Mastering NET JRF: Tips, Tricks, and Strategies

The UGC-NET [University Grants Commission-National Eligibility Test] is a pan-India entrance exam that is conducted bi-annually in the months of June and December. Just like CSIR NET, the main aim of this test is to select candidates for the posts of Assistant Professor and Junior Research Fellowship & Assistant Professors in colleges and universities across the country. Additionally, for providing better clarity, we have collated the important information pertaining to the UGC NET JRF exam in this blog.

Highlights	Description
Exam Purpose	Eligibility for lectureship and research fellowship
Subjects Covered	Multiple disciplines including Sciences, Humanities
Exam Structure	Two papers: Paper I (General Aptitude) and Paper II (Subject-specific)
Eligibility Criteria	Postgraduate degree with a minimum percentage (55% for General category)

Overview of NET JRF

S.No	Particulars	Details
1	Tenure of JRF	2 years
2	Financial Assistance	The fellows receive a monthly fellowship award of up to INR 28,000 along with a contingency grant, HRA, and escort/reader assistance
3	Eligibility	The applicants who have obtained a master’s degree or equivalent with an aggregate of 55%. The candidates should not be above 30 years of age
4	Application Procedure	Online Application through the official website of NTA (National Testing Agency)
5	Key Dates	Application announced twice a year, during the month of June and December

What is NET JRF?

NET JRF is conducted to select candidates for the posts of Assistant Professor and Junior Research Fellowship & Assistant Professors. CSIR Net is for those who hold a degree in the Science stream whereas, UGC NET JRF is for Humanities, Science, and Social Science stream graduates. Earlier, CBSE(Central Board of Secondary Education) conducted this examination on behalf of UGC. However, since 2018, the responsibility has been shifted to NTA (National Testing Agency).

Key Dates

The key dates in the following list might change in case of various issues at the discretion of the exam administration. 

Particulars	Important Dates
Application Start Date	29 December 2022
Application Closing Date	17 April 2023
Examination date	13 – 22 June 2023

Note – Dates will be updated as soon as the official notification is out!

Financial Assistance

Meanwhile, candidates who qualify for the UGC NET examination and go on to study M.Phil or PhD degrees are eligible to receive financial assistance under the JRF scheme for 2 years. Likewise, After 2 years of research is done, the candidate who is qualified as a Junior Research Fellow is evaluated by the experts. If the work is satisfactory then his tenure is increased for another 3 years and his qualification is raised by the position of a Senior Research Fellow (SRF). So, here is a c omplete list of provisions offered to fellows under the UGC NET JRF program.

• Fellows who are in the position of a Junior Research fellow receive an amount of INR 12,000 per month for the first 2 years.
• After they are promoted to the Senior Research Fellow position, the candidate receives INR 14,000 per month for the remaining 3 years.
•  Those candidates who are pursuing an M.Phil or PhD in the field of Humanities and Social Sciences receive a contingency grant of INR 12,000 for the first 2 years and INR 25,000 for the remaining tenure.
• Departmental assistance of INR 3000 per annum per student is also given to the host institution for providing the required facilities to the students.
• Candidates are also responsible for getting a certain amount of Housing Rent Allowance (HRA) depending on the cities they are living in.

NET JRF Examination Pattern 

The NET JRF exam consists of 2 papers, both conducted online mode. While Paper-I is common for all, domain-specific questions are asked in Paper-II. Furthermore, in both papers, MCQs are asked. Let’s go through the examination pattern as prescribed by NTA in detail. 

The detailed exam pattern of UGC NET is mentioned below:

• It is mandatory for the candidate to appear for two papers – Paper 1 and Paper 2 which are conducted as Computer Based Test (CBT).
• The total number of questions is 150 out of which 50 questions are in Paper 1 and the rest 100 questions are in Paper 2.
• Both the papers are structured in the MOQ style which counts up to 300 marks in total.
• Paper 1 follows a structure where the candidates are required to use their teaching/research aptitude skills along with other qualities such as reasoning ability, comprehension, divergent thinking, and general awareness.
• The questions in Paper 2 belong to the subject chosen by the candidate.

NET JRF Eligibility Criteria 

Whether you are applying for UGC NET JRF, PhD entrance exams or RRB paramedical, it is important to fulfil the eligibility criteria as defined by the concerned authority. Given below are the important eligibility criteria for NET JRF:

• The applicants must have scored an aggregate of at least 55% in their Master’s from a UGC-recognised university/institution.
• In the case of the reserved category, the candidate is eligible to apply with a relaxation of 5% in their Master’s scores
• The candidates who are appearing in the final exam of a master’s degree or an equivalent course are eligible for provisional admittance. A provisional admittance means the candidates must have an aggregate score of 55% when they pass their final exams and they can directly enter the position of a JRF only. 
• Candidates belonging to the transgender category are also offered the same relaxations as ST/SC/OBC candidates.
• The candidates must be below 30 years while reserved candidates get a relaxation of 5 years in age.
• The candidates who have experience in research work are also eligible for a relaxation of 5 years. But they must be having research work experience in the same relevant field.
• Candidates with an LLM degree are given 3 years of exemption in age.

OBC-Non Creamy Layer	Up to 5 years
Prior Research Experience [Subject to the period spent]	5 years
LLM Degree Holders	3 years
Armed Forces [Subject to the time spent]	5 years

NET JRF Syllabus 

In order to crack NET JRF, apart from a subject-specific curriculum, one needs to pay special attention to Logical and Analytical Reasoning. Hence, Paper-I consists of topics like Reading Comprehension, Research and Teaching Aptitude, Data Interpretation, Information and Communication Technology (ICT), etc. On the other hand, the syllabus for Paper II depends on the subject you choose. To understand the curriculum in detail, head on to our blog on UGC NET Syllabus!

NET JRF Scholarship Amount

Details	Fellowship Amount
JRF Fellowship Amount	For the first 2 years, Rs 31,000 will be awarded yearly. For the remaining portion, Rs 35,000 will be given.
Contingency Amount [Humanities and Social Sciences]	Initial 2 years – Rs 10,000 Thereafter, Rs 25,000 will be awarded.
Contingency Amount [Science]	Initial 2 years – Rs 12,500 Thereafter, Rs 25,000.
HRA	The amount can vary from one university to another.

How to Apply for NET JRF? 

To understand the application procedure for UGC NET we have put down a detailed list below:

• First, the applicants need to visit the official website of NTA and scroll down to go to ‘Quick links’ and click on ‘UGC NET’.
• After opening the website, fill in the online application form of UGC NET with all the accurate information and note down the system-generated reference number for future reference.
• Upload your scanned photo which should be sized between 10kb – 200kb and a scanned signature sized between 4kb – 30kb in JPG/JPEG format.
• After paying the admission fee through SBI_MOPS keep the proof of payment for future reference.

Terms and Condition

There are certain significant terms and conditions which need to be reviewed while filling out the UGC NET form:

• It is not required for the candidate to send any extra certificates/documents to prove their eligibility.
• The candidate who has passed from any Indian or foreign university must make sure that their Master’s degree or diploma is equivalent to any of the master’s degrees of recognised Indian universities from the Association of Indian Universities, New Delhi.
• The candidate must submit just one application form as more than one leads to the cancellation of the application.
• The admit card is available on the UGC NET website after the given date and must be downloaded front there.
• To be eligible for JFR, the applicant must score an aggregate of 40% on both papers.

Hence, in this throat-cutting competition, one needs to devise a well-concocted strategy in order to score well in the UGC NET JRF Exam! Are you apprehensive about choosing the right educational career? Take expert advice from the counsellors at Leverage Edu through an E-meeting and get assistance from filing applications to SOP preparation!