This page lists UGC NET previous year question papers for 5 years, 2021 to 2025, with 6 official PDFs (question papers and answer keys). UGC NET (UGC National Eligibility Test) is conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) and covers Paper 1: 10 units, 50 questions, 100 marks. Pick a year below for the paper, answer key and a timed practice plan; confirm dates and pattern on ugcnet.nta.ac.in.
Explore: Question papers by year · Syllabus & pattern · FAQ
Year-wise question papers
UGC NET 2025
June 2025 cycle (25 to 29 June 2025): final answer key sheets only.
UGC NET 2024
June 2024 combined key for all subjects, plus the December 2024 key sheet.
UGC NET 2023
December 2023 final answer keys for every subject, held from 6 December 2023.
UGC NET 2022
NTA question paper (September 2022 sitting) that includes the General Paper.
UGC NET 2021
NTA question paper from the November 2021 sittings that includes the General Paper.
About UGC NET Paper 1
UGC NET (National Eligibility Test) is conducted by NTA twice a year, in June and December cycles, for eligibility for Assistant Professor, for Junior Research Fellowship with Assistant Professor, and for PhD admission. Every candidate attempts two papers back to back. Paper 1, the General Paper on Teaching and Research Aptitude, is the same for every subject. Paper 2 is the subject paper.
That makes Paper 1 the best place to use past papers: you can practise it from any subject’s file, and its units come from a fixed syllabus of ten parts.
What the papers look like
Paper 1 is 50 multiple-choice questions for 100 marks, 5 questions from each of ten units. Mathematical Reasoning, Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation are usually presented as sets (tables, charts or short arguments) and the Comprehension unit uses a passage with five questions. The paper has no negative marking, so guessing helps.
Paper 1 and Paper 2 together run for 3 hours with no break: 150 questions and 300 marks. The qualifying cut-off is applied to the aggregate, so a strong Paper 1 can offset a weaker subject paper.
What is official
| Cycle | Official material on this site |
|---|---|
| 2021, 2022 | NTA subject-wise question paper PDFs, each starting with the General Paper |
| December 2023, June 2024 | Final answer keys for all subjects |
| December 2024, June 2025 | Final answer key sheet (Economics shown); other subjects on NTA’s site |
How to use these files
Start with the 2021 and 2022 question papers to practise Paper 1 as a timed 60-minute block. For the newer cycles, use the keys to check your recorded response. Keep an error log by unit: ICT, Research Aptitude and Higher Education System questions are factual and repay quick revision, while the data and reasoning units are about timing.
FAQ
Does NTA publish UGC NET question papers?
Only for some sittings. For the 2021 and 2022 sittings NTA posted subject-wise question papers on nta.ac.in, each including the General Paper. For later cycles, candidates see their own paper and recorded responses during the answer key challenge, and the public gets the final answer keys.
What is UGC NET Paper 1?
The General Paper on Teaching and Research Aptitude, common to all subjects: 50 questions worth 100 marks, taken together with Paper 2 in a single 3-hour session.
Is there negative marking in UGC NET?
No. Each correct answer earns 2 marks and wrong or unattempted questions earn nothing.
What are the ten units of Paper 1?
Teaching Aptitude, Research Aptitude, Comprehension, Communication, Mathematical Reasoning and Aptitude, Logical Reasoning, Data Interpretation, Information and Communication Technology, People, Development and Environment, and Higher Education System.
Does the final answer key include Paper 1?
Yes. Each subject sheet has 150 question IDs, 50 for Paper 1 and 100 for Paper 2.
Is Paper 2 covered here?
No. These pages cover Paper 1 only. Paper 2 depends on your subject and has its own answer keys on NTA’s site.
Where to get the official papers
NTA publishes the information bulletin, public notices, answer keys and results on ugcnet.nta.ac.in and past subject papers on nta.ac.in. The PDFs here were copied from those sites or, where NTA has moved or replaced them, from copies saved by the Internet Archive; each file links to its source.