UGC NET & UGC CSIR : Easy and Free Guide
The National Eligibility Test is popularly known as UGC NET or NTA -UGC-NET. This is an all India level examination for adjudicating the eligibility for the post of Assistant Professors and Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) in Indian colleges and Universities
JRF awardees are eligible to pursue research in their postgraduate subject from the top institution or national organizations.
The UGC NET exam was started by UGC, but later the CBSE conducted the test. From December 2018 the responsibility of UGC NET has been transferred to the National Testing Agency (NTA), which has been established as an autonomous body testing organization for admission and fellowship in higher education institutions.
There are two NETs conducted in India by National Testing Agency (NTA). They are as follows :
- University Grants Commission National Eligibility Test (UGC NET)
- University Grants Commission Council of Scientific and Industrial Research Eligibility Test (UGC CSIR)
Highlights of UGC NET
| Exam Name | University Grant Commission (UGC) National Eligibility Test (NET) |
| Organizing Body | National Testing Agency (NTA) |
| Frequency | Twice a year (June & December) |
| Exam Level | National |
| Exam Mode | Online |
| Number of Registration | Approx. 8 lakh |
| Official Website | Ugcnet.nta.nic.in |
NTA releases the notification of the UGC NET exam in the month of June & December
| UGC NET JUNE EXAM | UGC NET DECEMBER EXAM | ||
| Event | Tentative Month | Event | Tentative Month |
| UGC NET Notification | March | UGC NET Notification | September |
| UGC NET Exam | June | UGC NET Exam | December |
| UGC NET Result | July | UGC NET Result | December |
Eligibility Criteria
1. Nationality
A candidate should be a citizen of India.
2. Age Limit
| Category | Age Limit |
| Assistant Professor | No upper limit |
| Junior Research Fellowship (General) | 30 years |
| Junior Research Fellowship (OBC/SC/ST) | 35 years |
Note : As per the Government of India reservation policy, a minimum of 27%, 15% ,7.5%, and 5% of the fellowship are reserved for the Other Backward Class (OBC) non-creamy layer/ Scheduled Caste( SC)/Scheduled Tribe (ST) and Person with Disability (PWD).
3. Educational Qualification
- A candidate should have completed the Master’s Degree or equivalent examination with a minimum of 55% marks from a UGC recognized University /Institution in Humanities (including languages) and Social Science, Computer Science, and Application, Electronic Science, etc.
- The candidate belonging to Other Backward Class (OBC) non-creamy layer/ Scheduled Caste( SC)/Scheduled Tribe (ST) and Person with Disability (PWD) are to be entitled 5% marks relaxation. They should have completed the Master’s Degree or equivalent examination with a minimum of 50% marks from a UGC recognized University /Institution in Humanities (including languages) and Social Science, Computer Science and Application, Electronic Science, etc.
- D. degree holders, who have passed master’s degree before September 1991, with a minimum of 50% marks are also eligible to apply for Lectureship.
Note: Candidate belonging to the Transgender category will be eligible to draw the same relaxation in fees, age, qualifying criteria in NET ( JRF & Assistant Professor) as are available for SC/ST/PWD.
UGC NET EXAM PATTERN
NTA conducts the examination on behalf of UGC. This exam consists of two papers and is conducted on the same day.
| PAPER 1 & 2 | ||||
| Paper | No of question | Max Marks | Type | Duration |
| Paper 1 | 50 | 100 | Objective (MCQ) | 1 hour 30 minutes |
| Paper 2 | 100 | 200 | Objective (MCQ) | 1 hour 30 minutes |
| Total | 150 | 300 | 3 hours | |
Note: All the questions are mandatory to attempt. There is no negative marking.
UGC CSIR
The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research Eligibility Test (UGC CSIR) is conducted by NTA in CBT mode to select the candidate eligible for Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) and for Lectureship (LS)/ Assistant Professor in Indian colleges and Universities.
Highlights of UGC CSIR EXAM
| Exam Name | Council of Scientific and Industrial Research University Grant Commission National Eligibility Test (CSIR UGC NET) |
| Organizing Body | National Testing Agency (NTA) |
| Frequency | Twice a year (June & December) |
| Exam Level | National |
| Exam Mode | Online |
| Number of Registration | Approx. 3 lakh |
| Official Website | csirnet.nta.nic.in |
NTA releases the notification of the UGC CSIR exam in the month of March & September :
| UGC CSIR NET JUNE EXAM | UGC CSIR NET DECEMBER EXAM | ||
| Event | Tentative Month | Event | Tentative Month |
| UGC CSIR Notification | March | UGC CSIR Notification | September |
| UGC CSIR Exam | June | UGC CSIR Exam | December |
| UGC CSIR Result | July | UGC CSIR Result | December |
Eligibility Criteria
1. Nationality
A candidate should be citizen of India.
2. Age Limit
| Category | Age Limit |
| Assistant Professor | No upper limit |
| Junior Research Fellowship (General) | 28 years |
| Junior Research Fellowship (OBC-Non Creamy Layer) | 31 years |
| Junior Research Fellowship (SC/ST/Physically & Visually handicapped/Female) | 33 years |
As per the Government of India reservation policy , a minimum of 27% , 15% ,7.5%, and 5% of the fellowship are reserved for the Other Backward Class (OBC) non-creamy layer/ Scheduled Caste( SC)/Scheduled Tribe (ST) and Person with Disability (PWD)
3. Educational Qualification
- Candidate must have completed M.Sc. or an equivalent degree/Integrated BS-MS/BS – 4 years/ BE/B.Tech/Pharma/MBBS with a minimum of 55% marks. For SC/ST/Physically & Visually handicapped candidates, a minimum of 50% marks is needed.
- Sc (Hons) or equivalent or candidate enrolled in the Integrated MS-PhD program can also apply.
- Candidate with bachelor’s degree and who has also enrolled in Ph.D./Integrated Ph.D. program can also apply.
- D. degree holders, who have passed master’s degree before September,1991, with a minimum of 50% marks are also eligible to apply for Lectureship.
UGC CSIR NET EXAM PATTERN
NTA conducts the examination on behalf of UGC. The exam pattern is highlighted below:
| Particulars | Description |
| Mode of Exam | Computer Based Test (CBT) |
| Exam Type | Objective (MCQ) |
| Exam Duration | 3 hours |
| Exam Medium | English & Hindi |
| Total Marks | 200 |
| Total Questions | Section A: 20
Section B : 40 Section C : 60 |
| Negative Marking | Yes |
UGC CSIR NET EXAM is conducted in 5 subjects : Chemical Science, Earth Science, Life Science, Mathematics Science and Physical Science.
| Section-wise Exam Pattern of Chemical Science | ||||
| Parts | No of questions | Questions to attempt | Marks per question | Negative Marking |
| Part A | 20 | 15 | 2 | 0.5 |
| Part B | 40 | 35 | 2 | 0.5 |
| Part C | 60 | 25 | 4 | 1 |
| Total | 120 | 75 | 200 | – |
| Section-wise Exam Pattern of Earth Science | ||||
| Parts | No of questions | Questions to attempt | Marks per question | Negative Marking |
| Part A | 20 | 15 | 2 | 0.5 |
| Part B | 50 | 35 | 2 | 0.5 |
| Part C | 80 | 25 | 4 | 1.32 |
| Total | 150 | 75 | 200 | – |
| Section-wise Exam Pattern of Life Science | ||||
| Parts | No of questions | Questions to attempt | Marks per question | Negative Marking |
| Part A | 20 | 15 | 2 | 0.5 |
| Part B | 50 | 35 | 2 | 0.5 |
| Part C | 70 | 25 | 4 | 1 |
| Total | 140 | 75 | 200 | – |
| Section-wise Exam Pattern of Mathematical Science | ||||
| Parts | No of questions | Questions to attempt | Marks per question | Negative Marking |
| Part A | 20 | 15 | 2 | 0.5 |
| Part B | 40 | 25 | 3 | 0.75 |
| Part C | 60 | 20 | 4.75 | 0 |
| Total | 120 | 60 | 200 | – |
| Section-wise Exam Pattern of Physical Science | ||||
| Parts | No of questions | Questions to attempt | Marks per question | Negative Marking |
| Part A | 20 | 15 | 2 | 0.5 |
| Part B | 25 | 20 | 3.5 | 0.875 |
| Part C | 30 | 20 | 5 | 1.25 |
| Total | 75 | 55 | 200 | – |
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