The UGC NET December 2024 session exam, conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA), began on January 3, 2025. Shift 1, which included subjects like Public Administration and Education, is now concluded. Below is a detailed analysis based on student reactions, the difficulty level, and memory-based questions.
Student Reactions and Key Insights
- Paper 1: Most students found it easy to moderate with repeated questions from previous years. No numerical or time-consuming questions were reported.
- Paper 2 (Education): The overall difficulty level ranged from moderate to tough, with good attempts estimated between 70-85 questions.
Section-wise Difficulty Level: Paper 1
| Section | Topics Asked | Difficulty Level |
|---|---|---|
| Data Interpretation | Sports-based, calculation-based | Moderate |
| Communication | TV, Radio, Secondary media, barriers | Easy to Moderate |
| Logical Reasoning | Coding-Decoding, Indian Logic | Moderate |
| ICT | Web 2.0, MS Excel, CPU | Easy to Moderate |
| Higher Education System | Ancient Universities, NEP 2020 | Moderate |
UGC NET exam analysis 2025 mainly helps in understanding the trends and patterns of examinations held every year along with the challenges candidates may face. Candidates who have taken the UGC NET 2024 December session can get an immediate idea about their performance by UGC NET 2025 exam analysis. Top coaching institutions and experts will provide paper-wise analyses of each paper that will be uploaded on their official websites. This article has also included an in-depth subject-wise analysis, making it easy for aspirants to assess the level of difficulty, question pattern and likely trends of the examination.
Also Read: UGC NET Question Paper 2
UGC NET Exam Analysis 2025
The analysis of the UGC NET 2025 exam is available here after the exam is completed. It gives an in-depth overview of topics covered, question formats, and difficulty level candidates faced. For those whose exams are later shifts, this analysis can give them an idea of pattern and help make better preparations accordingly to have a more focused approach.
UGC NET Exam Analysis Previous Year
The UGC NET exam 2024 June cycle was no exception, where some topics were easy, and some were tricky, challenging the adaptability of the candidates as well as their subject knowledge. Paper 1 was largely aptitude-based and reasoning type, whereas Paper 2 is mainly subject-based with both expected and new questions. Breaking the major high points, difficult levels, and question trends might be helpful for the aspirants in planning their strategy for the coming exams.
UGC NET 2024 Exam
UGC NET 2024 June cycle, concluded successfully across multiple shifts and days. Candidates have appeared in large numbers in hopes of achieving Junior Research Fellowship or Assistant Professor positions. We will now detail our analysis of the examination pattern: difficulty levels experienced, subject-wise trends, feedback from the students and our review of the question paper.
Also Read: UGC NET Expected Cutoff 2025
UGC NET 2024 Exam Analysis for Paper 1 – Shift I
| Section | Topics Covered | Number of Questions | Difficulty Level | Remarks |
| Teaching Aptitude | Learner characteristics, teaching methods, support material | 5 | Easy to Moderate | Questions focused on practical teaching scenarios. |
| Research Aptitude | Positivism, post-positivist approaches, research ethics | 5 | Moderate | Required understanding of various research methodologies. |
| Reading Comprehension | Passage-based questions | 5 | Easy to Moderate | Tested candidates’ interpretation skills. |
| Communication | Concepts, process, types, barriers, mass media and society | 5 | Moderate | Assessed understanding of communication theories and barriers. |
| Mathematical Reasoning and Aptitude | Number series, fractions, time & distance, ratio, proportion, percentage | 5 | Moderate | Involved basic mathematical concepts; some questions were tricky. |
| Logical Reasoning | Argument forms, analogies, Pramanas | 5 | Easy to Moderate | Evaluated analytical and logical thinking abilities. |
| Data Interpretation | Sources, acquisition, classification, graphical representation | 5 | Moderate | Required interpretation of data presented in various formats. |
| Information & Communication Technology | General abbreviations, internet basics, digital initiatives in higher education | 5 | Easy to Moderate | Focused on fundamental ICT concepts and current digital education initiatives. |
| People & Environment | Development and environment, human interactions | 5 | Moderate | Emphasized current environmental issues and human developmental aspects. |
| Higher Education System | Ancient Indian institutions, evolution post-independence, professional education | 5 | Moderate | Covered historical and contemporary aspects of the Indian higher education system. |
UGC NET 2024 Question Paper Review
The examination is conducted by the NTA to evaluate candidates’ eligibility for Assistant Professorship/Junior Research Fellowship and the same in Indian universities and colleges. Examination was conducted in two shifts: morning session from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm and the evening session from 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm.
UGC NET Exam Overall Difficulty Level
The paper was usually not too difficult but was a bit more time-consuming than others. The attempts ranged around 40 to 43.
Paper 1 Analysis: Paper 1, which was common for all candidates, comprised 50 questions on various general topics. Paper 1 as a whole was easy to moderately difficult.
Paper 2 Analysis: Paper 2 was based on specialized subjects. The level of difficulty varied for different subjects. For example, subjects like Philosophy, History, Commerce, and Social Work were easy. Their good attempts ranged between 70 and 80. Subjects like Physical Education and French were difficult.
Also Read: UGC NET Answer Key 2025
UGC NET 2024 Exam Trends
The UGC NET 2024 examination, conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA), has shown the following trends:
Registration Trends: During the June 2024 session, the number of enrollments showed a remarkable growth to over 1.1 million candidates seeking entry through the examination. This also marks a rising interest among aspirants for academic and research careers.
Test Timings and Session: The UGC NET 2024 Exam was conducted over multiple sessions which include June and December. The test sessions for December, 2024 are to be conducted between January 3 to January 16, 2025 covering 85 subjects. ‘Ayurveda Biology’ is one of the new subjects taken in addition which is an instantaneous reaction of NTA as the nature of academic courses is emerging.
Cutoff Trends: The cut-off of December 2024 would be highly competitive compared to last year, especially for general category candidates. For Assistant Professor eligibility, the expected cutoff would be around 95–100 percentiles. For JRF and Assistant Professor, it would be most likely around 98–100 percentiles. This is an indication that competition would increase and the qualification standard would be higher.
Exam Difficulty Level: The UGC NET 2024 exams were reportedly easy and time-consuming in nature. There is a range of good attempts from 40 to 43 questions. According to the nature of the test, the question difficulty level varied. For example, Teaching Aptitude and Research Aptitude were very easy, and Mathematics and Data Interpretation seemed to be harder.
Subject-Wise Observations: Philosophy, History, Commerce and Social work appeared easier and merit-worthy attempts in the range of 70 to 80. On the other hand, Physical Education and French were more challenging. It is a reflection of the fact that the exam is diversified in nature and needs to be prepared very technically.
Important Articles | ||
UGC NET Exam Analysis 2025 FAQs
The UGC NET Exam Analysis for 2025 is available now, offering detailed insights into the exam’s structure and difficulty.
It will help the candidates understand the trends, difficulty levels and question patterns so that their preparation strategy can be improved.
Gives the idea of the pattern of questions to understand which are weak and focus on key areas and adjust their intention of preparation.
These were the most challenging topics for the candidates: Mathematical Reasoning, Data Interpretation, and Logical Reasoning.
The cutoffs are expected to be competitive, with higher percentiles for eligibility both for JRF and Assistant Professor.
