NTA releases fresh exam dates for UGC NET December 2020 and July 2021 cycle; check notification here

The National Testing Agency (NTA) has announced new dates for the University Grants Commission National Eligibility Test (UGC NET) December 2020 and June 2021 cycle. Candidates had voiced their concerns regarding the postponement of the exam after which the agency has finally announced the new exam dates. According to the new schedule, the test will be conducted on 20, 21, 22, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30 November, and 1, 3, 4, and 5 December. Check official notification here. The detailed schedule and admit cards for the exam will soon be made available on NTA’s official portal. Candidates need to keep a check on the websites https://nta.ac.in/ and https://ugcnet.nta.nic.in/ for updates regarding the hall tickets. UGC releases admit cards around 10 days before the exam date. Candidates facing any issues can also contact the NTA help desk at 011-40759000 or can write to  ugcnet@nta.ac.in. UGC NET is conducted twice a year, where one cycle is conducted in June and the second one is held in December. The December 2020 exam was postponed due to COVID-19 and hence has been merged with the June 2021 exam cycle. The test was to be held from 17 October, however, the agency pushed it ahead as the dates were coinciding with several important and major exams. This was not the first time when the UGC NET exam dates were postponed. Earlier, it was supposed to be held in September. It has been delayed four times in the past 10 months. Using the hashtag #ReleaseNETEXAMDATE, a number of candidates had tweeted and requested the Education Minister to release the final dates along with prior notice of 30 days as they want to prepare themselves for the test. UGC NET is a computer-based three-hour test where there are 50 questions in Paper I while Paper II comprises 100 questions. This exam determines the eligibility of candidates for Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) and Assistant Professorship. Those who qualify the exam are eligible for the post of Assistant Professor in colleges.