UGC NET EXAM 2018: Exam pattern changed, upper age limit for JRF increased

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has made changes to the exam pattern and age limit for candidates appearing in the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), UGC-NET, 2018.

The information about the changes was informed to Lok Sabha on Monday. The first two papers will continue to be objective type with multiple choice questions.

Paper-I:

The first paper i.e General Awareness will consist of 50 mandatory questions of two marks each. The choice of 10 questions in Paper-I has been done away with. The duration of Paper-I has been reduced from the present 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour. The paper will be of 100 marks.

Paper-II and Paper-III merged: 

Paper-II and Paper-III are both of the same discipline have been merged together to be termed as Paper-II containing 100 compulsory objective type questions of two marks each from the subject selected by the candidate, with two hours duration.

Age Limit:

# The upper age limit for appearing in Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) has been raised by two years, i.e. from the existing upper age limit of 28 years to 30 years.

# There is five years relaxation in age for candidates belonging to Schedule Caste/Schedule Tribe/ Persons with Disabilities/ Other Backward Class (Non-Creamy Layer) categories and for women candidates.

# The changes approved by the Commission have been intimated to the CBSE. UGC has informed that UGC-NET examination will be conducted twice a year.

This information was given by the Minister of State for HRD, Dr Satya Pal Singh, on Monday in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha.
Minister of State (HRD), Dr. Satya Pal Singh in a written reply to a Lok Sabha question said that the changes approved by the Commission have been intimated to CBSE on 1st January, 2018.

UGC has informed that UGC-NET examination will be conducted twice a year.

In this effect, CBSE has already issued notification on January 8, 2018 stating that it will conduct the next UGC NET 2018 for Junior Research Fellowship & Eligibility for Assistant Professor on July 8, 2018. As per the revised scheme, the test will consist of two papers.