The National Testing Agency (NTA) faces new scrutiny over the UGC NET 2026 exam. Candidates reported significant issues on exam day, June 30, 2026. Concerns include repeated questions and errors in the sociology paper.
English Paper Duplication Alleged
Reports indicate that 67 out of 150 questions in the English paper were identical to those from the 2024 exam. These repeated questions appeared in Paper 2, the subject-specific section. The sequence of answer options also reportedly remained unchanged.
Academics cited in reports questioned the high overlap. They stated this could benefit students who practiced previous papers. The NTA had not responded to requests for comment by the time of this report.
Sociology Paper Errors Spark Outrage
The sociology question paper also drew criticism. Candidates shared evidence online of spelling mistakes and grammatical errors. Question wording was described as unclear.
Researcher Antara Chakrabarty stated much of the paper was poorly written and difficult to comprehend. She noted misspellings of major scholar names. The Hindi translation of questions was also flagged as problematic, hindering student comprehension.
These twin issues raise questions about the quality control processes for the UGC NET exam. The exam is critical for individuals seeking assistant professor positions and pursuing PhDs.
