UGC-NET: How did the responsibility for the exam shift from CBSE to NTA?
UGC-NET is one of the country's major eligibility tests. It determines candidates' eligibility for the Junior Research Fellowship (JRF), Assistant Professor positions, and admission to PhD programs. Responsibility for conducting this exam previously lay with the CBSE; however, a significant change occurred in 2018 when the responsibility was transferred to the National Testing Agency (NTA).
According to official information from the NTA, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) conducted the UGC-NET until 2018. At that time, the exam was held across 91 selected cities nationwide, covering 84 subjects. In other words, the NTA did not hold direct responsibility for the UGC-NET from its very inception; the CBSE continued to conduct the exam until 2018.
When did the NTA assume responsibility?
Following the establishment of the National Testing Agency (NTA) in 2018, a system was introduced to conduct several national-level examinations—including the UGC-NET—through the NTA. The NTA took over the conduct of the UGC-NET starting in December 2018. The NTA's official website also clarifies that the agency has been conducting the UGC-NET exam since December 2018.
NTA conducted the UGC-NET for the first time in December 2018
The first UGC-NET conducted by the NTA took place between December 18 and December 22, 2018. Approximately 9.57 lakh candidates registered for this exam. It was held across 85 subjects, with 598 examination centers established nationwide.
Introduction of the CBT format in 2018
The December 2018 exam holds particular significance in the history of the UGC-NET as it marked the introduction of the Computer-Based Test (CBT) format. For the December 2018 UGC-NET, the NTA explicitly announced that the exam would be conducted in the computer-based test mode for the first time. Since then, the UGC-NET has continued to be conducted using the computer-based method.
Why was the change made?
A major objective of implementing the CBT was to make the examination process more organized, transparent, and secure. For its first UGC-NET examination, the NTA had also put in place measures such as CCTV surveillance, jammers, and monitoring of examination centers.
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