The National Testing Agency (NTA) has released the final answer keys for the UGC-NET June 2026 re-examination for English, Commerce and Sociology, bringing the answer-key process for the three subjects to a close.
The keys were published on September 17, after the papers were re-conducted on September 9 and 10 at 454 centres across 272 cities following complaints over errors in the original examination. Candidates can access their final keys through the official UGC-NET website using their application number and password.
NTA had allowed candidates to challenge the provisional keys between September 10 and 13, after which subject experts reviewed the objections. The agency has also declared the results for the three subjects: 824 candidates qualified for Junior Research Fellowship (JRF), 11,610 for Assistant Professor eligibility and 23,154 for PhD-only admission.
Final Keys Follow Re-Exam
The final answer keys follow a re-examination ordered after NTA received complaints about the original English, Commerce and Sociology papers conducted during the June session. The agency constituted a committee to examine the concerns, which identified several factual, typographical and translation-related errors, along with problems in question wording, grammar, punctuation and terminology.
The committee also found that a significant number of questions had been repeated from earlier examinations. NTA subsequently decided that the papers needed to be conducted afresh rather than relying solely on the process of dropping disputed questions.
The fresh examinations were held on September 9 for English and Commerce and September 10 for Sociology, with no additional examination fee charged to candidates who had appeared for the affected papers. NTA had earlier said the re-conduct was necessary to ensure a fair and error-free examination.
Following the re-examination, NTA released the provisional question papers, recorded responses and answer keys on September 10. Candidates were given until September 13 to raise objections, with a processing fee of ₹200 per challenged question. The objections were then examined by subject experts before the final keys were prepared.
Results Also Declared
The latest development is that NTA has also declared the results for the three re-examined subjects and made scorecards available. According to the agency’s data, 1,96,491 candidates registered for the three papers, while 1,20,355 appeared for the re-examination. Of those who appeared, 824 qualified for JRF, 11,610 qualified for Assistant Professor eligibility and 23,154 qualified under the PhD-only category.
NTA’s official website now lists the final answer key, scorecard and result-related notices for the re-examination. Candidates can log in to the portal and select the option to view the final answer key for their respective subject. The agency has also said that the eligibility criteria, self-declarations and supporting documents of qualified candidates will be verified by the concerned authorities according to the UGC-NET Information Bulletin and applicable rules.
The release closes a process that began with complaints over the original question papers and subsequently required thousands of candidates to sit for the examination again. For candidates, the final key provides the definitive set of answers used in evaluating the re-examination, while the declared results determine their eligibility for the respective academic and research categories.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
Competitive examinations are not merely tests of academic preparation; they are gateways to careers in teaching, research and higher education. When errors in an examination paper lead to a re-test, the consequences are felt most directly by students who have already invested months of preparation, time and money. NTA’s decision to examine complaints, conduct a fresh examination and subject objections to expert review shows the importance of having mechanisms to address problems in high-stakes examinations.
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