New Delhi, Aug 10: The National Testing Agency (NTA) will publish the provisional answer keys for UGC-NET June 2026 and three other examinations this week, giving candidates an opportunity to check their responses and challenge answers within the notified window. The agency has also cautioned aspirants against relying on rumours and asked them to follow only its official communications.
The examinations covered by the announcement are the University Grants Commission-National Eligibility Test (UGC-NET) June 2026, the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-National Eligibility Test (CSIR-NET), and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research’s AIEEA (PG) and AICE (PhD) 2026 examinations.
In a statement posted on X on Monday, the NTA said candidates would be able to access the provisional answer keys on its official website after their publication. It said candidates would also be allowed to raise challenges within the notified period, with detailed instructions to be issued when the answer keys are released.
The announcement comes against the backdrop of repeated disruptions to major competitive and eligibility examinations in the country. UGC-NET was cancelled in 2024 after reports that examination papers had been compromised, affecting nearly nine lakh students. Railway recruitment examinations, teacher eligibility tests in Odisha and Maharashtra, and police constable examinations in Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal have also faced similar disruptions. Arrests followed these incidents, although convictions largely remained elusive.
The Union government responded to concerns over organised examination fraud by introducing the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024. The law criminalised organised examination-related malpractice and covers examinations conducted by national agencies including the NTA, UPSC, SSC, Railways and IBPS, as well as state boards.
Parliament last month passed the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, which amends the 2024 legislation. The amendments provide for stricter penalties, including imprisonment of up to 10 years, fines of up to Rs 10 crore for organised rings and seizure of property. The amendments also provide for special fast-track courts to enable time-bound trials.
Union Minister Jitendra Singh informed the Lok Sabha that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had constituted a high-level task force led by Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani to recommend comprehensive reforms aimed at making the examination system “leak-proof”.
He also said the K. Radhakrishnan committee, constituted on June 22, 2024, had made 46 key recommendations. Of these, 35, or 76 per cent, had already been implemented, according to the minister.
