The National Testing Agency (NTA) has released revised final answer keys for the December 2025 session of the University Grants Commission National Eligibility Test (UGC NET) after directions from the Delhi High Court. The update follows objections raised by candidates over alleged discrepancies, particularly in the History paper.
In the revised keys, four questions in History and three in Commerce have been dropped, while a few questions in both subjects have been assigned two correct answers. The revisions come after a writ petition filed by student Kartikeya Kahol, who argued that incorrect answers cost him the Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) by just two marks. With the updated keys now released, the NTA is expected to announce revised results soon on its official website.
Court-Ordered Review Leads To Key Changes
The revised answer keys were issued after the Delhi High Court directed the NTA to review disputed questions raised by candidates. The court asked the agency to examine grievances through an expert committee and address alleged errors in the final answer key.
Among the subjects affected, the History paper witnessed the most significant revisions. According to the updated key, four questions have been dropped entirely, meaning all candidates will receive marks for them, while three questions now carry two correct answers.
In the Commerce paper, conducted in the first shift on January 3, three questions have been dropped and one question has been assigned two correct answers. However, the answer keys for Economics, Education and Hindi remain unchanged.
The NTA stated that the revised keys have been uploaded on the official UGC NET website and candidates can download them through the public notice section. The changes are important because even a single corrected answer can affect a candidate’s overall score and qualifying status for JRF or eligibility for Assistant Professor posts and PhD admissions.
Candidate Objections And Legal Challenge
The controversy surrounding the answer keys began earlier this year when the provisional key was released on January 14, 2026, after the examination was conducted between December 31, 2025 and January 7, 2026 in computer-based mode across multiple subjects. Candidates were allowed to challenge the provisional answers for a limited period.
Several aspirants especially those who appeared for the History paper alleged that some questions contained incorrect answers or translation errors. Candidates claimed they had cited academic sources while raising objections, but alleged that these concerns were not sufficiently addressed when the final results were declared on February 4, 2026.
The matter escalated when Kartikeya Kahol approached the Delhi High Court, arguing that incorrect answer options in the key caused him to miss qualifying for the Junior Research Fellowship by just two marks. The court took note of the wider implications of the dispute, pointing out that around 60,777 candidates had appeared for the History paper and that any errors could affect a significant number of aspirants. It directed the NTA to award two marks to the petitioner and to constitute an expert committee to examine the disputed questions raised by candidates.
Following the court’s directive and the subsequent review process, the NTA revised the final answer keys for five subjects History, Commerce, Economics, Education and Hindi though only the first two ultimately required corrections. The agency has indicated that updated results based on the revised key may be released soon.
The UGC NET is a crucial national-level examination conducted to determine eligibility for the Junior Research Fellowship, appointment as Assistant Professor in universities and colleges, and admission to doctoral programmes across India. As a result, even minor discrepancies in answer keys can have a significant impact on candidates’ academic and professional trajectories.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
High-stakes examinations like UGC NET shape the academic futures of thousands of scholars, making accuracy and transparency in evaluation processes absolutely essential. The recent revisions following judicial intervention highlight how responsive grievance mechanisms and independent review processes are vital to preserving trust in public institutions. When students raise credible concerns about evaluation errors, exam authorities must engage with them openly and provide clear explanations to ensure fairness for all candidates.
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