The National Testing Agency (NTA) is facing criticism over repeated questions and spelling errors in the UGC NET 2026 English paper.
These errors undermine the perceived credibility of a high-stakes national examination used to determine eligibility for lectureship and research fellowships in India. Candidates argue that such lapses compromise the fairness of the competitive process.
The examinations for the English and Sociology papers took place between June 22 and June 30, 2026 [2]. Following the tests, candidates flagged multiple issues, including typographical errors and questions that allegedly fell outside the prescribed syllabus.
Reports indicate that 67 questions in the English paper were repeated [1]. This volume of repetition has led to accusations that the quality of the exam paper was severely compromised.
An NTA source responded to the concerns regarding the typographical and structural mistakes. The source said, "Such mistakes are not unusual" [1].
Despite this response, candidates continue to express concern that the errors could impact final scoring and rankings. The controversy centers on whether the agency's quality control measures are sufficient for a nationwide assessment of this scale.
“"Such mistakes are not unusual."”
The NTA's dismissal of these errors as 'not unusual' suggests a systemic acceptance of technical flaws in high-stakes testing. If the agency does not implement stricter quality controls or provide clear remediation for the 67 repeated questions, it may face legal challenges from candidates and a further decline in public trust regarding the integrity of India's academic certification process.
