The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) will hold the 2018 National Eligibility Test (NET) on Sunday, 8 July on behalf of the University Grants Commission (UGC).
Only 6 percent of the candidates who clear the UGC NET exams will be declared eligible for the post of Assistant Professor. This year, the format for the UGC NET has changed once again, as the two-paper format will replace the three-paper format. The notification released in January 2018 states that the age to become a Junior Research Fellow (JRF), has been revised from 28 to 30 years.
It was stated that the exam will be conducted twice a year, after protests broke out in 2017 when UGC decided to conduct the exam yearly. The notification further stated that there will be a deduction in the percentage of qualifying candidates.
Previously, the exam consisted of three papers. One paper on Research Aptitude – which was common for all – while the other two comprised questions from the candidate’s chosen subject in their post graduation or its equivalent.
The duration of the paper used to be six hours, but has now been reduced to almost half that. The CBSE NET 2018 Paper 1 will consist 50 questions for a total of 100 marks, while Paper 2 will feature 100 questions for the same marks.
Candidates Uncertain About The Exams
But the uncertainty over the new format of the exam looms large among the candidates this year.
The books available in the market for the preparation of the exams are expensive, leaving several aspirants in the lurch. Those looking for study material online have had no luck, as the question papers online are all from the older format, aspirants say.
Iffat Usmani, a post-graduate from Jamia Milia Islamia University, who will be taking the exam for the first time this July, told The Quint that the model papers available online are confusing since they are from the older format.
“I feel that when there were three papers, it was much more sorted. Maybe because it’s the first time that we have the two-paper format, the model papers look pretty confusing. The older format had a much clearer distribution of the type of questions.”
Previously, Paper 2 and Paper 3 had different types of questions; but with the UGC doing away with Paper 3, aspirants say the new distribution of questions is unclear.
‘Fewer Questions is a Gamble’
Deeksha Vats, an English graduate from Delhi University, feels the move to reduce the number of questions may translate into tougher examinations.
it’s not known if the UGC is going to set easier questions, since this is their first trial with the new pattern. They might even make it tougher for us, since we don’t have as many questions as before... The information we have is about the change in pattern and duration, so we really don’t know what’s in store. It would be better if we had an idea.Deeksha Vats, an English graduate from Delhi University
Deeksha said that objective questions may result in candidates memorising information without gaining any knowledge of the subject.
Ainie Rizvi, another aspirant, echoed similar sentiments. She told The Quint that making it objective was not the right move. The UGC should introduce negative marking, she said.
Subjective section is required for analysis and in-depth knowledge of the chosen subject. Ultimately, all of this reflects in the degraded aptitude of the teachers due to their lack of knowledge of the subject.Ainie Rizvi, NET 2018 aspirant
The last subjective examination was held in 2011, with a 2012 notification announcing that going further, only objective tests would be held, reported The Times of India.
On the other hand, some aspirants seem to have adapted smoothly to the new format. Amanjeet Singh, a student of AJK Mass Communication and Research Center, Jamia Millia Islamia, said that he was unaware of the previous format and has bought books from the market for the new format.
Aquib A, an aspirant and employee of a private news channel based in Delhi-NCR, said the shorter duration of the exam comes as a relief as it would mean not having to waste an entire day.