Council of Scientific and Industrial Research UGC National Eligibility Test (NET) 2024 is a national-level examination for candidates aspiring job postings in positions of Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) and Lecturers. The exam is organized and conducted twice a year (semi-annually) by the National Testing Agency (NTA). The exam is currently one of the most competitive and prestigious exams in our country. The UGC NET exam is the gateway to fellowships and job postings as a lecturer in government-run institutions and universities across India. The article contains in-depth information about important dates, eligibility criteria, the application process, exam pattern, syllabus, etc., regarding NET 2024.
UGC NET 2024 Highlights
| Exam Name | UGC NET (University Grants Commission National Eligibility Test) 2024 |
| Conducting Body | National Testing Agency (NTA) |
| Exam Level | National |
| Exam Mode | Online only |
| Exam Duration | 180 minutes |
| Exam Purpose | Selection of candidates for posts of only Assistant Professor or both Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) and Assistant Professor in Indian universities and colleges |
| Registered Candidates | It Will be updated after the application closed |
| Test-Takers | It Will be released after the UGC NET 2024 exam |
| Exam Helpdesk No. | 0120-6895200 |
| Official Website | https://ugcnet.nta.nic.in |
Important dates to remember
The exam is conducted twice a year. Candidates can choose to attend any of the two. The results will be evaluated and published using a merit list. The first phase will be in June 2024, and the second phase will be conducted in December 2024.
| Events | June session | December Session |
| Release of application form | March 2024 | September 2024 |
| Last date for submission of the application form | April 2024 | September 2024 |
| Last date for fee payment | May 2024 | October 2024 |
| Admit card release | May 2024 | November 2024 |
| Exam date | Between June 10 to 21, 2024 | December 2024 |
| Result declaration | July 2024 | January 2025 |
Eligibility criteria for UGC NET 2024
The eligibility criteria for NET 2024 are prescribed by the National Testing Agency (NTA). Candidates have to make sure they clear all eligibility criteria to appear for the NEET 2024 exam. The eligibility criteria include the following:
- Nationality: Candidates applying for NET 2024 should be a citizen and permanent residents of India.
- Age Limit: There is an upper age limit for candidates applying for the Junior Research Fellowship. Candidates must be less than 30 years of age. There is a relaxation of 5 years in the upper age limit of candidates belonging to reserved categories such as SC/ST/OBC-NCL/PWD categories.
- The age mentioned above relaxation is also applicable for women and transgender candidates.
- Educational Qualification: Candidates should hold a Master’s degree or any equivalent qualifying degree from a recognized institution or university by UGC in any of the below-mentioned fields:
- Humanities
- Social Science
- Computer Science
- Electronics
The candidates must score at least 55% marks in aggregate for the qualifying degree. There is a 5% relaxation in marks for candidates belonging to SC/ST/OBC-NCL/PH/transgender categories.
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Criteria for exemption from the NET exam
- Candidates who have successfully cleared the UGC/JRF exams (conducted separately) before 1989 are exempted from attending the NET exam.
- Candidates who have successfully removed the SET (States Eligibility Test accredited by UGC for job postings of Assistant Professor before June 1, 2002, are exempted from appearing for the NET exam and can directly apply for the Assistant Professor job postings across the country.
- Aspirants who have successfully cleared the SET after June 1, 2002, for Assistant Professor jobs are exempted from the NET exam and are eligible to apply for the position in the state where the SET was cleared.
Application Process
- Candidates who wish to apply for NET 2024 have to visit the official website, https://ugcnet.nta.nic.in/, once the registration process starts.
- Applicants have to fill in their details and education and communication details in the specified columns.
- Candidates will have to upload scanned copies of the selected documents for verification purposes.
- Once all details are filled, in and documents are uploaded, candidates can proceed to fee payment.
- Once the fee payment is completed, candidates are required to take a confirmation page and save it for the future.
Application Fee:
The application fee can be paid using online and offline modes. Online mode includes net banking, debit/credit card, etc. Payment can be made using e-Challan. The fee structure is given below:
- Candidates belonging to the General Category will have to pay Rs. 800/- as the application fee.
- Candidates belonging to the OBC-NCL category will have to pay Rs. 400/- as the application fee.
- Candidates belonging to SC/ST/PWD/Transgender categories will have to pay Rs. 200/- as the application fee.
Exam Pattern:
The NET 2024 exam will be conducted online. The total duration of the NET 2024 exam is 3 hours. There will be a break of 30 minutes in between the sessions. Every correct answer is awarded two marks, and there will be no negative marking whatsoever for incorrect answers. All questions are mandatory. There will be a total of 150 questions with total marks of 300.
The question distribution is as follows:
- Paper 1 will have 50 questions in total. The session will contain aptitude in teaching/research, general awareness, reasoning ability, comprehension, etc.
- Paper 2 will have questions from a subject of the candidate’s choosing in the registration process.
Syllabus for NET 2024
The syllabus for NET changes according to the subject that is chosen by the candidate. UGC prescribes the syllabus for each subject. Each syllabus will contain questions from topics from the corresponding Master’s program.
How to Prepare
The syllabus is quite extensive. There will be a lot of material and topics for you to choose from in the syllabus. So, you must have your game plan laid out well before the exam and prepare accordingly. Notes can be ready for the topics to be revised rather than going through the entire book before the exam.
There is no shortcut to success. You have to rigorously practice mock question papers and previous years’ papers in a time-bound manner to simulate the actual exam.
Aspirants must be updated on current affairs and general knowledge, and this should be a habit to be on top of what’s happening.
Admit Card
To avail of the admit card, you need to download the admit card from the official website. The admit card contains information such as the center and date of examination. The candidates are required to safeguard the admit card and bring it to the exam center. Candidates must get valid identification proof and a photograph, along with the admit card.
Follow the steps to download the admit card.
- Visit the official website.
- Login with your id and password
- The admit card will be available once it is released for download.
- Take a printout and keep it safe for further use.
Answer Key
After a few days of the NET 2024 exam, the answer key will be published on the official website by the conducting body. The candidates can benefit by using the answer key to calculate the rough score based on their answers.
Candidates can challenge any answers in the answer key if they feel the answers provided are wrong. Candidates will have to pay Rs. 1000/- for raising discrepancies.
Result
The result will be available on the official website once it is declared. Candidates who score more than the specified cut-off marks will be eligible for the posting of professor of fellowship, as applicable. There are no options for re-checking the results.
Reservation Policy
The reservation policy for the UGC NET test is governed by Indian government regulations. As a result, places at central universities and institutes that are considered universities are reserved. The procedure for making a seat reservation is shown below.
| Category | Reservation of seats (In %) |
| Scheduled Castes (SC) | 15 |
| Scheduled Tribes (ST) | 7.5 |
| Other Backward Classes (OBC) Non-Creamy Layer (NCL) | 27 |
| General-Economically Weaker Sections (General- EWS) | 10 |
| Persons with Disability (PwD) with 40% or more disability | 4 |
UGC NET Exam Analysis 2024
On September 24, NTA successfully administered the second shift of the UGC NET 2020 test from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. The UGC NET paper I has a moderate level of difficulty. Teaching and Research Aptitude accounted for the majority of the questions in the paper.
On September 24, the first shift of the UGC NET 2020 test was successfully completed from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Toppers’ UGC NET Preparation Advice
For UGC NET preparation, go over the topper interviews from the previous two years [2018 and 2019 (June)]:
| UGC NET Toppers | Preparation Strategy and How They Cracked It |
| Rajat Sen Subject: Mass Communication & Journalism Qualified for Assistant Professor | Revision, practice, and persistence was his key to success Was consistent with his preparation for the exam Solved previous years’ question papers, mock tests and made notes |
| Vivek Sharma Subject: Political Science Qualified for JRF & Assistant Professor | Focused on enhancing fact-based and conceptual knowledge Focused on each topic of the syllabus thoroughly Solved previous years’ UGC NET question papers |
| Abhinav Pandey Subject: History Qualified for Assistant Professor | Focused on reading History books with a critical outlook Read bibliography to enhance information about research sources Read each topic of the UGC NET syllabus thoroughly |
| Vivek Mishra Subject: Geography Qualified for JRF & Assistant Professor | Gave equal preparation time for paper-I and II Created notes from multiple books containing facts Revised each topic multiple times |
| Chiranjit Gorai Subject: History Qualified for JRF & Assistant Professor | Revision, practice, and persistence was his key to success Was consistent with his preparation for the exam Solved previous years’ question papers, and mock tests and made notes |
| Snigdha Moitra Subject: Forensic Science Qualified for Assistant Professor | Studied for 10 hours every day Followed a proper timetable Gave equal importance to the preparation of paper-I |
| Richa Chaudhary Subject: Psychology Qualified for Assistant Professor | Followed a day-wise schedule Focused on clearing basics for each topic Attempted a series of practice/ mock tests |
| Ramesh Kumar Subject: Commerce Qualified for Assistant Professor | Solved MCQs after studying each subject Revised concepts multiple times |
UGC NET Result 2020 Statistics
On December 1, the NTA UGC NET 2020 results were announced. Last year, a total of 8,60,976 students applied for the UGC NET test, with 5,26,707 of them taking the exam. A total of 47,157 people passed the exam. There were 40,986 candidates who qualified for the Assistant Professor test alone, and 6,171 candidates who qualified for both the JRF and Assistant Professor exams.
FAQ
UGC NET is typically conducted twice a year in June and December.
For each exam, the duration is 3 hours.
Priya Bansal is a seasoned education writer with a passion for creating insightful and engaging content. With a background in education and a knack for research, she excels at producing articles, blogs, and resources that inform and inspire. Priya’s work contributes to the enrichment of educational discourse and empowers learners of all ages.
