Our hopes are shattered: UGC-NET aspirants question NTA's re-exam decision

The NTA has ordered fresh UGC-NET exams for English, Commerce and Sociology after reviewing complaints about errors, repeated questions and translation issues. The move has deepened anxiety among aspirants, who are questioning the delay and fearing an impact on academic and recruitment timelines.The National Testing Agency’s decision to re-conduct the UGC-NET examinations for English, Commerce and Sociology has left thousands of aspirants frustrated, with many questioning why the decision was taken nearly two months after the original examinations.The NTA has announced that fresh examinations for the three subjects will be held on September 9 and 10. The decision followed an expert committee’s examination of complaints about errors, repeated questions and translation issues in the papers. The agency has said candidates will not have to pay an additional examination fee.For aspirants, however, the announcement has come as a fresh setback after weeks of waiting for the answer keys.“Last cycle, the answer keys were released within a week of the examination. This time, we ran social media campaigns demanding their release. After waiting for two months, we are now being told that the exam will be conducted again. But on what basis has the examination been cancelled? We deserve an answer,” an aspirant said. The June 2026 UGC-NET examinations were conducted between June 22 and 30. The provisional answer keys were finally released on August 16, but the keys for English, Commerce and Sociology were held back as the NTA reviewed complaints concerning the three papers.REPEATED QUESTIONS, ERRORS TRIGGER SCRUTINYAccording to reports on the committee’s findings, the three papers contained multiple factual, typographical and translation errors. The review also identified repeated questions, with reports indicating that 67 questions across the three subjects had been repeated. The NTA concluded that the problems were extensive enough that they could not simply be addressed by dropping individual questions during the answer-key challenge process.Aspirants, however, say the decision has raised more questions than it has answered.One English aspirant claimed that there were no significant typographical errors in the paper but alleged that several questions had been repeated from previous years, including the 2024 examination.“No one wants a re-examination. All my hopes are shattered,” the aspirant said.Another candidate said the short preparation window had created additional anxiety.“UGC has a vast syllabus. We do not even know where to start. We are currently trying to figure out what to do and how to prepare, but we have only a few days,” the student said.The September re-examinations are scheduled roughly three weeks after the August 17 announcement, leaving candidates who had considered their preparation complete with limited time to restart their revision.CONCERNS OVER ASSISTANT PROFESSOR ELIGIBILITYThe uncertainty is particularly significant for candidates appearing for UGC-NET to qualify for assistant professor positions or other academic opportunities.Aspirants fear that another examination and the resulting delay in the declaration of results could affect recruitment schedules, academic appointments and eligibility timelines.An educator who has closely monitored the examination said that in some cases the repetition went beyond individual questions.“The same pattern of questions appeared in the paper and, in some cases, even the pattern of options was unchanged,” the educator said.The educator questioned whether a re-examination was the appropriate response when the concerns related primarily to question quality and repetition rather than a conventional paper leak.“Re-examinations generally take place in cases such as a paper leak. Here, the decision appears to have been taken on the basis of the quality and repetition of questions in the paper. On what grounds is the examination being cancelled?” the educator said.Timing of decision becomes another point of contentionThe timing of the decision has emerged as a major source of anger among candidates.“Where was this committee for the last 40 days? The decision appears to have been taken within a few hours. It feels like a cover-up for the Sociology paper leak,” one student alleged.The allegation of a cover-up has not been established, and the NTA has attributed the re-examination decision to problems identified through its review process. Reports say the committee found widespread flaws in the affected papers, prompting the agency to scrap the examinations rather than proceed with evaluation.The controversy has also triggered protests and criticism from student organisations and opposition leaders, adding to scrutiny of the NTA’s handling of national-level examinations.NTA says preparations for re-exam underwayNTA officials told India Today that necessary steps were being taken to ensure that the re-examinations were conducted fairly and smoothly. Officials said preparations, including paper-setting, had already begun and that there would be “no mistakes now”. Further details are expected to be shared by the agency in due course.For students, though, the issue is no longer limited to another examination date. Many say the episode has shaken their confidence in the examination system.“I am losing hope in both the Central and state governments. When our education system itself is weak, what can we expect for our future?” a student said.The NTA’s decision may have been intended to restore fairness to the UGC-NET process.But for candidates who had already spent months preparing, travelled to examination centres and then waited nearly two months for clarity, the re-examination has created a new period of uncertainty — with the September test now determining not only their scores, but potentially the timelines of their academic and professional plans.- EndsPublished By: Rishab ChauhanPublished On: Aug 17, 2026 15:06 IST