Why NTA Cancelled Three UGC-NET Papers and What Candidates Need to Know
NTA will re-conduct UGC-NET 2026 papers in English, Commerce and Sociology after finding spelling errors, repeated questions and wording issues.
AC Team
The National Testing Agency (NTA) has cancelled the UGC-NET 2026 exams for Sociology, English and Commerce after finding several errors in the question papers. The papers were held between June 22 and June 30.
The decision followed complaints from candidates, teachers and coaching experts. They pointed to spelling mistakes, repeated questions, poor wording and errors in answer options. In some cases, questions appeared to match those used in earlier UGC-NET exams. For students preparing for a high-stakes test, seeing a familiar question can feel helpful. Seeing the same mistakes again is a different story.
Which UGC-NET papers will be held again?
NTA will conduct the following papers again:
- English
- Commerce
- Sociology
The English paper will take place on September 9 from 9 am to noon. The Commerce paper will be held on the same day from 3 pm to 6 pm. The Sociology paper is scheduled for September 10 from 9 am to noon.
NTA said it will share details about exam cities, centres and admit cards on its official website. Candidates will not have to pay an extra fee for the re-conducted exam.
What errors were found in the Sociology paper?
Candidates reported several spelling mistakes in the names of well-known scholars. These included:
- George Ritzer written as “Putzer”
- G. S. Ghurye written as “Ghunye”
- Talcott Parsons written as “Parsow”
- Martha Nussbaum written as “Nusbaut”
Such errors can create confusion, especially in a subject where scholars, theories and schools of thought form a major part of the syllabus. A small spelling change can turn a known name into something that looks like a new term. Students should not need to solve a spelling puzzle during a national eligibility test.
Why was the English paper cancelled?
Candidates and coaching teachers alleged that many questions in the English paper had appeared in earlier UGC-NET exams, including the December 2024 and 2025 cycles.
The reported repeats covered a wide range of topics. These included the publication year of Kanthapura, the author of The Life Divine, and genre-based questions on works such as The Time Machine and Brave New World.
Other questions reportedly repeated the same wording and answer order. These included “Match the Following” questions on critics such as Jacques Derrida and Roland Barthes. Questions on the order of Shakespeare’s plays and terms such as Ecocriticism and the Flâneur were also said to have appeared again.
Repeating a topic is normal in competitive exams. Repeating a question word for word, with the options in the same order, raises a different concern. It may give some candidates an advantage that has little to do with their subject knowledge.
What issues were reported in Commerce?
Commerce candidates also alleged that several questions had been repeated from earlier UGC-NET papers. The reported questions covered taxation, accounting, capital structure and marketing.
Examples included questions on Arm’s Length Pricing and TDS provisions under Sections 194C and 194F. Some accounting questions reportedly used the same figures for break-even analysis and Margin of Safety.
Questions on the Modigliani-Miller Hypothesis and the extended 7 Ps of Service Marketing were also said to have appeared with the same multiple-choice sequences.
What did NTA say about the errors?
NTA formed a committee to examine complaints about the three papers. The committee found several types of errors, including:
- Misspelt names of scholars
- Incorrect or unclear book titles
- Errors in the wording of questions
- Grammar, punctuation, gender and number errors
- Translation mistakes
- Non-standard terms used for known concepts
- Repeated questions from earlier exams
In its statement, NTA said the three papers should be conducted again to protect fairness and ensure an error-free examination. The agency described the errors as factual, typographical and translation-related.
What is the UGC-NET exam?
UGC-NET is used to assess eligibility for Assistant Professor posts and admission to PhD programmes in India. The exam has two papers.
- Paper I: 50 questions on teaching aptitude, reasoning ability and general awareness.
- Paper II: 100 multiple-choice questions based on the candidate’s chosen subject.
The three affected subjects will be tested again under the re-conduct schedule. Candidates should check the official NTA website for city intimation slips, admit cards and any later changes to the timetable.
