UGC NET row: Students, teachers flag disputed questions, raise concerns over NTA exam process

Students who appeared for the UGC NET examination raised concerns over disputed answer options in the examination and the National Testing Agency (NTA)'s examination process. To support the students, the teachers have also visited the NTA office in Delhi to seek clarity on the answer key and raise concerns about the process for challenging questions.

One of the key concerns raised by the aspirants was the cost involved in challenging disputed questions. Student Suchitra Srivastava, while speaking to ANI, said that as many as 14 questions in the Political Science paper were challengeable. According to her, these were basic conceptual questions that could be answered by students familiar with the subject; however, there were some issues with the questions.

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However, she highlighted the financial burden of challenging multiple questions. Under the challenge process, candidates must pay ₹200 per question they wish to challenge. Challenging all 14 questions would therefore cost an aspirant ₹2,800.

Suchitra also raised concerns over discrepancies in her recorded responses. She claimed that the answers she marked during the examination were different from those reflected in the response sheet available on the NTA website. According to Srivastava, 24 questions have been marked incorrectly in her response sheet.

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She has demanded that her examination paper be rechecked and the recorded responses be verified. She said such discrepancies could directly impact candidates' scores and ultimately affect their eligibility for JRF, Assistant Professor, and PhD admissions.

The allegation adds another dimension to the concerns raised by candidates seeking greater transparency in the answer-key and response-sheet evaluation process.

A teacher named Pradyuman Tripathi, who was also present at the NTA office, raised concerns specifically over the Political Science answer key. He alleged that while the examination process had been relatively smooth in the initial years, problems began to emerge from 2023-24 onward.

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According to Tripathi, the concerns are not limited to individual questions but also relate to the broader functioning of the examination system. He alleged that there is no systematic examination calendar and questioned how examination-related issues are being handled.

The concerns come amid continued scrutiny of the UGC NET examination and its answer-key process. For candidates, errors in questions or answer keys can directly affect their final scores and eligibility, making the challenge mechanism an important part of the examination process.

The UGC NET examination was held from June 22 to June 30, 2026, across 87 subjects, for the award of Junior Research Fellowship, eligibility for Assistant Professor, and admission to PhD programs.

The answer key was released for 84 subjects on August 16, and the objection window was closed on August 18, 2026.

The Agency will reconduct three exam papers- English, Commerce and Sociology in September. The decision to re-conduct the exam was taken after NTA received several complaints about multiple errors in these 3 papers.