New Delhi, August 17, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Amid criticism over the re-examination of UGC-NET papers in three subjects, the National Testing Agency (NTA) said on Monday that it is proactively identifying irregularities and taking corrective measures transparently in the interest of candidates.
The NTA announced on Sunday that the University Grants Commission-National Eligibility Test (UGC-NET) papers for English, Sociology and Commerce would be conducted again after multiple errors were detected in the question papers.
The decision has added to criticism surrounding the agency’s handling of competitive examinations. However, sources said the NTA had opted for corrective action after examining the papers and consulting subject-matter experts.
The NTA conducted a series of national examinations between June and July covering UGC-NET, CSIR-NET and ICAR (AIEEA-PG and AICE-PhD). Together, the examinations covered 184 subjects and papers, involving 24,700 distinct questions. More than 10 lakh candidates registered, of whom nearly eight lakh appeared.
Sources said every question undergoes multiple stages, including setting, moderation, translation, typesetting, administration and evaluation, making the process complex given the scale and diversity of subjects.
According to the NTA, no issues were detected in the vast majority of the papers. The papers and answer keys for 84 UGC-NET subjects, all five CSIR-NET subjects and 92 ICAR subjects — 181 of the 184 subjects in total — were found to be in order, with their answer keys released on Sunday.
However, issues were identified in three of the 87 UGC-NET subjects — English, Sociology and Commerce. Their answer keys were withheld while corrective measures were undertaken.
The Sociology re-examination will be held on September 10, while English and Commerce will be conducted again on September 9.
Sources said the agency chose to re-conduct the affected papers rather than allow question papers containing errors to stand.
“An examination-conducting agency must not only conduct error-free examinations but also act promptly and honestly whenever an anomaly is found,” the sources said.
The NTA acknowledged that a re-examination would place an additional burden on candidates who had already appeared. To address this, the agency has announced that no additional examination fee will be charged and that neither the number of qualifying candidates nor the subject-wise allocation will be reduced.
Sources said the corrective action was intended to protect candidates who had prepared sincerely, particularly where question papers contained errors or repeated a significant number of questions from an earlier examination cycle.
The agency is also reviewing its internal procedures for question-setting, moderation, translation and composition to prevent similar lapses and determine responsibility for the errors.
“The willingness to identify problems proactively, to admit them, and to act, even where action is difficult, is itself the foundation of a more accountable examination system,” the sources said.
The NTA maintained that identifying and correcting issues transparently was essential to ensuring a fair and accurate examination process and said the experience would be used to strengthen safeguards for future examinations.
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