UGC NET faces twin controversy: Repeated questions, spelling errors raise concerns
The UGC NET 2026 is facing two major controversies on the same day. A report claims 67 questions in the English paper were repeated from an earlier exam, while Sociology candidates have alleged spelling mistakes, poor translations and confusing questions, raising fresh concerns over the NTA's quality checks.
The National Testing Agency (NTA) is facing fresh criticism after two separate controversies emerged around this year's UGC NET exam on the same day.
A report has alleged that 67 out of 150 questions in the English paper were repeated from the 2024 exam, while candidates who appeared for the Sociology paper on June 30 have taken to social media, claiming it was riddled with spelling mistakes, incorrect names of scholars and poorly translated Hindi questions.
Together, the complaints have raised fresh questions about the quality control behind one of India's most important examinations for aspiring assistant professors and PhD candidates.
67 QUESTIONS ALLEGEDLY REPEATED
According to a report by The Telegraph, 67 questions in the UGC NET English paper matched questions from the 2024 examination, with even the sequence of answer options reportedly remaining unchanged.
The report says all the repeated questions appeared in Paper II, the subject-specific section of the exam.
Academics quoted by the newspaper criticised the alleged repetition, arguing that such extensive overlap should not happen in a national eligibility examination. They said it could unfairly benefit candidates who had extensively practised previous years' question papers through coaching institutes and preparation material.
The report added that the NTA was contacted for its response, which was awaited.
SOCIOLOGY CANDIDATES FLAG SPELLING BLUNDERS
Even as the report on repeated questions surfaced, another controversy was unfolding online.
Candidates who appeared for the June 30 UGC NET Sociology paper shared screenshots and posts alleging that the paper contained multiple spelling mistakes, grammatical errors and confusing wording.
Researcher Antara Chakrabarty (@ant_taraa) wrote on X:
"50% of the paper had terrible spelling errors and grammatically disastrous sentence formation."
She alleged that several well-known sociologists and authors appeared with incorrect spellings throughout the paper. According to her post, "Ritzer" appeared as "Putzer", "social" as "oval", "Parsons" as "Parsow", "Ghurye" as "Ghunye", "A R Desai" as "A K Desai" and "Nussbaum" as "Nusbaut".
She also claimed: "The Hindi translation of the questions were framed as if translated by a 5 year old. Students could not even understand the questions, let alone attempt them."
Another X user, @janwangnao, described the paper as being "filled with spelling errors, arbitrary questions, and the omission of many foundational sociological thinkers in favor of content that appeared outside the prescribed syllabus."
The user also questioned why candidates were asked to arrange Education Ministers chronologically, arguing that memorising officeholders was not a meaningful measure of critical thinking.
FRESH QUESTIONS FOR NTA
The two controversies are unrelated, but together they have intensified scrutiny of the NTA's exam preparation process.
While the repeated questions have raised concerns about paper setting and question selection, the Sociology complaints have focused on proofreading, translations and basic academic accuracy.
The NTA has not yet publicly responded to the allegations regarding the Sociology paper. As criticism continues to mount online, candidates are demanding answers over how such issues allegedly found their way into an examination that determines eligibility for teaching and research careers in higher education.
The National Testing Agency (NTA) is facing fresh criticism after two separate controversies emerged around this year's UGC NET exam on the same day.
A report has alleged that 67 out of 150 questions in the English paper were repeated from the 2024 exam, while candidates who appeared for the Sociology paper on June 30 have taken to social media, claiming it was riddled with spelling mistakes, incorrect names of scholars and poorly translated Hindi questions.
Together, the complaints have raised fresh questions about the quality control behind one of India's most important examinations for aspiring assistant professors and PhD candidates.
67 QUESTIONS ALLEGEDLY REPEATED
According to a report by The Telegraph, 67 questions in the UGC NET English paper matched questions from the 2024 examination, with even the sequence of answer options reportedly remaining unchanged.
The report says all the repeated questions appeared in Paper II, the subject-specific section of the exam.
Academics quoted by the newspaper criticised the alleged repetition, arguing that such extensive overlap should not happen in a national eligibility examination. They said it could unfairly benefit candidates who had extensively practised previous years' question papers through coaching institutes and preparation material.
The report added that the NTA was contacted for its response, which was awaited.
SOCIOLOGY CANDIDATES FLAG SPELLING BLUNDERS
Even as the report on repeated questions surfaced, another controversy was unfolding online.
Candidates who appeared for the June 30 UGC NET Sociology paper shared screenshots and posts alleging that the paper contained multiple spelling mistakes, grammatical errors and confusing wording.
Researcher Antara Chakrabarty (@ant_taraa) wrote on X:
"50% of the paper had terrible spelling errors and grammatically disastrous sentence formation."
She alleged that several well-known sociologists and authors appeared with incorrect spellings throughout the paper. According to her post, "Ritzer" appeared as "Putzer", "social" as "oval", "Parsons" as "Parsow", "Ghurye" as "Ghunye", "A R Desai" as "A K Desai" and "Nussbaum" as "Nusbaut".
She also claimed: "The Hindi translation of the questions were framed as if translated by a 5 year old. Students could not even understand the questions, let alone attempt them."
Another X user, @janwangnao, described the paper as being "filled with spelling errors, arbitrary questions, and the omission of many foundational sociological thinkers in favor of content that appeared outside the prescribed syllabus."
The user also questioned why candidates were asked to arrange Education Ministers chronologically, arguing that memorising officeholders was not a meaningful measure of critical thinking.
FRESH QUESTIONS FOR NTA
The two controversies are unrelated, but together they have intensified scrutiny of the NTA's exam preparation process.
While the repeated questions have raised concerns about paper setting and question selection, the Sociology complaints have focused on proofreading, translations and basic academic accuracy.
The NTA has not yet publicly responded to the allegations regarding the Sociology paper. As criticism continues to mount online, candidates are demanding answers over how such issues allegedly found their way into an examination that determines eligibility for teaching and research careers in higher education.
