UGC NET 2021 Exam Analysis & Student Reaction: Know Difficulty Level
University Grants Commission National Eligibility Test 2025 ( UGC NET )
UGC NET 2021 exam began on November 20 and will conclude on December 5. The difficulty level of the exam was moderate to difficult. Read further to know more on UGC NET Exam Analysis & Review by students.
National Testing Agency (NTA) is conducting the UGC NET 2021 exam in 213 cities across 469 centres on November 20, 21, 22, 24, 25, 26, 29 and 30 and on December 1, 3, 4 and 5, 2021. The exam is being conducted in two shifts- 9:00 am to 12:00 noon and 3:00 to 6:00 pm. Around 12.67 lakh candidates registered for the UGC NET 2021. As per the feedback shared by the candidates who appeared for the UGC NET exam, the overall paper was easy to moderate in terms of the difficulty level.
Read below the detailed exam analysis and review of the UGC NET 2021 exam as per students’ reactions. This analysis will be helpful for candidates who are yet to appear for the exam and will them familiar with the topics from which questions are asked in the exam.
- UGC NET Exam Pattern 2021
- UGC NET 2021 Exam Analysis & Review by Students (November 21)
- UGC NET 2021 Exam Analysis & Review by Students (November 20)
UGC NET Exam Pattern 2021
UGC NET exam pattern 2021 is divided into Paper 1 and Paper 2. Paper 1 is comprised of 50 multiple-choice questions (MCQs) and Paper 2 contains 100 MCQs. Paper 1 is common for all the candidates, however, Paper 2 contains questions from the subject chosen by candidates in their applications. Candidates need to attempt Paper 1 and 2 in a single duration of three hours. The total marks allotted to the UGC NET 2021 exam are 300. Have a look at the exam pattern below.
Upcoming Sarkari Exam Dates
24 Sep '25 - 5 Oct '25
12 Oct '25
26 Sep '25 - 16 Oct '25
25 Sep '25 - 24 Oct '25
27 Oct '25 - 31 Oct '25
15 Nov '25 - 16 Nov '25
22 Nov '25 - 23 Nov '25
1 Oct '25 - 3 Oct '25
| UGC NET Paper |
Number of Questions |
Total Marks |
Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper 1 |
50 |
100 |
3 hours |
| Paper 2 |
100 |
200 |
|
| Total |
150 |
300 |
UGC NET 2021 Exam Analysis & Review by Students (November 21)
The UGC NET 2021 exam held on November 21 was easy to moderate in terms of the difficulty level. Students who appeared for the exam found Paper 1 level as easy to moderate. There was no change in the UGC NET exam structure. Shiksha visited one of the UGC NET exam centres in Faridabad to obtain the feedback of students as stated below along with the reaction video:
Jaswinder stated, "The Paper 1 was difficult because it is based on our judgement and abstract ideas. Paper 2 was easier as it was subject-oriented. Paper 1 was comprised of questions from statistics, computers, percentage, average. Reading Comprehension was easy. The Paper 2 Psychology paper was easier."
Sonali stated, "Paper 2 Law paper was difficult and contained questions from International Law. Paper 1 was easier and contained questions from Reasoning, ICT, Environment, Reading Comprehension, Communication and Mathematics. Reading Comprehension was easy."
Sumit stated, "The difficulty level of the paper was easy to moderate. Paper 1 was more analytical based. The questions from Communication were of a moderate level. Paper 2 Law paper was moderate to difficult."
Vineeta stated, "The UGC NET paper was easier than the previous ones. Paper 2 Law paper covered Environmental Law, ICT, etc. Paper 1 comprised questions from Research Methodology. Reading Comprehension was based on teaching patterns and effective teaching."
Watch UGC NET 2021 Exam Analysis Video
UGC NET 2021 Exam Analysis & Review by Students (November 20)
As per the feedback shared by the candidates, the overall difficulty level of the UGC NET Paper 1 held on November 20 was easy to moderate. Let’s look at the paper-wise and section-wise UGC NET exam analysis below and know about the topics from which questions are asked in the exam as per the students' reactions.
| Sections |
Topics from which questions were asked |
Difficulty level |
|---|---|---|
| Paper 1 Exam Analysis |
||
| Teaching Aptitude |
Levels of teaching, key behaviours of teaching, formative evaluation, teaching skills |
Moderate to Difficult |
| Research Aptitude |
Ethics of research, methods of teaching, qualitative research, action & qualitative research |
Moderate to Difficult |
| Reading Comprehension |
- |
Easy to Moderate |
| Communication |
Barriers of communication, classroom communication – statement based questions, cluster network, effective communication |
Moderate |
| Maths |
Ratio, Average, Profit & Loss, Percentage |
Easy to Moderate |
| Logical Reasoning |
Statement, Assertion & Reason based questions, Letter Coding, Relationship, Hetu, Praman, Wireless Bluetooth, Jainism, Buddhism, Anumaan |
Easy to Moderate |
| Data Interpretation |
Ratio & Proportion (calculative in nature) |
Moderate |
| Information & Communication Technology (ICT) |
Memory hierarchy, Input & Output devices, FTP, VLE, TB, AGP |
Moderate to Difficult |
| People & Environment |
Ozone depletion, global warming, climate change, natural hazards, COP25, Paris Agreement |
Moderate to Difficult |
| Higher Education System: Governance, Polity & Administration & Current Affairs |
NAAC, Swayam, Swayam Prabha, schemes, Sakshat portal |
Moderate |
| Total |
- |
Moderate to Difficult |
| Paper 2 Exam Analysis |
||
| 81 Subjects |
Subject-specific questions |
Moderate to Difficult |
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Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered Yesterday
The Commission is expected to soon release the UGC NET notification for the December session in the form of PDF. It will be released at ugcnet.nta.ac.in.
N
Contributor-Level 6
Answered a month ago
There are several books available in the market that consist of the UGC NET practice sets. Also, some standard guidebooks include model test papers for the practicing of the UGC NET exam. Online test series are also available for the candidates who are aspiring to prepare for the UGC NET exam.
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a month ago
Candidates can check below the important books that can be used for the preparation for UGC NET paper 2 Commerce and English.
Commerce: Some of the books are Trueman's UGC NET Commerce, CB Gupta's Business Organisation, etc.
English: Some of the books are Arihant UGC NET English Literature, History of
V
Contributor-Level 6
Answered a month ago
The National Testing Agency (NTA) will conduct the December session of the UGC NET 2025 exam. The notification is not released yet. It is conducted to determine the eligibility of candidates for the post of Assistant Professor, the award of Junior Research Fellowship (JRF), and the admission to Ph.D
K
Contributor-Level 6
Answered a month ago
After BA, you need to pursue an MA in Urdu (or a related subject).
Once you complete or are in the final year of your MA, you can apply for UGC NET in Urdu.
In short:
BA alone cannot fulfill the eligibility for UGC NET.
The eligibility for UGC NET is MA in Urdu (or related field) with 55%+ marks
S
Contributor-Level 6
Answered 2 months ago
No, PhD students aren't exempt from UGC-NET or CSIR-NET. To get admission in a PhD course, UGC is requesting institutions to integrate NET scores.
A
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 months ago
The UGC NET 2025 December session exam will be conducted online in Computer Based Test (CBT) mode at various centress across the country. The exam is administered by the National Testing Agency (NTA), and candidates must select their answers on a computer screen during the allotted time for each par
J
Contributor-Level 6
UGC NET Notifications