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The UGC NET January 15 exam has been postponed due to the Pongal and Makar Sankranti festivals. The revised exam date will be announced later, NTA has said
UGC NET 2024: Exams set to be held on January 16 will be conducted as per schedule.(Representational/ PTI Photo)
The National Testing Agency (NTA) has postponed the UGC-National Eligibility Test (UGC-NET) December 2024 scheduled for January 15, 2025 (Wednesday). The exam has been postponed due to the Pongal and Makar Sankranti festivals. The revised exam date will be announced later, the agency has said in an official notice. Exams set to be held on January 16 will be conducted as per schedule.
“The National Testing Agency has received representation to postpone the UGC – NET December 2024 examination on account of Pongal, Makar Sankranti and other festival on 15th January 2025,” the NTA said in a statement. “In the interest of aspirants, the National Testing Agency (NTA) has decided to Postpone the UGC-NET December 2024 Exam scheduled on 15th January 2025 only. The New date of exam will announce later,” reads the official notice.
“Examination scheduled on 16th January 2025 will be conducted as per earlier schedule,” it added.
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Tamil Nadu’s Higher Education Minister, Govi Chezhiaan, had earlier urged the Central Government to reschedule the exam for January 14-16, 2025, due to the Pongal festival. In a letter to Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Chezhiaan said that the NTA scheduled the UGC-NET December 2024 exams from January 3 to 16, 2025. However, Pongal falls on January 14, followed by Thiruvalluvar Day (Mattu Pongal) on January 15 and Farmers’ Day (Uzhavar Thirunal or Kanum Pongal) on January 16.
He also noted that the Tamil Nadu government has already declared holidays from January 14 to 16, 2025, for the celebrations. “If the NET exam is held during the Pongal holidays, it will hamper the preparations for the exam in view of the celebrations,” he said.
The UGC-NET 2024 is being held for 85 subjects at various centres across the nation using the OMR (Pen and Paper) format. It is being held in two shifts. The first shift from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm, and the second shift from 3 pm to 6 pm. The exam consists of two papers. The first paper comprises 50 questions worth 100 marks. It tests general skills like awareness, reading comprehension, reasoning, research aptitude, and teaching ability. Whereas paper 2 focuses on the candidate’s chosen subject, with 100 questions worth 200 marks.
