UGC-NET 2026: The National Testing Agency (NTA) on Thursday night defended its ‘answer key challenge’ mechanism, saying the system is designed to ensure fairness for all candidates and dismissed concerns over the fee charged for raising objections.
The agency stated the ₹200 fee charged per question is returned to candidates whose objections are accepted, adding that the charge is intended to prevent frivolous challenges rather than generate revenue from genuine claims. It mentioned the fee is intended to deter frivolous challenges and is refunded when a candidate’s objection is found to be valid.
“The ₹200/question is refunded to the candidate whose challenge is upheld. The fee exists to discourage frivolous challenges, not to profit from genuine ones,” it said.
The agency further mentioned, “So if you have identified a genuine error and raised it, if found correct will not only be refunded but one accurate challenge from any candidate can correct the record for lakhs of others.”
The NTA answer key challenge is an online facility that allows candidates appearing for exams such as JEE Main, NEET and UGC NET to raise objections against suspected errors in the provisional answer key.
The testing agency has faced criticism in recent months over several controversies, including the NEET-UG paper leak and discrepancies reported in UGC-NET examinations.
“On the concern being raised that answer key challenges are ‘too expensive’: a quick clarification for candidates. The answer key challenge system is designed to be fair to every student, not just the one who challenges,” NTA said, noting, “One challenge, everyone benefits. If even a single candidate challenges a question, and the subject experts accept the challenge, the revised answer key applies to every candidate who wrote the exam.”
The agency on Sunday released the provisional answer keys for 84 subjects covered under the UGC-NET June 2026 examination. In a post on X, the agency had said candidates could raise objections against the answer keys between August 16 and 18, with the challenge window closing at 11:59 PM on August 18. Candidates were required to pay a processing fee of ₹200 for each question they challenged, with the deadline for submitting the fee also set for 11:59 PM on August 18, the NTA said.
NTA to hold UGC-NET re-test for English, Commerce, Sociology over paper errors
Meanwhile, the NTA has announced a re-examination for the UGC-NET papers in English, Commerce and Sociology after a committee set up by the agency identified several errors in the question papers. The decision comes as the testing agency faces increasing criticism over its management of competitive exams, along with protests by student organisations such as the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), Students’ Federation of India (SFI) and All India Students’ Association (AISA).
ANI citing sources said the corrections were being made “in the overall interest of candidates” and to reinforce the foundation of a more accountable examination system. “The re-test is being held at no additional fee, and the number of qualifying candidates and the subject-wise allocations for those subjects will not be reduced on account of the re-test,” sources stated.
The agency is also using the issue to review and strengthen its procedures across different stages of question paper preparation, including setting, moderation, translation and composition. Sources mentioned the NTA is further assessing mechanisms to determine accountability for the lapses.