UGC NET 2024 Cancelled: The Ministry of Education has cancelled the UGC-NET exam conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA), following reports of alleged paper leaks, despite being conducted just a day ago. This decision comes amidst a significant controversy surrounding the NEET medical entrance exam, which is currently under review by the Supreme Court.

UGC NET 2024 Cancelled: Why Centre Cancelled UGC NET?

The Ministry of Education cited information received from the National Cyber Crime Threat Analytics Unit of the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), indicating that the integrity of the exam had been compromised.

"To ensure the highest level of transparency and sanctity of the examination process, the Ministry of Education, Government of India has decided that the UGC-NET June 2024 Examination be cancelled," the ministry said in a statement.

"A fresh examination shall be conducted, for which information shall be shared separately. Simultaneously, the matter is being handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (C.B.I.) for thorough investigation in the matter," it added.

UGC NET 2024 Cancelled: What's Next For Eligibility Test

The Ministry of Education announced on Wednesday that the UGC NET exam conducted on June 18 has been cancelled due to concerns over potential compromises in its integrity. A fresh date for the eligibility test will be communicated soon at ugcnet.nta.ac.in.

UGC NET 2024 Cancelled: Exam Held Offline For The First Time

This year, the University Grants Commission (UGC) implemented several changes to the NET exam. For the first time, the June exam was conducted in offline mode (pen and paper) instead of the usual online (computer-based test) format.

UGC NET 2024 Cancelled: Over 9 Lakh Students Took The Exam

A total of 11,21,225 candidates registered for the UGC NET June exam, with 9,08,580 candidates appearing for it. The attendance rate was 81 per cent, an increase from the 73.6 per cent recorded in the December 2023 edition of the exam.

UGC NET 2024 Cancelled: How UGC NET Is Conducted?

NTA is authorised to conduct the UGC-NET test biannually, in June and December. Since December 2018, the UGC-NET has been conducted by NTA in Computer Based Test (CBT) mode. However, this time, departing from past practices, the National Eligibility Test (NET) was administered in pen-and-paper mode on a single day.

Also Read: UGC NET Re Exam Date 2024: NTA To Release New Exam Dates, Admit Card Soon

UGC NET 2024 Cancelled: UGC NET Exam Pattern 2024

The UGC NET 2024 comprises two papers that candidates must complete within a three-hour duration. Both Paper 1 and Paper 2 consist of objective-type questions, and candidates are required to attempt questions from both papers. The entire UGC NET exam must be completed in a continuous session lasting 3 hours (180 minutes) without any breaks. All questions in Paper 1 and Paper 2 are mandatory. The question paper for UGC NET 2024 available in English and Hindi only. Each question carries two marks, and there is no negative marking for incorrect answers.

UGC NET 2024 Cancelled: What Is UGC-NET?

The UGC-NET (University Grants Commission National Eligibility Test) assesses the eligibility of Indian nationals for roles as assistant professors or for junior research fellowships and assistant professors in universities and colleges across India. The eligibility for JRF and/or assistant professorship depends on a candidate's performance in both paper-I and paper-II of the UGC-NET. Candidates qualifying only for assistant professorship must comply with the recruitment regulations of their respective universities, colleges, or state governments.

UGC NET 2024 Cancelled: What Is NTA?

The National Testing Agency (NTA), established in November 2017 under the Indian Societies Registration Act, 1860, operates autonomously to administer a range of entrance examinations for admissions to higher educational institutions. NTA oversees exams including NEET, JEE, CTET, GATE, GPAT, GMAT, CAT, and UGC-NET. The agency is led by a prominent educationist appointed by the Ministry of Education, presently chaired by Pradeep Kumar Joshi, a former chairman of UPSC.