English, Commerce and Sociology papers to be re-conducted; student body demands accountability, accessible centres and travel support
Mumbai: The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) has raised serious concerns over errors identified in three UGC NET June 2026 question papers and has demanded accountability from the National Testing Agency (NTA), along with adequate support for candidates who will now have to appear for a re-examination. The NTA announced on August 16 that the English, Commerce and Sociology papers would be re-conducted after a committee constituted by the agency examined complaints regarding multiple errors in the papers.
According to the NTA, the committee found several factual, typographical and translation errors, including misspelt names of prominent scholars, garbled book titles, errors in question wording, grammatical and punctuation mistakes, non-standard terms for established concepts and repetition of a significant number of previously administered questions. The NTA concluded that defects of this extent could not be adequately addressed merely by dropping questions during the answer-key challenge process and decided to re-conduct the three examinations. English and Commerce will be re-conducted on September 9, 2026, while Sociology will be held on September 10, 2026. Details regarding examination cities, centres and admit cards will be announced separately by the agency.
ABVP Seeks Explanation Over Quality-Control Process
ABVP said the findings raise questions about the mechanisms used for question-paper preparation, expert scrutiny, translation, proofreading and final quality verification. The student organisation said NTA should explain how errors of this nature passed through different stages of scrutiny before the examination was conducted. ABVP had earlier raised concerns over the delay in releasing the provisional answer key and had submitted a memorandum to the UGC Secretary seeking its release, the organisation said.
It argued that candidates who have already appeared for the examination would now have to devote additional time and resources to appearing again. “Why should students bear the burden of failures in the examination process?” ABVP asked, alleging that the re-examination would affect candidates’ academic planning and impose additional financial and mental pressure, particularly on those required to travel long distances.
Demand for Accessible Centres and Travel Assistance
ABVP said NTA’s responsibility should not end with merely conducting the re-examination. It has demanded that candidates be allotted suitable and accessible examination centres and that the agency consider appropriate assistance with travel and other essential requirements wherever necessary. NTA’s official notice states that no additional examination fee will be charged to candidates appearing for the re-conducted papers.
The organisation has also called for a thorough review of the systems used in question-paper preparation and quality control, arguing that accountability should be clearly fixed at every stage. According to ABVP, safeguards should be strengthened across subject-expert review, translation, proofreading and final verification to prevent similar problems in future examinations.
‘NTA Must Stop Playing With Students’ Future’
ABVP Mumbai Mahanagar Secretary Abhishek Pawar said the errors found in an examination of national importance were a serious matter. “Such errors in UGC NET question papers are extremely concerning. Problems in the examination process directly affect students’ time, financial resources and academic future. Why should students have to pay the price for mistakes for which they are not responsible?” Pawar said. He demanded that NTA ensure candidates are not subjected to unnecessary inconvenience during the re-examination. “Providing examination centres alone is not sufficient. Suitable and accessible centres should be allotted, and arrangements should be made so that candidates do not face avoidable financial and mental hardship,” he said.
Pawar also called for reforms across the entire question-paper preparation and verification process, along with clear accountability for lapses. “If students’ concerns are not addressed and necessary reforms are not implemented, ABVP will raise the issue more strongly along with students across the country,” he said.
ABVP said it is also collecting suggestions from students, teachers and other stakeholders on reforms to the examination system. According to the organisation, meetings have been held in Chandigarh, Delhi and Patna, and the suggestions gathered will be submitted to a high-level committee examining improvements to the examination process. The organisation said it would continue to raise issues concerning students and press for a credible, transparent and high-quality examination system.
