scores to assess your progress.
• One other way to revise is making notes while you are preparing. Once you are done with the syllabus, you can go through your notes where you have noted down all the important points covering each topic. This way when you write your spellings also get stronger and you memorise the names properly.
• Another important tip is that you should always start your revision with sections that are relatively tougher for you so that they also change to stronger topics in time.
• Motivate yourself physically and mentally: The last and the most important thing to complete your preparation properly is your personal well-being. Your physical and mental well-being can be ensured by not over stressing yourself and doing away with any presumptions that an exam is tough and it is very hard to qualify. You need to focus on your eight hours of study and completion of the syllabus,

UGC NET Paper-1 & 2 4-Month Preparation Plan 2024

This gives you 4 months to prepare for the examination. Now we are fully aware of the fact that a single time-table cannot suit everyone’s preference. So, being mindful of that, we have prepared you a standard plan which you can modify as per your Schedule and daily schedule. 

Frequently Asked Questions UGC NET –

Ques: Is there any negative marking in the exam and what is the total time duration of the exam?

Ans: No. There is no negative in the exam. UGC NET 2024 will have a total of 150 multiple-choice questions and candidates will be given 3 hours to complete the exam. Paper 1 will have 50 questions and Paper 2 will have 100 questions. There is no restriction to move to and fro among the Papers. All the questions are compulsory to attempt.

Ques: What is the exam pattern of UGN NET Paper 1 and 2?

Ans: The updated marking scheme of UGC NET is given below:

Ques: Is there any sectional time limit in UGC NET 2024? 

Ans: No. There is no sectional time limit. Candidates can move to and fro among any sections of both papers. Paper 1 is going to be the same for every candidate and paper 2 is subject-specific which is specially designed to test the in-depth knowledge of candidates. Paper will have a total of 150 multiple choice questions and candidates will be given 2 marks for every correct answer, no negative marking will be there.

Question – How many papers are there in the UGC NET Exam?

Ans. – The UGC NET Exam consists of two papers – Paper 1 (general paper) and paper 2 (subject-wise paper). 

Question – How many times is the UGC NET exam held in a year?

Ans. – Every year, UGC NET Exam is conducted 2 times, in June & December.

Question – Does UGC NET Exam Pattern change every year?

Ans. – No, the NTA UGC NET Exam Pattern doesn’t change every year.