Amid Raging Row, NTA Announces Fresh Exam Dates: UGC-NET to be Held from Aug 21-Sept 4

PTK MONITORING DESK

New Delhi : Amid a raging row over alleged irregularities in the conduct of competitive exams, the National Testing Agency (NTA) Friday night released fresh dates for cancelled and postponed examinations. The UGC-NET will now be held from August 21 to September 4.

The University Grants Commission-National Eligibility Test (UGC-NET) was cancelled a day after being conducted on June 18 as the education ministry received inputs that the integrity of the exam was compromised.

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan stated that the question paper was leaked on the darknet and circulated on the Telegram app. The matter is currently under investigation by the CBI.

The UGC-NET determines eligibility for the award of Junior Research Fellowships, the appointment of assistant professors, and admission to PhD programs. Originally conducted in offline mode this year on a single day, the rescheduled exam will revert to the previous pattern of a Computer Based Test (CBT) spread over a fortnight.

Additionally, the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) UGC-NET, which was postponed amid the irregularities row, will now take place from July 25 to July 27. The CSIR UGC-NET is required for PhD admissions in Chemical Sciences, Earth, Atmospheric, Ocean and Planetary Sciences, Life Sciences, Mathematical Sciences, and Physical Sciences.

The National Common Entrance Test (NCET) for admission to the four-year Integrated Teacher Education Programme (ITEP), postponed just hours before its scheduled start on June 12, will now be conducted on July 10. This test is held for select central and state universities or institutions, including IITs, NITs, RIEs, and government colleges.

In response to the alleged irregularities in the NEET-UG and PhD entrance NET exams, the Centre notified a panel last week to ensure the transparent, smooth, and fair conduct of examinations through the NTA.

While NEET is under scrutiny for several alleged irregularities, including a paper leak, the UGC-NET was cancelled due to compromised integrity based on ministry inputs. Two other exams, the CSIR-UGC NET and NEET-PG, were also cancelled as a precautionary measure. PTI Reports