UGC change pattern from June 2012

From June 2012 onwards the pattern for Paper III will be changed.UGC has decided that all the question paper for the test will be objective type. Due to the unhappiness expressed for subjective typr question paper by the students and delay in declaring the results, UGC has taken interviews in changing the pattern of Paper III. Students can expect results much before the next NET exam.

Students appearing for the NET will be able to evaluate their performance immediately after Exam.The UGC, decided that candidates can take carbon prints of their optical reader answer sheets with them for verification at their homes. UGC chairperson Ved Prakash has said that it will enable students to know instantly how well they have attmpted the questions in the test. 

UGC’s NET examination consists of three papers with papers I and II being objection type and paper III being descriptive type, till date. Earlier in June 2010, the structure of paper III of NET exam was revised into 2 essay questions, 3 analytical/evaluation questions, 9 definitional/short answer questions and 5 text-based questions.

“The commission discussed issues pertaining to objectivity in making of paper III, transparency, reducing the inter and intra examiner variability in marking of paper III, delay in declaration of NET results and also recommendations of the NET moderation committee to change paper III from descriptive to objective type on the pattern of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research - NET examination,” UGC member said in an interview.

The UGC, which is the highest decision making body for higher education in the country, has also considered the issue of relaxation in marks for differently-abled candidates in the NET examination and decided to reduce minimum qualifying marks for them.

Now differently-abled candidates have to get 35 marks in paper I and II separately and 80 marks combining papers I and II combined and 80 marks in paper III. Even though UGC’s decision has eased the pressure of the student community, the academic community felt that only with descriptive questions one can judge the candidate’s in-depth knowledge of a subject.