Hyderabad: Allegations that around 65 to 67 of 150 questions in the June 2026 UGC-NET English paper were repeated from the December 2024 examination have sparked concern among candidates, teachers and academics, with some calling for a thorough inquiry into the National Testing Agency’s (NTA) question-setting process.
Candidates who compared the two papers claimed the overlap extended far beyond a handful of repeated questions. According to them, entire reading comprehension passages, poem-based questions, literature questions and even the sequence of answer options appeared unchanged. Some also alleged that questions challenged as incorrect in the earlier examination resurfaced in the latest paper.
The UGC-NET is among the country’s most important higher education examinations, determining eligibility for assistant professorships, PhD admissions and Junior Research Fellowships (JRFs).
Students said the issue had left many aspirants frustrated and questioning the value of months of preparation. “People spend months, sometimes years, preparing for this examination. A single score can influence scholarships, research opportunities and jobs. If such a large portion of the paper was repeated, candidates will naturally ask whether hard work and genuine preparation still matter,” a student leader Karthik J, told Deccan Chronicle.
Another candidate, Blessy Harika, who is currently working as an assistant professor in a private college in the city, said the alleged repetition appeared to favour those with access to coaching institutes, question banks and intensive previous-year paper training.
“Many of us students do not depend on coaching material and archived papers. If questions are repeated on this scale, it creates an advantage for those who can afford such resources while disadvantaging candidates who focused on understanding the subject,” she said, adding that many other candidates had similar, although not of such scale, issues for Sociology and Geography papers too.
A professor of English and liberal arts at a city university, who did not wish to be named, described the allegations as a serious failure of academic quality control. “Anyone setting a national-level examination is expected to examine previous years’ papers, at least from the last three to five years. If such a large number of questions have been repeated, it raises doubts about whether a proper quality-check process existed at all. It suggests a casual approach to an examination that affects thousands of careers,” the professor said.
The professor argued that the controversy went beyond repetition and raised questions about what the examination was actually testing. “Research aptitude cannot be assessed through memorisation. Critical thinking, interpretation, inference and analytical ability are central to higher education. If candidates can score through recall of previous papers, the examination stops testing the very qualities it is supposed to measure,” the professor said.
The academic also questioned the nature of several objective questions commonly found in such examinations. “The purpose of a national eligibility test is not to reward hit-and-miss recall. The emphasis should be on understanding, reasoning and analysis rather than obscure factual memory. Otherwise, the process encourages rote learning instead of academic inquiry,” the professor added.
He said the controversy had raised bigger questions about accountability within the examination system. “The inquiry should not stop with identifying the paper setter. Questions must be asked about who nominated the experts, who reviewed the paper and who approved it. Accountability must extend through the entire chain of responsibility,” he said.
Former Telangana Council of Higher Education (TGCHE) vice-chairman and Osmania University Botany professor Shaik Mehmood termed the issue a systemic failure rather than an isolated mistake.
“If the allegations are true, this is not a one-off error but a systemic failure. These examinations determine academic and professional futures. Any lapse of this magnitude can seriously affect students and weaken trust in public institutions,” he said.
Mehmood said the NTA should also examine the qualifications and expertise of those involved in preparing and moderating question papers. “If even previously challenged questions have reappeared, there is a need to review not just the paper but the mechanisms used to vet it. Standards have to be maintained because these examinations influence careers and research pathways across the country,” the professor said.
Mehmood argued that the problem went beyond the paper itself and pointed to larger concerns in the way academic and educational institutions are being run. “Increasingly, there is a perception that appointments to important academic and decision-making positions are influenced by ideological or political considerations rather than qualifications, experience and expertise. When competence is not given the highest priority, problems begin to emerge across the system. This controversy should be seen in that larger context,” he said.
Both academics said restoring confidence would require transparency and a credible response from the authorities. The English professor argued that if the allegations were established after verification, authorities would have to seriously consider whether a fresh examination was necessary to ensure fairness for all candidates.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: deccanchronicle.com
